Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Delhi 28°38'16.27"N 77°14'35.55"E
For the last day of my voyage, I flew to Delhi, India. I explored around the town a bit, before heading to sleep. The next day I headed to the Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket grounds, where the international match between India and England was being played.
These international matches usually last five days, and are battles of endurance. England quickly tacked on run after run before India went on a hot streak to end the inning, already late at night. Delhi, on the north end of the Indian subcontinent, lies near the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates, a continental collision boundary. In this type of boundary, two continents crash into each other, and the only place they can go in up. This can also create earthquakes, such as the 2005 Kashmir earthquake or the 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake, which had a magnitude of 8.6. It is this boundary that created the towering Himalayas, which are not volcanic because the magma has nowhere to flow up.
The next several days, England was able to barely hold onto the match, and India almost caught up, only losing by five runs. I flew back to Los Angeles the next day, after by around the world journey in the land of sports.
These international matches usually last five days, and are battles of endurance. England quickly tacked on run after run before India went on a hot streak to end the inning, already late at night. Delhi, on the north end of the Indian subcontinent, lies near the boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates, a continental collision boundary. In this type of boundary, two continents crash into each other, and the only place they can go in up. This can also create earthquakes, such as the 2005 Kashmir earthquake or the 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake, which had a magnitude of 8.6. It is this boundary that created the towering Himalayas, which are not volcanic because the magma has nowhere to flow up.
The next several days, England was able to barely hold onto the match, and India almost caught up, only losing by five runs. I flew back to Los Angeles the next day, after by around the world journey in the land of sports.
The Himalayas, the tallest mountains in the world, were created along the collision boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates.
Nairobi 1°13'47.93"S 36°53'33.23"E
Today I flew to Nairobi, Kenya, just south of the equator. The flight took far too long, and I got in very late at night. I checked in at my hotel. The next day, I headed to Kasarani Stadium where there was a local soccer match.
The stadium, built for the 1987 All-Africa Games, and recently renovated, was packed for the match between Mathare United and Tusker F.C., who both play at the stadium. Kenya is also located near a plate boundary, since the African plate is in the process of splitting into the Somali ad Nubian plates down the East African Rift. However, there are rarely earthquakes here since divergent boundaries don't have plates clashing against each other; they are moving apart. Magma flows through the gap, creating volcanoes, such as Mount Kilimanjaro or Ol Doinyo Lengai, which last erupted in 2007.
The whistle blew and the game began. Tusker quickly put one it, followed by a goal from Mathare in the 44th minute. It appeared as if the game was going to be a tie, but Tusker put one in during stoppage time to win it, 2-1. It was a great game.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/EAfrica.gif
This picture shows how the African plate is splitting down the East African Rift.
The stadium, built for the 1987 All-Africa Games, and recently renovated, was packed for the match between Mathare United and Tusker F.C., who both play at the stadium. Kenya is also located near a plate boundary, since the African plate is in the process of splitting into the Somali ad Nubian plates down the East African Rift. However, there are rarely earthquakes here since divergent boundaries don't have plates clashing against each other; they are moving apart. Magma flows through the gap, creating volcanoes, such as Mount Kilimanjaro or Ol Doinyo Lengai, which last erupted in 2007.
The whistle blew and the game began. Tusker quickly put one it, followed by a goal from Mathare in the 44th minute. It appeared as if the game was going to be a tie, but Tusker put one in during stoppage time to win it, 2-1. It was a great game.
This picture shows how the African plate is splitting down the East African Rift.
Istanbul 41° 6'9.84"N 28°59'23.75"E
Today I flew across the world to Istanbul, a long voyage. The crowded airport was bustling with activity and I hailed a taxi to my hotel. The next day I headed to the Turk Telekom Arena to watch a Galatasaray match, in another one of the world's loudest stadiums. The city of Istanbul is also vulnerable to earthquakes, such as the 1999 İzmit earthquake, which left thousands of people dead. Located on the North Anatolian Fault, the line between the Eurasian and Anatolian plates, Istanbul is very vulnerable to earthquakes, in the same way that San Francisco is.
As the game between Besiktas and Galatasaray commenced, the crowd roared. Galatasaray quickly put two in and after 90 minutes, Galatasaray had won 2-0. Soccer fans in Europe are far more passionate about the sport than Americans are about football or baseball. It is truly a spectacle.
As the game between Besiktas and Galatasaray commenced, the crowd roared. Galatasaray quickly put two in and after 90 minutes, Galatasaray had won 2-0. Soccer fans in Europe are far more passionate about the sport than Americans are about football or baseball. It is truly a spectacle.
