Extremes on Earth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article describes extreme locations on Earth. Entries listed in bold are Earth-wide extremes.
Contents |
[edit] Extreme elevations and temperatures per continent
| Continent | Elevation (height above sea level) | Temperature (recorded) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | Lowest | Highest | Lowest | |
| Africa |
 Kilimanjaro, Tanzania |
−156 meters (−512 feet) Lake Asal, Djibouti |
57.8 °C (136 °F) Al 'Aziziyah, Libya 13 September 1922[1] |
−23.9 °C (−11.0 °F) Ifrane, Morocco 11 February 1935[1] |
| America, North |
 Mount McKinley (Denali), Alaska, U.S.A. |
−86 metres (−282 feet) Death Valley, California, U.S.A. (compare the Deepest ice section) |
56.7 °C (134 °F) Death Valley, California, U.S.A. 10 July 1913 |
−63.0 °C (−81.4 °F) Snag, Yukon, Canada 3 February 1947 |
| −66 °C (−87 °F) North Ice, Greenland 9 January 1954 |
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| America, South |
 Aconcagua, Mendoza, Argentina |
−105 metres (−344 feet) Laguna del Carbón, Argentina |
49.1 °C (120.4 °F) Villa de María, Córdoba, Argentina 2 January 1920[2] |
−33.0 °C (−27.4 °F) Sarmiento, Argentina 1 June 1907 |
| Antarctica |
 Vinson Massif |
0 meters (0 feet) (compare the Deepest ice section) |
15 °C (59 °F) Vanda Station 5 January 1974[1] |
−89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) Vostok 21 July 1983[1] |
| Asia |
 Mount Everest, Nepal - Tibet, China [A] |
−418 metres (−1,371 feet) Dead Sea shore, Israel - Jordan |
53.9 °C (129 °F) Tirat Tzvi, Israel 21 June 1942[1][B] |
−67.8 °C (−90.0 °F) Measured Verkhoyansk, Siberia, Russia (then in the Russian Empire) 7 February 1892 [3] |
| −71.2 °C (−96.2 °F) Extrapolated Oymyakon, Siberia, Russia (then in the Soviet Union) 26 January 1926 [4] |
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| Europe |
 Mount Elbrus, Russia |
−28 metres (−92 feet) Caspian Sea shore, Russia |
48.0 °C (118.4 °F) Athens, Greece 10 July 1977[1][D] |
−58.1 °C (−72.6 °F) Ust-Schugor, Russia 31 December 1978 [1] |
| Oceania |
 Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), New Guinea |
−15 metres (−49 feet) Lake Eyre, South Australia |
50.7 °C (123.3 °F) Oodnadatta, South Australia 2 January 1960[1][C] |
−23 °C (−9.4 °F) Charlotte Pass, New South Wales 29 June 1994[1] |
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[A]: Height above sea level is the usual choice of definition for elevation. In terms of the point farthest away from the centre of the Earth, Chimborazo in Ecuador (6,267 m) can be considered the planet's most extreme high point. This is due to the Earth's oblate spheroid shape, with points near the Equator being farther out from the centre than those at the poles. |
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[edit] Greatest vertical drop
| Greatest purely vertical drop |
 Mount Thor, Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada |
|---|---|
| Greatest nearly vertical drop |
 Trango Towers, Pakistan (summit elevation 6,286 metres/20,608 feet) |
See also List of mountains and Seven Summits.
[edit] Subterranea
| Deepest mine | 3,900 metres (12,795 feet) TauTona mine, South Africa |
|---|---|
| Deepest cave | 2,193 metres (7,021 feet) Voronya Cave, Arabika Massif, Abkhazia. |
| Deepest pitch (single vertical drop) | 603 metres (1,978 feet) Vrtoglavica Cave, Slovenia |
See also List of caves.
[edit] Greatest oceanic depths
| Atlantic Ocean | 8,648 metres (28,374 feet) Milwaukee Deep, Puerto Rico Trench |
|---|---|
| Arctic Ocean | 5,450 metres (17,881 feet) Litke Deep, Eurasia Basin |
| Indian Ocean | 7,258 metres (23,812 feet) Java Trench[9] |
| Mediterranean Sea | 5,267 metres (17,280 feet) Calypso Deep, Ionian Basin, 45 miles SW of Pylos, Greece |
| Pacific Ocean | 10,923 metres (35,838 feet) Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench |
| Southern Ocean | 7,235 metres (23,690 feet) South Sandwich Trench (southernmost portion, at 60°S) |
[edit] Deepest ice
Ice sheets on land, but having the base below sea level. Places under ice are not considered to be on land.
| Bentley Subglacial Trench | −2,555 meters (−8,383 feet) | Antarctica |
| −963 meters (−3160 feet) | Central North Greenland |
[edit] Coldest and hottest inhabited places on Earth
| Hottest inhabited place | Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia and Wyndham, Western Australia whose average maximum temperatures are 35.6 °C (96 °F) |
|---|---|
| Coldest inhabited place | Oymyakon (Russian: Оймяко́н), a village (selo) in Oymyakonsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located along the Indigirka River.[10] |
[edit] Northern and southernmost points of land on Earth
| Northernmost point on Earth | Kaffeklubben Island, east of Greenland (83°40′N 29°50′W / 83.667°N 29.833°W) Various shifting gravel bars lie further north, the most famous being Oodaaq |
|---|---|
| Southernmost point on Earth | The geographic South Pole |
[edit] See also
- Weather extremes in Canada
- Extreme points of the World
- List of extrasolar planet extremes
- List of statistically superlative countries
- List of weather records
- Northernmost settlements
- Southernmost settlements
- The World's most northern
- The World's most southern
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Global Weather & Climate Extremes World Meteorological Organization
- ^ http://www.smn.gov.ar/?mod=biblioteca&id=94 Servicio Meteorólogico Nacional (Argentina)
- ^ Average conditions for Verkhoyansk from the BBC
- ^ Life Is a Chilling Challenge in Subzero Siberia from the National Geographic
- ^ Satellites seek global hot spots | csmonitor.com
- ^ The Ceaseless Buzzing of Kinetic Energy, Daniel Engber, May 30, 2007, Discover, on line; accessed May 9, 2008.
- ^ New Images - The Hottest Spot on Earth, news, Earth Observatory, NASA. Accessed on line May 9, 2008.
- ^ Europe: Highest Temperature WM0
- ^ Indian Ocean, CIA World Factbook. Accessed on line December 26, 2008.
- ^ p. 57, Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book, Christopher C. Burt and Mark Stroud, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007, ISBN 039333015X.
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