answer the questions to gain a gold medal

4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying: I don't understand why hematite becomes red when it contacts with air and water.

4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans: This is because hematite is Iron (III) oxide which is red in colour. It' s original form is iron. When iron contacts with the air and water, rusting and oxidizing occur. It becomes hematite, so that we can see the red colour.


Lo Hiu Tung: I don't know the formation of diamonds.
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:
The information is come from a website.[1]

Diamonds are formed when heat reaches a certain temperature in combination with a certain pressure being reached which only occurs at 75 to 120 miles below the earth's surface. It was commonly believed by many that diamonds were formed as a metamorphism of coal. The belief now is that temperature changes in the upper mantle of the earth causes carbon atoms to go deeper where they melt. It is believed that they shot out towards the earth's surface during volcanic activity and then settled in the pipes that were created by the force. These pipes are called Kimberley pipes and these are primary deposits. This is where miners look for diamond deposits. The diamonds that made it to river beds over time and perhaps with the help of erosion are known as alluvial deposits.
It is believed that the first delivery of these diamond deposits occurred 2.5 billion years ago. The most recent delivery was 45 million years ago. They take thousands of years to form. Their intrigue is further enhanced with the knowledge that they might be 45 million years old at least.

Reference:
[1] http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/the-formation-of-diamonds-164818.html


1.Leung Ho Yee: is burying & compressing dead vegetation in swamp the only way to form coal?
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:
More information can be found in website[1]
Yes, coal can only be formed by burying & compressing dead vegetation in swamp. Decomposition of the death of plant debris about 100 million years to 44 million years ago, so often referred to as fossil fuels. The formation of coal plants could grow in swamps or river deltas. When they die, bacteria decompose the wreckage through the decomposition of changes, gradually formed a thick layer of marsh material. In these years, these substances become harder into peat. The passage of time, peat deposition period and with the movement of the earth, making mud buried deeper underground coal, and minerals together and heat through to the role and biochemical reactions, some into sandstone or shale, increasing weight and the page level Other cover began to peat into various grades of coal, sandstone and other sediments forming the rock called sedimentary rock. The process in coal rank, the content of hydrogen, oxygen decreases while the content of carbon increases.
Reference[1]:http://hk.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=7006072102872

2. Lo Vanessa Hiu tung: How do people find crystals?
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:
More information can be found in website[1]
When People connect the current to the crystal, the crystal will be bulging. When we stop the current, the crystal will draw back as it is. When pass the current to the crystal again, the crystal can be a very fast, very stable to expand and contract. When the crystal is carefully cut to a certain size, length and width, thickness, the frequency of such oscillations can also be very accurate under control. So that people can find crystals
Reference[1]:http://hk.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=7007082604534

3. Lam Lok Ting: What forms minerals?
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance that is formed
through geological processes and that has a characteristic chemical
composition,
a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical
properties. By
comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or
mineraloids and does not
have a specific chemical composition. Minerals
range in composition from pure
elements and simple salts to very complex
silicates with thousands of known
forms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral#Mineral_composition_of_rocks


7. To Tsz Ching: Why are rocks and minerals important for us?
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:
Minerals can make cosmetic, such as base. Moreover, minerals can make many different kinds of jewelry. For example, Agate. Chinese people think that wear Agates not only for decoration, they can make our mind clear and improve efficiency. So Agate is one of the most popular products in China. Also, many Feng Shui products are made by minerals. Rock is important too because it can make furniture, e.g. chairs in parks.

9. Chung Yuen Shan: Which minerals form limestone?
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium
carbonate: CaCO3). Like most other sedimentary rocks, limestones are composed of
grains; however, most grains in limestone grains are skeletal fragments of
marine organisms such ascoral or foraminifera. Other carbonate grains comprising
limestones are ooids, peloids, intraclasts, and extraclasts. Some limestones do
not consist of grains at all and are formed completely by the chemical
precipitation of calcite or aragonite. i.e. travertine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone

10. Lai Yin Sum: What is the factor affecting the color of rocks?
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:
The color of rocks id affected by the minerals the rocks contained.

14. Ho Wing Man: How can wind affect the formation of sedimentary rocks?
4C (21) Tsang Suet Ying's ans:
More information can be found in website[1]
Weathering breaks the rocks into debris, or other biological remains. Then through erosion, sedimentation, and petrochemical, and other effects caused by the rock. Old age rocks were first deposited in the lower part; the more the level of those, then the more new age, which is called the overlay layer of rules. When sedimentary rocks often contain organisms when buried also, after a long life time can be preserved to become fossils; in igneous rocks there are more non-fossil.
Reference[1]:http://hk.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=7007061701711

The photos come from a book called 黑面舞者[1]

Introduction

We are secondary 4 students studying Geography in Hong Kong. From 27/3-31/3, we went to Taiwan with our schoolmates. Our destination was Kaohsiung and Kenting. The purpose visiting Kaohsiung and Kenting was to geographical and ecological studies. The most important thing was we could see the Blackfaced Spoonbills. Before we went to Taiwan, we found some information about the Blackfaced Spoonbills. It is an endanger species and not so easy to see them normally. But now, we could see them ourselves. It was so thrilling!
Our focusing question: Is there enough education for Taiwanese to know how to protect the blackfaced spoonbill?
It's because the number of black-faced spoonbills has increasing recently. We want to know that is the education of protecting the blackfaced spoonbill is enough or not. We care about it because we don't want to see extincting of the black-faced spoonbills. Also, education is important for our generation to know more about the black-faced spoonbills and cherish the world that God created. So we decided to set this focusing question to know more about the education of black-faced spoonbill in Taiwan through this field trip report by interviewing some local Taiwanese.