This picture shows the Anatolian plate and its multitude of fault lines
Seattle 47°35'42.73"N 122°19'53.41"W
After the tragic ending of the Big Game, I flew up to Seattle to watch the 49ers, my hometown team growing up, take on the Seahawks. Seattle is another city vulnerable to earthquakes, since it lies on the boundary between the Juan de Fuca and North American plates. The Juan de Fuca plate subducts under the North American plate. The Juan de Fuca plate goes under the North American plate, creating an underground fault line, which creates earthquakes such as the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake, and volcanoes, such as Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier. The last eruption in the area was the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
On my flight up, we flew right past Mount Rainier, which was a glorious view. It is rarely sunny in Seattle, but it sure is glorious when it is. After the aircraft touched down, I rented a car and drove into the city. Traffic was already a mess, 3 hours before the game. Finally arriving at the stadium, I parked and entered. The stands slowly filled, before the opening kickoff. CenturyLink field, regarded by many to be the loudest stadium in the NFL due to its acoustic properties, leaves your ears ringing. Dwarfing the Sodo district of Seattle, the Stadium, and its baseball counterpart Safeco Field, rose high above the surrounding buildings.
The port of Seattle, with its huge cranes, was just to the west, and to the north was downtown, rising high into the air. As the second half started, my ears were already ringing. It was tied, 13-13. At the end, however, Seattle pulled ahead to win it, 34-27.
On my flight up, we flew right past Mount Rainier, which was a glorious view. It is rarely sunny in Seattle, but it sure is glorious when it is. After the aircraft touched down, I rented a car and drove into the city. Traffic was already a mess, 3 hours before the game. Finally arriving at the stadium, I parked and entered. The stands slowly filled, before the opening kickoff. CenturyLink field, regarded by many to be the loudest stadium in the NFL due to its acoustic properties, leaves your ears ringing. Dwarfing the Sodo district of Seattle, the Stadium, and its baseball counterpart Safeco Field, rose high above the surrounding buildings.
The port of Seattle, with its huge cranes, was just to the west, and to the north was downtown, rising high into the air. As the second half started, my ears were already ringing. It was tied, 13-13. At the end, however, Seattle pulled ahead to win it, 34-27.
This picture shows how a plate subducts under another plate.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Berkeley California 37°52'14.46"N 122°15'2.61"W
Today I traveled from my hometown in Los Angeles and drove up through California. The drive took me far too long, a full 8 hours, since there was an accident on the 580 that slowed me down considerably, added to the already long slog up the 405 out of Los Angeles. I spent the night in Oakland, before cruising up to UC Berkeley where I went to college.
The whole eastern part of town was covered with people as fraternities were swarming in preparation for the Cal-Stanford rivalry matchup. The stadium had just recently been redone, primarily in order to make the structure less prone to collapse in the event of an earthquake, as the Hayward fault, part of the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates runs lengthwise down the center of the field. Since the one of the plates is moving in the opposite direction as the other, the stadium had been offset 13 inches since its construction in 1923. These two plates rub against each other, and the since they rub against each other, since can send massive earthquakes through the ground. The principle transform boundary is located on the San Andreas fault, running just offshore of San Francisco and responsible for the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake as well as the 1906 Earthquake. However, the Hayward fault is capable of major earthquakes as well and a big earthquake would send the stadium crumbling to the ground. The game began, and tragically Cal lost, 21-3. Stanford got to keep the axe.
The whole eastern part of town was covered with people as fraternities were swarming in preparation for the Cal-Stanford rivalry matchup. The stadium had just recently been redone, primarily in order to make the structure less prone to collapse in the event of an earthquake, as the Hayward fault, part of the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates runs lengthwise down the center of the field. Since the one of the plates is moving in the opposite direction as the other, the stadium had been offset 13 inches since its construction in 1923. These two plates rub against each other, and the since they rub against each other, since can send massive earthquakes through the ground. The principle transform boundary is located on the San Andreas fault, running just offshore of San Francisco and responsible for the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake as well as the 1906 Earthquake. However, the Hayward fault is capable of major earthquakes as well and a big earthquake would send the stadium crumbling to the ground. The game began, and tragically Cal lost, 21-3. Stanford got to keep the axe.
This picture shows how the stadium suffered extensive fault creep prior to its renovation
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
My voyage
Today was my last day at work(I used to study earthquakes). I decided that I should probably use my hard earned dollars and go do what I really enjoy. I have always enjoyed watching sports, domestic and abroad. The way some foreigners take soccer can be astounding. Tomorrow, I head out on a voyage around the world, visiting stadiums across the globe.
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