"Working" in North America Trivia Quiz

Answer: Santa Fe

Santa Fe became the capital of the Nueva Mexico province of New Spain in 1610. Retaining Santa Fe as its capital, New Mexico became the 47th state of the USA in 1912. However, the area was populated by indigenous peoples, including Tewa and Navajo, for several thousand years with the earliest settlement in what is now 'downtown' from around 900 CE.

I attended a conference here in 2010 and was greatly impressed by the architectural style of many adobe buildings, with rounded rather than the usual sharp corners. Of course the food was amazing too, although I had to take care not to eat anything too spicy for my Australian palate!

Answer: Molybdenum

At one time, the Climax Mine was the highest human settlement in the USA at an elevation of 3465m (11,360 feet). It is the site of an extensive Molybdenum sulfide deposit and for a time was the world's largest molybdenum mine, providing over 75% of the element. 'Cromoly' steel (with a variety of similar names), an alloy containing Chromium (0.6-1.1%) and Molybdenum (0.15-0.35%) is harder and stronger than conventional steel, but is much harder to weld.

One of the joys of working in the university sector, but certainly not restricted to this area, is the wonderful array of people from all around the world you meet and with whom can you collaborate. This trip through the Rockies, which included hiking and mountain biking, was with a colleague from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden.

Answer: It was fresh water!

The change in the height of the Hudson River at Kingston New York can vary by at least 1.3m (4 feet) between high and low tide. Despite this variation, the water in this region is all fresh. This effect is caused by the salt water on the incoming tide in the estuary (much further down the river around New York City) pushing the fresh water coming down the river back upstream.

This is aided by the relative incompressibility of the water. The many wetlands that fringe the river are then flooded and drained on a tidal cycle making them intriguing regions to study.

Answer: Boston

Fenway Park has been home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team since 1912, making it one of the oldest ballparks in the major league. Babe Ruth pitched for the Red Sox at Fenway before his 'famous' transfer to the Yankees at the end of the 1919 season. Some believe the 'Curse of the Bambino' resulted in an extremely desolate time for Red Sox fans with no World Series wins after the Ruth trade until the 4-0 triumph over the St Louis Cardinals in 2004. Perhaps the die was cast that year when the Red Sox overcame a three games to nil deficit to beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

We found Boston to be a wonderful place to visit and very easy for tourists to gain a quick appreciation for the amazing history on display. Following the 'Freedom Trail', marked by red bricks, took us through downtown Boston to many famous sites associated with the American War of Independence.

Answer: Erie

The Niagara River flows 58 km (36 miles) in a nearly northerly direction from Lake Erie (mean height above sea level = 174 m, 571 feet), then dropping 57 m (188 feet) over Niagara (Horseshoe) Falls and down to Lake Ontario (mean height above sea level = 74 m, 243 feet). The Great Lakes, including the Niagara River, were formed during the retreat of glaciers, including at the end of the most recent ice age. The startling blue-green color of the water is the result of suspended fine rock particles ('rock flour') abraded by the power of the water. The Niagara escarpment which forms the cliff-line of the falls extends from Ontario into several US states and is composed of a more erosion resistant dolomite rock cap compared to the surrounding shales.

Despite having visited Niagara many times, its power and grandeur never cease to amaze me.

Answer: Biosphere

Situated on the Ile Sainte Helene (St Helen's Island) in the Saint Lawrence River, the 76 m (249 ft) diameter Geodesic dome was designed by American architect, futurist and author Buckminster Fuller. After a serious fire halted renovations of the steel and acrylic structure in 1976, starting in 1990 Environment Canada converted the structure into an interactive museum which champions issues of sustainability and water use.

The Biosphere is not to be confused with the Montreal Biodome which is the converted velodrome from the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The Biodome also has an environmental focus, highlighting four typical North American landscapes, including animals.

As an aquatic scientist I was intrigued by how the Biosphere was conveying complex information about contemporary pollution and environmental management issues to the public in a direct, simple but not condescending fashion. If you're ever in Montreal, I highly recommend a visit to either, or better, both, of these great living museums.

Answer: Canadian Pacific Railway

Linked with Canadian Confederation in 1867, the construction of a railway line from eastern Canada to Vancouver commenced in 1881 to fulfill a promise which brought British Columbia into the Confederation in 1871. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was established to undertake that task, with the section in British Columbia completed four years later. The Company also built several grand railway hotels, including the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel. The town of Banff grew up around the hotel and the nearby hot springs and was the first town incorporated in a National Park (Banff National park established in 1885) in Canada. The General Manager of CPR, Mr William Cornelius Van Horne, claimed that "If we can't export the scenery, we'll import the tourists."

This hotel was a favorite of ours when we lived in Calgary for three years and wanted to impress the many cherished visitors we had (mainly from home in Australia). The Sunday Brunches there were legendary and meant no further eating was required that day!

Answer: Maligne Lake

Maligne Lake, situated 44 km (27 miles) south of Jasper, Alberta, is the deepest lake in Jasper National Park. It is famed for its intense blue color (although not evident on the overcast day of my photograph!). The lake is in a U-shaped valley carved out by glacial action and was formed when water filled behind the remnant terminal moraine from the glacier. It is believed that the name, meaning 'wicked' or 'malignant', comes from the treacherous currents in the Maligne River that feeds the lake.

One of the many wonderful aspects of living in Calgary for nearly three years was that we got to explore many of the spectacular lakes in the Banff-Jasper region. Some required considerable effort to hike into, whereas others, like Maligne Lake shown here, were easily accessible from your car.

Answer: Calving

The correct term for the process shown in this picture is 'calving'. It is the sudden breaking away of a large chunk or sheet of ice from a glacier. The origin is related to the large glacier giving 'birth' to a smaller piece of ice. When the liberated ice is released it is usually very sudden and accompanied by a sharp loud sound. If a sufficiently big piece of ice is dropped into the water, dangerous waves can be generated.

I was just fortunate to capture this moment on my camera. It was hard to judge but the larger piece of ice entering the water was probably about 10 m (33 feet) high and was accompanied by a small 'boom'. I had been taking lots of photos trying to capture the blueness of the ice when this calving occurred.

Answer: Yes

A glacier is a slow moving 'river of ice' drawn down hill by gravity. As it moves, it abrades and crushes the surrounding rock and pushes it out to either side. In most cases this results in a 'lateral moraine' on either side of the ice and can be seen on the left hand edge as we look at the photo. When two glaciers join up, as shown in my version of a photo that appears in many tourist brochures, the dirt/rock line in the middle is compressed and held in place by the movement of the glacial ice on either side. This gives rise to the unusual sight of a medial ('middle') moraine.

We took this charter flight from Haines Junction in the Yukon and were extremely fortunate that the weather remained in our favor. Hard to discern at the back left of the photo is Mount Logan, Canada's highest mountain at 5,959 m (19,551 feet) and the second highest peak in North America (after Denali).