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Sierra Nevada, mountain range, United States

(Encyclopedia)Sierra Nevada sēĕrˈə nəväˈdə [key], mountain range, c.400 mi (640 km) long and from c.40 to 80 mi (60–130 km) wide, mostly in E Calif. It rises to 14,495 ft (4,418 m) in Mt. Whitney, the hig...

Guadarrama, Sierra de

(Encyclopedia)Guadarrama, Sierra de syārˈrä ᵺā gwäᵺäräˈmä [key], mountain range rising from the plateau of central Spain, N of Madrid, and extending c.120 mi (190 km) between the Tagus and Douro rivers...

Pontics

(Encyclopedia)Pontics, mountain system, N Turkey, extending c.700 mi (1,100 km) along the southern coast of the Black Sea. The Pontics generally increase in height from west to east, culminating in Kaçkar Daği (1...

Caño Cristales

(Encyclopedia)Caño Cristales, river, c.62 mi (100 km) long, central Colombia, rising in Serranía de la Macarena National Park and flowing SE to the Guayabero River. Also known as the “River of Five Colors” or...

tourmaline

(Encyclopedia)tourmaline to͝orˈməlĭn, –lēn [key], complex borosilicate mineral with varying amounts of aluminum, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, potassium, and sometimes other elements, used as a gem. It o...

Fichtelgebirge

(Encyclopedia)Fichtelgebirge fĭkhˈtəlgəbĭrˌgə [key], mountain knot, in SE Germany, between Bayreuth and the Czech border; rises to 3,447 ft (1,051 m) in Schneeberg peak. The rugged mountains are composed mai...

Bierstadt, Albert

(Encyclopedia)Bierstadt, Albert bērˈstät [key], 1830–1902, American painter of Western scenery, b. Germany. After traveling and sketching throughout the mountains of Europe, he returned to the United States. H...

corundum

(Encyclopedia)corundum kərŭnˈdəm [key], mineral, aluminum oxide, Al2O3. The clear varieties are used as gems and the opaque as abrasive materials. Corundum occurs in crystals of the hexagonal system and in mass...

Muir, John

(Encyclopedia)Muir, John, 1838–1914, American naturalist, b. Dunbar, Scotland, studied at the Univ. of Wisconsin. He came to the United States in 1849 and settled in California in 1868. In recognition of his effo...

Burnet, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Burnet, Thomas, c.1635–1715, English cleric and scientist, b. Croft, in Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Northallerton and Cambridge. Following travels in Europe, Burnet published in 1681 the ...