The Druzhba pipeline ("Friendship" in Russian) is one of the world's longest oil pipeline networks, stretching ~5,500 km to transport Russian oil to Eastern Europe, built in the 1960s. It is a vital artery, carrying around 1.2–1.4 million barrels/day, with a northern branch (Poland, Germany) and a southern branch (Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary).
UPSC PRELIMS 2026
The Druzhba pipeline ("Friendship" in Russian) is one of the world's longest oil pipeline networks, stretching ~5,500 km to transport Russian oil to Eastern Europe, built in the 1960s. It is a vital artery, carrying around 1.2–1.4 million barrels/day, with…
Kazakhstan’s oil sector is dominated by three "giant" fields—Kashagan, Tengiz, and Karachaganak—which account for roughly 70% of the country's production
A fumarole is a vent in the Earth's surface, typically near volcanoes, that emits steam and volcanic gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur compounds. Representing late-stage volcanic activity or magma degassing, these fissures can be persistent or appear before/after eruptions. Fumaroles can form sulfur deposits and are sometimes called solfataras
😻Barren Island, located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is India’s only active volcano
☹️ Narcondam Island is a remote, uninhabited 6.8 km² volcanic island in India's Andaman Sea, located ~240 km northeast of Port Blair. As a protected wildlife sanctuary, it is famous as the only home of the endangered, endemic Narcondam Hornbill. The island features a dormant cone-shaped volcano, rising 710 meters above sea level.
😻Barren Island, located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is India’s only active volcano
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
The Leeuwin Current is a warm, low-salinity ocean current that flows southward along the Western Australian coast, unusual because it moves against prevailing winds and opposite to typical cold, equatorward eastern boundary currents. It carries tropical water from Indonesia towards Cape Leeuwin, driving mild winters and higher rainfall in the region
The Irminger Current is a north Atlantic ocean current setting westward off the southwest coast of Iceland. It is composed of relatively warm and saline waters from the eastern North Atlantic that are fed by the North Atlantic Drift. The Irminger Current is part of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre.
🍀Karmanasa River is a 192 km tributary of the Ganges in India, flowing through Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, often forming the border between them. It originates in the Kaimur Hills (Bihar)
🍃Punpun River is a sacred 200–235 km long tributary of the Ganges that originates in the Palamu district of Jharkhand and flows through Bihar
#RIVER
🍃Punpun River is a sacred 200–235 km long tributary of the Ganges that originates in the Palamu district of Jharkhand and flows through Bihar
#RIVER
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of compacted mud, clay minerals, and silt, characterized by its ability to split into thin layers (fissility)
😄 Geyserite, or siliceous sinter, is a porous, opaline silica deposit formed by hot springs and geysers
😏 Halite, commonly known as rock salt, is the natural mineral form of sodium chloride (\(NaCl\)), forming isometric, typically cubic crystals
😈 Potash is a vital potassium-rich salt, primarily used as a fertilizer to enhance plant growth, increase crop yields, and improve water efficiency.
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Please open Telegram to view this post
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
👉 Salt weathering is classified as physical (mechanical) weathering because:
👉 It breaks rocks without changing their chemical composition
“Rocks with higher porosity and lower hardness are more susceptible to salt weathering due to greater crystallisation pressure within pores.”
Chalk → Limestone → Sandstone → Shale → Gneiss → Granite
👉 It breaks rocks without changing their chemical composition
“Rocks with higher porosity and lower hardness are more susceptible to salt weathering due to greater crystallisation pressure within pores.”
Chalk → Limestone → Sandstone → Shale → Gneiss → Granite
Mawmluh Cave
Scientists studying the cave’s stalagmites discovered a distinct layer rich in oxygen isotopes, indicating a major, long-term drought that occurred around 2200 BCE. This was no local anomaly — similar patterns were observed across continents, from Egypt and Mesopotamia to China. The drought was so severe that it coincided with the collapse of several ancient civilisations, including the Akkadian Empire in Mesopotamia, the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and the Indus Valley Civilisation closer home.
🔵 Step 1: What is an oxygen isotope?
👉 Oxygen has different forms:
O-16 (light)
O-18 (heavy)
📌 These are called isotopes (same element, different weight)
🟡 Step 2: Why are isotopes important?
👉 Nature separates them during climate processes
Light isotope (O-16) → evaporates easily
Heavy isotope (O-18) → stays more in water
Scientists studying the cave’s stalagmites discovered a distinct layer rich in oxygen isotopes, indicating a major, long-term drought that occurred around 2200 BCE. This was no local anomaly — similar patterns were observed across continents, from Egypt and Mesopotamia to China. The drought was so severe that it coincided with the collapse of several ancient civilisations, including the Akkadian Empire in Mesopotamia, the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and the Indus Valley Civilisation closer home.
🔵 Step 1: What is an oxygen isotope?
👉 Oxygen has different forms:
O-16 (light)
O-18 (heavy)
📌 These are called isotopes (same element, different weight)
🟡 Step 2: Why are isotopes important?
👉 Nature separates them during climate processes
Light isotope (O-16) → evaporates easily
Heavy isotope (O-18) → stays more in water