Scorched Earth Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ethiopia

The landscape around Dallol is desolate and apparently lifeless. However, there is an active volcano there, and geothermal vents with springs covering a large area. Don't count on that water for drinking though; it's acidic and poisonous. Spectacular formations of iron, sulfur, and salt deposits around the edges of the pools create a very alien and intriguing landscape.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.

Answer: Desertification

Timbuktu is an ancient city in Mali. In its golden age, it was an important learning and cultural centre in the region. Timbuktu has a hot desert climate. Temperatures upwards of 50 °C (122 °F) have been recorded in this city. During the winter months, dry and dusty trade winds dubbed the Harmattan Haze blow from the Sahara Desert. As the dust settles Timbuktu slowly turns to desert.

This question was blown into being by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Tunisia

The southern part of Tunisia is in the Sahara Desert. Tunisia is an unusual northern African country as it has its Mediterranean coast running north-south so its desert regions are not far inland. Kebili's climate is also made warmer by its proximity to Chott el-Jerid, a large salt pan to the west and south of the town, and a foehn-like wind that blows off the mountains to the west.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: Libya

Aziziya, sometimes described as El Azizia, is a very important trade centre on the Sahel Jeffare plateau and was once the capital of the Jafara district in north-western Libya. This place is hot, and I mean... really hot! It once claimed the world's highest recorded temperature but that has since been thrown out due to irregularities in the measuring. However, it is not unusual if the temperature here reaches 50 °C (122 °F) in the middle of summer. The average high temperatures here between June and August are in the mid- to high forties on the Celsius scale.

The question was boiled and broiled by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: Toasted Wheat

Gandom Beryan means Toasted Wheat in Persian. Legend has it that a load of wheat was left forgotten in the desert. When other merchants came upon it a few days later they found that the wheat had been toasted due to the heat.

The Lut Desert in Iran is also known as the Dasht-e-Lut. An imaging device on NASA's Aqua satellite once recorded its land surface temperature at 70.7 °C (159 °F), the hottest recorded worldwide between 2003 and 2009. It should be noted that although the Lut Desert held the record for the hottest land surface temperature during this period - it topped the list five years out of seven - the place with the hottest air temperature was actually somewhere else.

Gandom Beryan is a lava-covered plateau in the Lut Desert. The source of this lava is unknown as there are no volcanoes in the surrounding environment.

This question was toasted by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Marble Bar

During the period 31 October 1923 to 7 April 1924 (160 days) Marble Bar set a then world record for the most consecutive days with a temperature recorded in excess of 100 °F (37.8 °C). The town endures very hot summers so it seems surprising to hear that the majority of its average annual rainfall of 14.2 inches (36 cm) arrives during this season. This arid centre, which was named after an outcrop of jasper mistaken for marble, is situated a little over 900 miles (almost 1,500 km) north-east of Perth and boasts a population of barely 200 people. Its heyday was the 1890s when it held approximately 5,000 people within its limits thanks to the discovery of gold.

A nearby locality, ironically called North Pole, holds a series of rock formations with evidence of life on Earth dating back almost 3,500 million years. The other answer options listed above are all suburbs of Perth.

This question was sweltered over by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: Coober Pedy

Since its discovery of opals in 1915 Coober Pedy has been supplying much of the world with its gem-quality opals. Despite being the largest opal mine in the world the state introduced laws to discourage large-scale mining and prospectors are strictly limited to a 165-square foot (15.3 sq m) claim. The town sits on the edge of an erosional scarp and endures a desert climate. As a result, most of the locals have taken to making their homes below the surface. A three-bedroom cave home with bathroom, lounge and kitchen would cost just as much as constructing a similar home on the surface. However, the advantage is that its constant temperature eliminates the need to use air conditioning.

This question was boiled up by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: Journey to the West

The Flaming Mountains lie at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Surface temperatures in summer can reach higher than 50 °C (122 °F). The Flaming Mountains were formed 50 million years ago by the movement of tectonic plates. Erosion has created gullies and ravines that give the red sandstone an illusion of fire at certain times of the day.

In the Chinese classic novel "Journey to the West", the Monkey King knocked over a furnace in Heaven, causing embers to fall to Earth and create the Flaming Mountains.

This question was formed by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Lake Havasu City

Only Death Valley has had a higher recorded temperature than Lake Havasu City but Lake Havasu City holds the record for places where people actually live in measurable numbers. The temperatures from June 24 to July 2 of 1994 reached over 120 °F (48.9 °C) each day for nine consecutive days. That record also still stands.

Lake Havasu City started as an Army Air Corps rest camp during World War II. In the late 50s, it was purchased to be a planned retirement community. In 1968, London Bridge was bought and brought to the city to help bring tourists to the town and to spur development. It worked and the town now boasts a population of 52,000 people as of the 2010 census. It is also the second most visited site in Arizona behind the Grand Canyon. Lake Havasu also has one more well-known attraction and that is its 25 one-third scale replicas of famous lighthouses found throughout the US scattered around its shores.

This question was cooked up by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Death Valley

Death Valley is located in the eastern part of California. The Death Valley National Park includes 3.4 million acres (13,760 sq km) of land in California and parts of Nevada. Average annual rainfall is just 2.36 inches (5.99 cm).

The hottest ambient air temperature at the surface of the Earth was recorded in Death Valley on July 10, 1913 at 134 °F (56.7 °C). On September 13, 1922, a temperature of 136.4 °F (58 °C) was recorded in El Azizia, Libya. That location claimed the record for the next 90 years until an official assessment by the World Meteorological Association invalidated the measurement citing problems with instrumentation, siting, and observational procedures. It restored the world record to Death Valley.

Death Valley has claimed a few other records that have stood through the 20th century. The hottest ground surface temperature was recorded at 201 °F (93. 9°C) on July 15, 1972. The hottest overnight low of 110 °F (43 °C) was measured on July 5, 1918. At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater Basin in Death Valley is the lowest dry point in the United States.

This question was fired up by Phoenix Rising member JCSon.