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A mesa is a type of land formation that protrudes from the earth below with a flat surface on top. The shape of this land mass is similar to a table, which is why it is called a mesa. Mesa means table in Spanish.

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While the most important way to save valuable resources is to use as few as possible in the first place, recylcing and using recycled products is the next step. Below you’ll find some fascinating Recycling Facts that will give you an idea of how much is used, and how much can be saved by recycling!
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Recycling is the process of collecting certain materials that would otherwise be considered waste — like old metal, paper, wood, or plastic for example — and turning them into new “recycled” products.

The first step required for recycling is collecting recyclable materials from communities. Today many major cities and larger communities offer a curbside pick up service for recyclable materials.

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Have you ever wondered why tsunamis happen? In this article we’ll give you the facts about these huge waves, so you can better understand what causes a tsunami.

The name tsunami, pronounced soo-nahm-ee comes from two Japanese words; tsu means harbor and nami meaning wave, so tsunami means harbor-wave.

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The Galapagos Islands are located just below the equator, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in South America. They are a group of nineteen volcanic islands and range in size and age. The oldest islands are over 4 million years old, while the youngest islands are still being formed today.

The Galapagos Islands have fascinated people for hundreds of years. They were first discovered by accident in 1535 when Tomas Berlanga’s ship was carried out to the islands by the ocean currents.

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Did you know that more than 80 percent of the Earth’s surface has come from volcanoes? And that the sea floor and mountains were formed by countless volcanic eruptions, while the gases released from volcanoes formed the earth’s atmosphere?

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Of all of the nasty weather that Mother Nature throws our way like tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, windstorms and lightning, the most dangerous natural occurrence in the United States is floods. Are you surprised that something like a tornado wouldn’t be as dangerous as some water creeping inside your basement or city streets turning into streams? It sure sounds wet, but dangerous? You bet! But why?

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Check out this story of one of the worst floods in United States history. Did it happen because of nature or man? You decide.

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If you live near an active volcano, you know that it can interrupt you life. Contrary to what you might believe, the way volcanoes interrupt lives is not always bad. Sure, they can destroy homes, land and the ash can be bad for your lungs. But erupting volcanoes also create new islands and land, the lava and ash are rich in minerals that enhance life to grow creating beautiful landscapes and many volcanoes seem to generate tourism which is good for the economy.

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• There are about 1500 active volcanoes in the world that have erupted in the past 10,000 years.
• The biggest volcano in the world is Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
• More than 80% of the Earth’s surface is volcanic in origin.
• The rock debris carried by the blast of Mount St. Helen’s eruption traveled as fast as 250 miles per hour!
• More than half of the world’s active volcanoes above sea level encircle the Pacific Ocean to form the “Ring of Fire”
• Jupiter’s Moon Io is the most volcanic place in the solar system.

Did you know that the word volcano comes from the island Vulcano which is off the coast of Italy?

Centuries ago when people worshiped gods like the Roman god Jupiter (same as Zeus in Greek mythology), they looked upon a mountain that emitted red hot fragments and clouds of dust. They believed that this was a chimney for the blacksmith Vulcan. The Roman legend said that Vulcan would work at his furnace crafting thunderbolts for Jupiter and weapons for Mars (the god of war). What they were really looking at was the volcano, Vulcano!

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Those volcanoes just can’t sit still. Look at some of the volcano events that have happened just during the year 2002.

January 2002 - In the Democratic Republic of Congo red-hot lava began pouring out of Mount Nyiragongo down through the eastern town of Goma. Up to 300,000 people were driven from their homes as molten lava swept through Goma.

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