Records in science and technology. Elements

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is an endorheic lake in the Middle East (Jordan and Israel), in a tectonic depression of the mountains. Size 1050 km2, length 76 km. Located 395 m below sea level. It is here, on its coast, that the lowest place on the Earth's land surface is, up to 421 m below sea level.

The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. Water salinity is 260-270 ‰ (in some years up to 310 ‰). This is one of the saltiest seas in the world. There is no organic life (except for some types of bacteria).

The desert hills surrounding it on all sides, as dead as the sea itself, shine with a unique brilliance and shimmer as soon as a ray of sun touches their surface. This is caused by the fact that the surface of the rocks, like snow, is covered with shiny deposits of white salt. This high concentration of salt is what gives the water its healing qualities and density. Since the amount of salt in the Dead Sea is eight times greater than the amount of salt in the world's oceans, you can swim in it even if you don't know how to swim. Swimming in the Dead Sea is an incomparable and unforgettable experience that should not be missed.

The Arabs call this sea the Sea of ​​Lot or sometimes the Fetid Lake, because it contains minerals whose pungent odor cannot be described.

According to History, the Dead Sea has been associated with such famous names as King David, King Herod, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. There is a story about how, on the orders of Queen Cleopatra, cosmetics and medicines began to be produced here. And an Arab named Nabataeus supplied bitumen from here to Egypt, which was the main substance for the mummification of Egyptian pharaohs.

Using the Gifts of the Dead Sea

In ancient times, water and salt from the Dead Sea were supplied to Italy for the Roman masters.

Asphalt, the bituminous substance that rises to the surface of the lake, was used for many industrial and medical purposes. Factories began to appear around the lake one after another, mainly for the production of expensive cosmetics, perfumes and medicines. Thus, the Dead Sea became an economically important area, the ownership of which was fought over fiercely until Antony the Dark conquered the Dead Sea area for Cleopatra.

Today, the plants and factories concentrated on the Dead Sea coast represent the main industrial complex of the country, where for several decades potash (potassium carbonate), bromide and other chemical compounds were mined for export abroad.

But above all, the Dead Sea region is an ideal base for tourism. The distance from Amman to the Dead Sea is short, only an hour's drive, and from Amman airport even less.

Health promotion at the Dead Sea

In recent years, the Dead Sea has become a center for health promotion, treatment, recreation, rehabilitation, beauty and SPA resorts. Thanks to its unique climate, which practically does not change throughout the year, and numerous beauty and wellness centers, the Dead Sea attracts more and more tourists, vacationers and people in need of treatment from all over the world. Modern hotels and health centers are located along the entire coastline.

From the east the Dead Sea is surrounded by mountains, and from the west by the Jerusalem hills of unique beauty. Although the area is largely uninhabited today, it was previously home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebuin and Zohar.

Based on materials from jordania.ru

We invite you to look at the world from the lowest points of the Earth - and there are such places on every continent, they are located much below sea level. In this collection I will tell you about seven such places.

There are many places on the planet where you are standing on dry land, while the level of the world's oceans suggests that you are actually submerged under water. Let's start with the Dead Sea in Asia. It is also called the Salt Sea and is located between Palestine, Israel and Jordan. Its shores and surface are located at 422 meters below sea level. This is the lowest landmass on Earth

Next comes Lake Assal in Africa, it is located in Djibouti, Ethiopia. The lake lies 155 meters below sea level in the Afar Lowland. This is the lowest landmass in Africa and the second on Earth after the Dead Sea. The water here is one of the saltiest in the world - 34.8% salt concentration, which is higher than the concentration in the Dead Sea and ten times the salinity level in the ocean

There is a place in Antarctica called the Vestfold Hills, which is located 50 meters below sea level. For your information, the deepest place on Earth not covered by liquid water is the Bentley Deep in Antarctica with a depth of 2555 meters below sea level. The depression is covered with a huge layer of ice. The deepest place on Earth covered with liquid water is the Mariana Trench.


