Feature: Abundance of

animal life, land, and

water, which create a
perfect natural home
that is acceptable for life.

Fun Facts:
Lake Maracaibo:

Of course, also European intruders

noticed this weird, silent and
powerful thunderstorm. It even
influenced the history in this part of
America. In 1595, the lights of
thunder prevented the attack of
English pirate Sir Francis Drake on
Maracaibo - garrison of the city
noticed his ships in the light of
distant lightning.

Highlights
of the World
Field trip comprised of four
stops that exhibits earths
natural features.

Lake Hillier:

Stop4:
Santa Cruz Islands

Lake Hillier is not the only pink lake

in the world, for that matter, it is not
even the only pink lake in Australia.
For a period of six years, in the early
20th century, salt was mined from
the lake, but it is not anymore.

Kawah Ijen Volcano:

Breathing is only possible with a

good gas mask and staying near the
burning sulfur was only possible for a
very short time.

Santa Cruz Islands:

Painted Cave is one of the largest

known sea caves in the world.

Santa Cruz has the greatest number

of plant and animal species of all the
Channel Islands, including over 60
endemic, or unique, species.

Journey through:

Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

Lake Hillier, Australia
Kawah Ijen Volcano,
Indonesia
Santa Cruz Island, CA

Stop 2:
Lake Hiller,
Australia
Feature:
Lightning that
strikes almost
200-300 days
a year.

Feature:
Volcano with
a blue, lava
like deposit
that runs
down the
volcano
slopes.

Stop 1:
Lake Maracaibo,
Venezuela
Northwestern of Venezuela where the
Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo
presents a fantastic phenomenon called the
Relmpago del Catatumbo, or the
everlasting storm. In this place, for nearly
200-300 days a year, the storm produces
about 28 strikes a minute, which can lead to
about 40,000 strikes a night. The most
reasonable explanation is that the
combination of the unique topography and
atmospheric conditions of the area, such as
wind and heat, cause and feed the terrifying
storm. There are three sides that surround
the Lake Maracaibo Basin that create a trap
of warm winds from the Andes Mountain and
the Caribbean. When the hot air meets the
cooler air coming down from the mountains,
the clash creates condensation. The
condensation, draft of air, and moisture from
the lake itself creates a perfect formula for
formation of thunderstorms.

Stop 3:
Kawah Ijen Volcano,
Indonesia
Feature: A
pink lake with
high levels of
salinity.
In geography, it is common for us to see
water represented by the color blue on a
map. Lake Hillier in Australia is the
exemption with its bright pink hues that you
would think is man made, but is in fact a
natural phenomenon. This pink lake has its
color because of the presence of algae that
produces carotenoids, such as Dunaliella
Salina, a type of halophile green microalgae especially found in sea salt fields.
When the water in the lake has a high
temperature and has higher levels of salinity
than that of seawater, the alga begins to
accumulate the red pigment beta-carotene.

The Kawah Ijen volcano, located in East

Java, contains the worlds largest acidic
volcanic crater lake, which is famous for its
blue color. This active crater measures
about 950X600 meters and is known for
the rich sulphur deposits that miners
quarry. This blue glow, which of course is
uncommon for a volcano, is not lava. The
glow is actually the light from the
combustion of sulfuric gases. The gases
emerge from cracks in the volcano at a
high pressure and temperature
(1,
1,112F or 600C). When the gases come
in contact with the air, they ignite, sending
flames up to 16 feet high. Some of the
gases condense into liquid sulfur and
continues to burn as it flows down the
slopes, which gives it the feeling of lava
flowing."