nPostednon February 24, 2014
n
n
n
n
n
n
Chunksnof ice were just floating down the St. Lawrence River, minding theirnown business, when suddenly they found themselves in a narrowednstretch of the river, where they stuck, caught in a huge traffic jam.
Chunksnof ice were just floating down the St. Lawrence River, minding theirnown business, when suddenly they found themselves in a narrowednstretch of the river, where they stuck, caught in a huge traffic jam.n
n
n
n
n
nWell,nI guess I should call it an ice jam!
n
n
n
n
n
nAroundn250,000 tons of ice were jammed up, blocking the St. Lawrence River. n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Andnthe St. Lawrence is really important—that is the way that ships getnfrom the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and vice versa. The icenjam had to go!
Andnthe St. Lawrence is really important—that is the way that ships getnfrom the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and vice versa. The icenjam had to go!n
n
n
n
n
nSomeonendecided to try using explosives to clear the jam. Thermite (the kindnknown as a magnesium bomb) is an explosive made of finely dividednmagnesium and iron oxide, and three 90-pound charges were readied.
n
n
n
n
n
nKa-boomnwent the first charge! When the second charge was fired, “a huge flame fifteen feet in diameter and six feet high was emitted.”nApparently this was startling even to the guys blowing up thenthermite; people talked about watching “burning ice.” After thenthird charge, the whole jam moved out and “passed quietly down thenriver.”
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nDonyou like fireworks?
n
n
n
n
n
nSomenof the brightest parts of fireworks are created by burning magnesium.
n
n
n
nMagnesium is a metallic element that scientists sometimes work withnin powder or ribbon form. When people burn magnesium in a lab, fornexample as a demonstration for students, it is important that thendemonstrator wear goggles and that the students not look directly atnthe burning magnesium.
n
n
n
nCheck out this video to see hownbrightly it burns!
n
n
n
n
n
nHerenis a video of a demonstration of burning magnesium inside dry ice.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nIfnyou have ever wanted to see thermite destroying a laptop, herenit is. In slow motion. (Note that this sort of thermite uses aluminumnrather than magnesium.)
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nAlsonon this date:
n
n
n
n
n
nIndependencenDay in Estonia
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nMexico’snFlag Day
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nPlannahead:
n
n
n
n Checkn out my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
-
nFebruaryn holidays
n
-
nFebruaryn birthdays
n
n
n
n
- n
-
n
n
n
nAndn here are my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
-
nMarchn holidays
n
-
n
-
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n