There are similar places in North America. Death Valley is a desert located in the southwestern United States. Located within the Mojave Desert, the intermontane trench is the lowest, driest, and hottest place in the Americas. The site called Badwater in Death Valley is the lowest place in the United States, 86 meters below sea level. Surprisingly, this point is only 76 miles east of Mount Whitney, the highest point at 4,422 meters. Death Valley is also considered to be home to some of the hottest temperatures on Earth, with Furnace Creek reaching 56.7°C on July 13, 1913. Only higher is the world record of 58°, recorded in Libya on September 13, 1922

In South America there is Laguna Del Carbon with a depth of 105 meters below sea level. Laguna del Carbon (Coal Lagoon) is a salt lake located in Argentina. It is the lowest point in the Western and Southern Hemispheres and the seventh lowest point on Earth. Pay attention to the quality of the road surface in the Argentine desert...


The lowest point in Europe is the Caspian Sea. Its basin area is 371,000 km2, which is about 10 percent of the world's closed water basin area. The ancient inhabitants considered the Caspian Sea an ocean, probably due to its salinity and apparent immensity. The sea is a closed lake, and the water in it is salty, with an average salinity of 1.2%. This is the lowest place in Europe with a depth of 28 meters below the level

We visited each of the continents, only Australia remained. There is such a place here too - Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia at a depth of 15 meters below sea level in the very center of the huge Eyre Basin, Australia's largest lake


It is difficult to determine from photographs, but almost everywhere the ocean was at least 20 meters higher than the point where the photographer stood... Isn’t it amazing that such places exist on Earth?

There are 94 chemical elements found in nature. To date, another 15 transuranium elements have been artificially obtained (elements from 95 to 109), the existence of 10 of them is indisputable.

The most common

Lithosphere. Oxygen (O), 46.60% by weight. Discovered in 1771 by Karl Scheele (Sweden).

Atmosphere. Nitrogen (N), 78.09% by volume, 75.52% by mass. Discovered in 1772 by Rutherford (Great Britain).

Universe. Hydrogen (H), 90% of the total substance. Discovered in 1776 by Henry Cavendish (Great Britain).

Rarest (out of 94)

Lithosphere. Astatine (At): 0.16 g in the earth's crust. Opened in 1940 by Corson (USA) and his employees. The naturally occurring isotope astatine 215 (215 At) (discovered in 1943 by B. Karlik and T. Bernert, Austria) exists in quantities of only 4.5 nanograms.

Atmosphere. Radon (Rn): only 2.4 kg (6 10 –20 volume of one part per million). Opened in 1900 by Dorn (Germany). The concentration of this radioactive gas in areas of granite rock deposits is believed to have caused a number of cancers. The total mass of radon found in the earth’s crust, from which atmospheric gas reserves are replenished, is 160 tons.

The easiest

Gas. Hydrogen (H) has a density of 0.00008989 g/cm 3 at a temperature of 0°C and a pressure of 1 atm. Opened in 1776 by Cavendish (Great Britain).

Metal. Lithium (Li), with a density of 0.5334 g/cm 3, is the lightest of all solids. Discovered in 1817 by Arfvedson (Sweden).

Maximum Density

Osmium (Os), with a density of 22.59 g/cm 3, is the heaviest of all solids. Discovered in 1804 by Tennant (Great Britain).

Heaviest gas

It is radon (Rn), the density of which is 0.01005 g/cm 3 at 0°C. Opened in 1900 by Dorn (Germany).

Last received

Element 108, or unniloctium (Uno). This provisional name is given by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Obtained in April 1984 by G. Münzenberg and coworkers (West Germany), who observed only 3 atoms of this element in the laboratory of the Society for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt. In June of the same year, a message appeared that this element had also been obtained by Yu.Ts. Oganesyan and collaborators at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, USSR.

A single unnilenium atom (Une) was obtained by bombarding bismuth with iron ions in the laboratory of the Heavy Ion Research Society, Darmstadt, West Germany, on August 29, 1982. It has the highest atomic number (element 109) and the highest atomic mass (266) . According to the most preliminary data, Soviet scientists observed the formation of an isotope of element 110 with an atomic mass of 272 (preliminary name - ununnilium (Uun)).

