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Permian period

(Encyclopedia)Permian period pûrˈmēən [key] [from Perm, Russia], sixth and last period of the Paleozoic era (see Geologic Timescale, tablegeologic timescale, table) from 250 to 290 million years ago. Many ma...

Great Victoria Desert

(Encyclopedia)Great Victoria Desert, Australia's largest desert, c. 163,900 sq mi (424,400 sq km), South Australia and Western Australia states. Forming the southern belt of the Western Australia desert, it lies S ...

Simplon

(Encyclopedia)Simplon sĭmˈplŏn [key], pass, 6,590 ft (2,009 m) high, in the Lepontine Alps, Valais canton, S Switzerland. It is crossed by the Simplon Road built (1800–1806) by Napoleon I. The Simplon Railway ...

Petty, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Petty, Richard, 1937–, American auto racing driver, b. Level Cross, N.C. The son of Lee Petty, a champion stock car race driver, he won a record 200 National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ra...

Sherman

(Encyclopedia)Sherman, city (1990 pop. 31,601), seat of Grayson co., N Tex., near the Red River; inc. 1858. Originally on a stagecoach route, it is a highway and railroad junction. Manufactures include electronic e...

Erythraean Sea

(Encyclopedia)Erythraean Sea ĕrĭthrēˈən [key], name of unclear origin anciently applied to the Indian Ocean, later to the Arabian Gulf, and finally to the Red Sea. ...

jasper, type of quartz

(Encyclopedia)jasper, opaque, impure cryptocrystalline quartz, usually red, but also yellow, green, and grayish blue. It is used as a gem. Ribbon jasper has the colors in stripes. ...

bloodstone

(Encyclopedia)bloodstone or heliotrope, green chalcedony spotted with red, used as a gem stone. It is found in India, the United States, Brazil, and Australia. ...

Secretariat

(Encyclopedia)Secretariat, 1970–89, thoroughbred race horse. Nicknamed “Big Red,” he was trained by Lucien Laurin and ridden by Ron Turcotte. In 1973 Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont...

radial velocity

(Encyclopedia)radial velocity, in astronomy, the speed with which a star moves toward or away from the sun. It is determined from the red or blue shift in the star's spectrum. ...