Tag Archives: geology

Tallest & most prominent volcanic plugs/necks in the USA

Chat.openai.com defines and describes a volcanic plug as follows: “A volcanic plug, also known as a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a type of volcanic landform that forms when magma hardens inside a volcanic vent or conduit. When a … Continue reading

Posted in ecosystems, environment, geography, Geology, hiking, history, land use, mountains, natural history, nature, pictures, placemaking, recreation, spatial design, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, Travel, volcanoes, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The 50 largest canyons in the USA by land area

Below are the 50 largest canyons in the United States, ranked by land area. Using chat.openai.com, the list was generated and known errors were removed/corrected. *In addition, several parks containing multiple canyons, like Canyonlands, Cedar Mesa, Zion, Bryce, and Grand … Continue reading

Posted in ecosystems, environment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, land use, Maps, mountains, natural history, nature, place names, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, Travel, walking, water, Wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scaling the sands: Toughest dune hikes trekked to date

As one who loves to scale to new heights, whether it be mountains, hills, ridges, lighthouses, dunes, or towers, I’ve got to admit some of the toughest treks have been trying to hike/climb sand dunes. While the other climbs involve … Continue reading

Posted in deserts, ecosystems, environment, fun, geography, Geology, health, hiking, history, land use, logistics, mountains, natural history, nature, pictures, place names, planning, Skies, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, water, weather, Wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten planning lessons from our national parks

Provided below are ten planning lessons garnered from having the honor and pleasure of visiting countless national parks, monuments, historic sites, battlefields, lakeshores, seashores, trails, and preserves across our nation. The lessons are not necessarily presented in order of importance, … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Alternative energy, Alternative transportation, Animals, archaeology, architecture, art, Astronomy, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, branding, Bus transportation, Cars, charities, Cities, civics, climate, culture, deserts, diversity, economic development, ecosystems, education, electric vehicles, energy, entertainment, Environment, EVs and hybrids, family, fitness, geography, Geology, government, Green roofs, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, land use, mountains, natural history, Nature, parking, placemaking, planning, politics, recreation, rivers/watersheds, solar, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, traffic, transit, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, walking, water, water conservation, water trails, waterfalls, Wilderness, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Highest mountain passes, gaps, cuts, notches, and saddles on the Interstate Highway System

Below is a list of the highest elevation mountain passes, gaps, cuts, notches, and saddles in the United States on the Interstate Highway System. This blog author has traveled through the ones that are shown in italics. The list represents … Continue reading

Posted in Cars, environment, fun, geography, Geology, infrastructure, land use, mountains, natural history, nature, place names, recreation, scenic byways, spatial design, States, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Favorite canyons and gorges visited – UPDATED

The following lists identify my favorite canyons and gorges that have been visited over the years. They are broken into two categories – regular canyons/gorges and then slot/box canyons or chasms. As more are visited, they will be added to … Continue reading

Posted in deserts, environment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, history, Native Americans, natural history, nature, place names, recreation, rivers/watersheds, Skies, topography, toponymy, tourism, Travel, walking, Wilderness, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Albuquerque – A city at the convergence of unparalleled geophysical landforms

One of most interesting aspects about metropolitan Albuquerque is the distinctive geological and geographical perspectives that can be observed while traveling through and around the city. In each of the four primary compass directions, the geophysical attributes are noticeably different. … Continue reading

Posted in cities, climate, climate change, culture, deserts, ecosystems, environment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, land use, Maps, natural history, nature, pictures, place names, planning, recreation, rivers/watersheds, spatial design, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, volcanoes, water, water conservation, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Oklahoma’s impressive and surreal Great Salt Plains

Most everyone has heard of the Great Salt Lake and the accompanying Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Meanwhile, the Sooner State of Oklahoma has its own impressive salty ecosystem named the Great Salt Plains located in the north-central part of … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, archaeology, art, climate, culture, deserts, ecosystems, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, Geology, history, lakes, Maps, natural history, nature, North America, pictures, recreation, rivers/watersheds, Science, States, topography, tourism, Travel, water | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Geography of underground co-location data centers

The list below identifies underground data centers located around the globe that are designed to serve multiple tenants (co-location) versus solely one business or organization. Given the wide ranging of threats to data resources from climate change, cyber attacks, malware, … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, architecture, atomic age, business, commerce, Communications, ecommerce, economic development, engineering, geography, Geology, government, history, infrastructure, internet, land use, logistics, military, Mining, planning, product design, spatial design, Statistics, technology, topography, tunnels, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cities Named for Obstacles to River Navigation

Guest post by Dan T. – Thank you, Dan! North America is a land of many rivers. Rivers which served the earlyEuropean explorers, traders, and settlers as highways, just as they hadfor the indigenous people. However, moving along those highways … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, cities, commerce, economic development, environment, geography, Geology, history, industry, land use, Maps, Native Americans, natural history, nature, North America, place names, rivers/watersheds, States, topography, toponymy, Trade, transportation, waterfalls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment