The Voyage of the Atka
Although the International Geophysical Year is in 1957-58, it has actually begun. An icebreaker has cruised to Antarctica not only to survey sites for the IGY but also to gather geophysical facts...
Features
The Interior of the Earth
Perhaps more inaccessible than the nearest star, it is revealed by earthquakes. These indicate that matter in the earth's inner core is so highly compressed that it is twice as rigid as steel...
The Origin of Continents
The evidence of the rocks suggests that the great land masses grew by cycles in which chains of volcanoes rose from the sea and sediment washed into the deep troughs along their flanks
Glaciers
Ice plays a critical role in the water economy of the earth. About 86 per cent of it is in the Antarctic, where it exerts a profound influence on the weather in all parts of the world
The Circulation of the Oceans
Driven by winds, the ocean waters flow in complex patterns whose broad outlines are beginning to be understood. Curiously, tiny ripples rather than large waves take up most of the winds' energy...
The Earth from Space
The photograph on the next two pages is the most revealing yet made of the earth. It was exposed in a rocket at a height of 143.4 miles, which for all practical purposes is outside the earth's atmosphere...
The Circulation of the Atmosphere
Powered by solar energy equivalent to nearly seven million atomic bombs, persistent winds weave vast three-dimensional patterns of which our daily weather charts show mere eddies
The Ionosphere
Above the stratosphere the sparse atoms and molecules of air are disrupted by the harsher radiations of the sun. A revealing and useful property of this mantle is its reflection of radio waves...
Aurora and Airglow
Under bombardment by solar corpuscles the atmosphere lights up like a neon tube in intermittent auroral displays. It also shines with a steady glow which is usually too dim to be seen
The Earth's Magnetism
The fact that the grains of ancient rocks are lined up like tiny compass needles has led to the astonishing conclusion that the earth's magnetic poles have wandered and reversed
The Earth's Gravity
The attraction of the planet for objects on its surface varies with their geographic position. These differences indicate that the earth has curious bumps. They also cause discrepancies in athletic records...
Departments
50 and 100 Years Ago: September 1955
Science and the Citizen: September 1955
- Letters
Letters to the Editors, September 1955
- Recommended
Books
- Amateur Scientist
The Amateur Scientist
- Departments
The Authors
Bibliography
