
Bang: The Wild Wonders of Earth’s Phenomena
by Jennifer N. R. Smith
Interest age: 9 to 11
Published by Thames & Hudson, 2024
About this book
‘Phenomenon’ has two meanings: a feature or event that can be observed through the senses, and something exceptional and remarkable. The focus of this large hardback book is remarkable natural phenomena such as rainbows, volcanoes, earthquakes, caves and crystals, hot springs and geysers: the truly amazing things that happen on earth.
For instance, did you know that a tropical storm is created when warm, damp air rises from tropical seas, creating an area of low pressure? And that as the air cools and water vapour condenses into clouds, it’s pushed sideways, creating a rotating system of strong winds and rain?
What about the fact that glaciers shape landscape by eroding the land underneath them? Or that the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park – a naturally occurring fountain of hot water found in areas of volcanic activity – erupts once every 35-120 minutes and its water jet can shoot up to 56 metres high?
Featuring large, double-page spreads with stunning pointillist style illustration, Bang: The Wild Wonders of Earth’s Phenomena takes the reader through a number of amazing natural phenomena, also analysing the work of geoscientists.
There’s also a detailed glossary, and a fascinating section looking at legends concerning phenomena such as volcanoes and mountains from cultures as diverse as the Vikings, Indigenous Australians and Hawaiian mythology.
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Glow: The Wild Wonders of Bioluminescence
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