The cleanest

Helium-4 (4 He), obtained in April 1978 by P.V. McLintock of Lancaster University, USA, has less than 2 parts of impurities per 10 15 parts of volume.

The hardest

Carbon (C). In its allotropic form, diamond has a Knoop hardness of 8400. Known since prehistoric times.

Dearest

Californian (Cf) was sold in 1970 for $10 per microgram. Opened in 1950 by Seaborg (USA) and his colleagues.

The most flexible

Gold (Au). From 1 g you can draw a wire 2.4 km long. Known since 3000 BC.

Highest tensile strength

Boron (B) – 5.7 GPa. Discovered in 1808 by Gay-Lussac and Thénard (France) and H. Davy (Great Britain).

Melting/boiling point

Lowest. Among non-metals, helium-4 (4He) has the lowest melting point -272.375°C at a pressure of 24.985 atm and the lowest boiling point -268.928°C. Helium was discovered in 1868 by Lockyer (Great Britain) and Jansen (France). Monatomic hydrogen (H) must be an incompressible superfluid gas. Among metals, the corresponding parameters for mercury (Hg) are –38.836°C (melting point) and 356.661°C (boiling point).

The tallest. Among non-metals, the highest melting point and boiling point is carbon (C), known since prehistoric times: 530°C and 3870°C. However, it seems controversial that graphite is stable at high temperatures. Transitioning from a solid to a vapor state at 3720°C, graphite can be obtained as a liquid at a pressure of 100 atm and a temperature of 4730°C. Among metals, the corresponding parameters for tungsten (W) are 3420°C (melting point) and 5860°C (boiling point). Opened in 1783 by H.H. and F. d'Eluyarami (Spain).

Isotopes

The largest number of isotopes (36 each) is found in xenon (Xe), discovered in 1898 by Ramsay and Travers (Great Britain), and in cesium (Cs), discovered in 1860 by Bunsen and Kirchhoff (Germany). Hydrogen (H) has the smallest amount (3: protium, deuterium and tritium), discovered in 1776 by Cavendish (Great Britain).

The most stable. Tellurium-128 (128 Te), according to double beta decay, has a half-life of 1.5 10 24 years. Tellurium (Te) was discovered in 1782 by Müller von Reichenstein (Austria). The isotope 128 Te was first discovered in its natural state in 1924 by F. Aston (Great Britain). Data on its superstability were again confirmed in 1968 by studies by E. Alexander Jr., B. Srinivasan and O. Manuel (USA). The alpha decay record belongs to samarium-148 (148 Sm) – 8·10 15 years. The beta decay record belongs to the cadmium isotope 113 (113 Cd) – 9·10 15 years. Both isotopes were discovered in their natural state by F. Aston, respectively, in 1933 and 1924. The radioactivity of 148 Sm was discovered by T. Wilkins and A. Dempster (USA) in 1938, and the radioactivity of 113 Cd was discovered in 1961 by D. Watt and R. Glover (Great Britain).

The most unstable. The lifetime of lithium-5 (5 Li) is limited to 4.4 10 –22 s. The isotope was first discovered by E. Titterton (Australia) and T. Brinkley (Great Britain) in 1950.

Liquid series

Given the difference between melting point and boiling point, the element with the shortest liquid range is the noble gas neon (Ne) - just 2.542 degrees (-248.594°C to -246.052°C), while the longest liquid range (3453 degrees) characteristic of the radioactive transuranic element neptunium (Np) (from 637°C to 4090°C). However, if we take into account the true series of liquids - from the melting point to the critical point - then the element helium (He) has the shortest period - only 5.195 degrees (from absolute zero to -268.928 ° C), and the longest - 10200 degrees - for tungsten (from 3420°C to 13,620°C).

