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Extremes on Earth
About Extremes on Earth
(Redirected from Extremes of Altitude)This article describes 'extreme locations on Earth'. Entries listed in bold are world records.
Extreme elevations and temperatures per continent
| Continent | Elevation (height above sea level) | Temperature (recorded) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | Lowest | Highest | Lowest | |
| Africa | 5,895 metres (19,340 feet) Kilimanjaro, Tanzania | −156 metres (−512 feet) Lake Asal, Djibouti | '57.7 °C (135.9 °F) Al 'Aziziyah, Libya 13 September 1922' | −23.9 °C (−11.0 °F) Ifrane, Morocco 11 February 1935 |
| America, North | 6,194 metres (20,320 feet) Mount McKinley (Denali), Alaska, U.S.A. | −86 metres (−282 feet) Death Valley, California, U.S.A. | 56.7 °C (134.0 °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) Northice, Greenland 9 January 1954 | ||||
| America, South | 6,962 metres (22,841 feet) Aconcagua, Mendoza, Argentina | −105 metres (−344 feet) Laguna del Carbón, Argentina | 48.9 °C (120.0 °F) Rivadavia, Argentina 11 December 1905 | −33.0 °C (−27.4 °F) Sarmiento, Argentina 1 June 1907 |
| Antarctica | 4,892 metres (16,050 feet) Vinson Massif | '−2,555 meters (−8,383 feet) Bentley Subglacial Trench' (under ice) | 14.6 °C (58.3 °F) Vanda Station 5 January 1974 | '−89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) Vostok 21 July 1983' |
| Asia | '8,848 metres (29,028 feet) Mount Everest, Nepal - Tibet, China' [A]' | −418 metres (−1,371 feet) Dead Sea shore, Israel - Jordan' | 53.9 °C (129.0 °F) Tirat Tzvi, Israel (then part of the British Mandate of Palestine) 21 June 1942 | −67.8 °C (−90.0 °F) Measured Verkhoyansk, Siberia, Russia (then in the Russian Empire) 7 February 1892 [1] |
| −71.2 °C (−96.16 °F) Extrapolated Oymyakon, Siberia, Russia (then in the Soviet Union) 26 January 1926 [2] | ||||
| Australia | 2,228 metres (7,310 feet) Mount Kosciuszko, New South Wales | −15 metres (−49 feet) Lake Eyre, South Australia | 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) Oodnadatta, South Australia 2 January 1960[B] | −23.0 °C (−9.4 °F) Charlotte Pass, New South Wales 29 June 1994 |
| Europe | 5,642 metres (18,506 feet) Mount Elbrus, Russia | −28 metres (−92 feet) Caspian Sea shore, Russia | 50.0 °C (122.0 °F) Seville, Sevilla (province), Spain 4 August 1881 | −55.0 °C (−67.0 °F) Ust-Shchugor, Russia January (no exact date available) |
| Oceania | 4,884 metres (16,023 feet) Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), New Guinea | Sea level | 42.4 °C (108.3 °F) Awatere Valley and Rangiora, New Zealand 7 February 1973 | −21.6 °C (−6.9 °F) Ophir, New Zealand 3 July 1995 |
| 'Bold' entries are Earth-wide extremes. | ||||
'[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. '[B]': A temperature of 53.1 °C (128.0 °F) was recorded in Cloncurry, Queensland on 16 January, 1889 under non-standard exposure conditions and is therefore not considered official. Transcript of report on the highest temperature | ||||
Greatest vertical drop
| Greatest purely vertical drop | 1,250 metres (4,100 feet) Mount Thor, Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada |
|---|---|
| Greatest nearly vertical drop | 1,340 metres (4,400 ft) Great Trango Tower, Pakistan (summit elevation 6,286 metres/20,608 feet) |
''See also List of mountains and Seven Summits.''
Subterranea
| Deepest mine | 3,581 metres (11,748 feet) East Rand Mine, South Africa |
|---|---|
| Deepest cave | 2,140 metres (7,021 feet) Voronya Cave, Arabika Massif, Abkhazia, Georgia. |
| Deepest pitch (single vertical drop) | 603 metres (1,978 feet) Vrtoglavica Cave, Slovenia |
''See also List of caves.''
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 | 8,047 metres (26,401 feet) Diamantina Deep, Diamantina Trench, South East Indian Basin |
| Mediterranean Sea | 5,267 metres (17,280 feet) Calypso Deep, Ionian Basin, 45 miles SW of Pylos, Greece |
| Pacific Ocean | '10,924 metres (35,840 feet) Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench' |
| Southern Ocean | 7,235 metres (23,690 feet) South Sandwich Trench (southernmost portion, at 60°S) |
| 'Bold' entry is an Earth-wide extreme. | |
Coldest and hottest inhabited places on Earth
| Hottest inhabited place | Dallol, Ethiopia average temperature is 34 °C (93.2 °F) |
|---|---|
| Coldest inhabited place | Eureka, Nunavut, Canada daily average temperature is −19.7 °C (−3.46 °F) [3] |
Northern and southernmost points of land on Earth
| Northernmost point on Earth | Kaffeklubben Island, east of Greenland () Various shifting gravel bars lie further north, the most famous being Oodaaq |
|---|---|
| Southernmost point on Earth | The geographic South Pole |
See also
★ Extreme points of the World
★ The World's most northern
★ The World's most southern
★ Northernmost settlements
★ Southernmost settlements
★ List of weather records
External links
★ United States National Climatic Data Center
★ Extreme Geography
★ Extreme Temperatures Around the World
References
1. Average conditions for Verkhoyansk from the BBC
2. Life Is a Chilling Challenge in Subzero Siberia from the National Geographic
3. Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000 - Eureka
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
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