The most poisonous

Among non-radioactive substances, the most stringent restrictions are set for beryllium (Be) - the maximum permissible concentration (MAC) of this element in the air is only 2 μg/m3. Among the radioactive isotopes existing in nature or produced by nuclear installations, the most stringent limits on the content in the air are set for thorium-228 (228 Th), which was first discovered by Otto Hahn (Germany) in 1905 (2.4 10 –16 g/m 3), and in terms of content in water – for radium-228 (228 Ra), discovered by O. Gan in 1907 (1.1·10 –13 g/l). From an environmental point of view, they have significant half-lives (i.e. over 6 months).

Guinness Book of Records, 1998

You probably know about the deepest trench, the Mariana Trench, and TravelAsk has already talked about it. But did you know that there is a place on the planet that is almost half a kilometer below the level? Yes, Mother Earth constantly surprises us.

The deepest place on the planet

The Dead Sea is the lowest landmass on Earth. That is, in essence, a person here is on land, and the sea level “says” that he is under water.

The Dead Sea coast is 417.5 meters below sea level. It is also called the Asphalt Sea, the Sea of ​​Sodom and the Sea of ​​Salt. The reservoir is located on the border of Jordan and Israel. It is quite clear that the road around the Dead Sea is also the lowest road on Earth.

The length of the sea is 67 kilometers, and the width in its largest section is only 18 kilometers. The reservoir can boast of depth: the maximum is 306 meters, and on average 200 meters to the bottom from the surface of the water.

That is, imagine, the lowest point of the seabed of the Dead Sea is 723 meters from the level of the world's oceans!

And of course, the main feature of the Dead Sea is its salinity. This is one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet, the salt level is 300-310%, and in some years reaches 350%.

Fact #1. No one lives in the Dead Sea because of its salinity. Or almost no one. About 70 species of oomycetes and higher fungi have been discovered here. They are not afraid of the salt level.

Fact #2. The water level in the Dead Sea drops by a meter every year. This is very scary for the reservoir and threatens an environmental disaster. Thus, the volume of water here has decreased from 325 cubic kilometers to 147. Moreover, the sea is practically divided into 2 parts due to such drainage.

The main reason is the activity of factories extracting minerals here, as well as climate change.

Fact #3. It was next to the Dead Sea or even in its place (according to some versions) that the famous Sodom and Gomorrah were located. However, the search for ancient cities was never successful. But at the bottom of the sea, anomalies similar to the ruins of a city were recorded by satellite. And the rock salt mountains in the southwest of the reservoir are called Sodom Mountains, although the origin of the name has not been fully established.

Fact #4. The level of minerals in Dead Sea water is approximately 30%.

Fact #5. There is a project to transfer water from the Red and Mediterranean Seas to the Dead Sea. The cost of constructing the canal is estimated at $4 billion.

Fact #6. It was on the shores of the Dead Sea that the biblical Lot and his daughters found refuge after the destruction of Sodom. Here you can even see the pillar of salt into which Lot’s wife turned.

Fact No. 7. In the vicinity of the Dead Sea, Qumran manuscripts were found belonging to the ancient Jewish sect of the Essenes. They date back to around the 2nd century BC. Their principles were very similar to the gospel commandments. They were found by chance by a Bedouin boy in 1947. Scientists believe that it was the teachings of the Essenes that paved the way for the perception of Christianity.

Who's in second and third place?

The second place is occupied by the coast of Lake Assal in Djibouti, it lies 155 meters below sea level. In third place is the Death Valley desert in California - this is the lowest point in both Americas, 86 meters below sea level.

Planet Earth is full of amazing geographical and geological mysteries and paradoxes. In fact, there are so many of them that we are unlikely to be able to reveal all the secrets that nature hides. Here are the most unusual and sometimes strange facts related to geography, geology and earth.

This was the longest geographical name for some time (and remains so in the Guinness Book of Records), until it was supplanted by the name "Krung thep mahanakhon bovorn ratanakosin mahintharayutthaya mahadilok pop noparatratchathani burirom udomratchanivetmahasathan amornpiman avatarnsathit sakkathattiya visnukarmprasit", consisting of 163 letters and meaning poetic name of Bangkok in Thailand.

The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the world's oceans with the lowest surface elevation of the earth's crust. Today it is believed to have a depth of 10,971 m. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean east of the Mariana Islands.