Fact about Black-faced spoonbills

According to周大慶(2000)
Black-faced spoonbills are medium –sized birds. Plataleinae has six species in the world. Black-faced spoonbills are the one of them and they are the most endangered species. Black-faced spoonbills could be find in East Asia and field in Taiwan. Black-faced spoonbills are smaller than the Platalea leucorodia. Also, Black-faced spoonbills have a darker bill. They have long legs. Males are usually slightly larger than females. All of them have a long bill that is flattened at the tip like a spoon. Their bills are black in colour when they are adults. A little bit of red colour appear in their lower bill when they are subadults. They have yellow flecks when they are ten years old or above. During the breeding season, the feather in adults birds’ head and upper breast would turn from white to yellow colour to attract the opposite sex. [1]

The habitat of blackfaced spoonbill

According to周大慶(2000)

Black-faced spoonbills is the migatory bird and mainly appeared along the coast of southeast part of continent in the past. Nowadays, the reason why the number of black-faced spoonbills decrease rapidly because the wetland disappeared or dried up through synthesize the statistics and data from all the location that black-faced spoonbills spent their winter time. The world has only 600 black-faced spoonbills left in 1999.

Black-faced spoonbill's breeding locations are in North and South Korea, some small islands in the sea area of Niao Ning. Moreover, there are three main locations for black-faced spoonbills to spend their winter time, they are Tsangwen River Chigu lagoon, Mai Po and Vietnam. Also, in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hainan Island, people can see the black-faced spoonbills. Some locations are not discovered yet.

The Chigu area has great pressure due to industrial pollution, but the number of black-faced spoonbills has continuously increases (about 400). This shows the importance of Tsangwen River habitat. So, the industrial pollution should be solved as soon as possible.[1]



The habitat of black-faced spoonbill in Taiwan

Mud and sand from Tsangwen River deposit at the exit of Tsang Web River. Due to the strong power from the river flow in the north, most of the sand deposit there and form a large area for them to live. To prevent the area being damaged by sea water, in 1987 the Tai Nan Government built up a Chigu sea wall at the south of the area and two gates from today's view in Tsangwen River. This area's tidal range becomes flat due to the control of water by the gate. There are many fish, shrimp and other marine living things, so it is a perfect place for black-faced spoonbills to rest and hunting food and provide a save and convenient home for them. According the research, we can know that after building the sea wall, the number of black-faced spoonbill increases from 50 at the beginning of 1980 to 443 in year 1999. [1]

The future of black-faced spoonbill

On 30th September 1990, Tai Nan Government had a plan of changing Chigu Wetland to industrial area(the plan is called Binan Industrial Project). This would badly affect the local fisher men's economy. Besides, this area is black-faced spoonbill's main habitat, so these triggered a war of conservation and develop. The process of developing an industrial area will produce the problem of noise and pollution. This seriously affects the black-faced spoonbill's habitat, and it changes the land form and geology.
Conservation community, local people and fishermen hope the government can keep this area because this area is their assector's inheritance. Protecting the black-faced spoonbill is the focus of the argument.

The Binnan industrial project

The Binnan industrial project will affect the living environment of the Black-faced Spoonbills. The Binnan idustrial project planned to build an industrial harbour for an export purpose.
However, this construction would use over 30% of Chigu lagoon, while over 5% usage of lagoon was considered to be harmful to the environment.
The harbour would block wave action between inland and ocean water that might
gradually lead to coastal erosion. The shoreline erosion would cause the
disappearance of Tsengwen wetland, thus in turn would threaten many wild life
habitats inhabiting coastal areas such as black-faced spoonbills. The number of Blackfaced spoonbills might finally decreased.[1]&[2]

Reference:
[2]http://www1.american.edu/TED/spoonbill.htm

Importance of the education about the Black-faced spoonbills

Education is important. The number of Black-faced spoonbills is decreasing because of different kinds of club which are reclamation, coastal development, pollution, hunting and human disturbance, etc. The major impacts that let the number of Black-faced spoonbill decreases are reclamation and coastal development. If people do not know this background about the Black-faced spoonbills, they will not have the sense to protect them, or even do not care about them. People may disturb them continuously. But if people have education, they will have a sense to care the Black-faced spoonbills. Some people who love the animals may fight a protect area for Black-faced spoonbills. This can also increases the number of Black-faced spoonbills, so that our off-spring can have a chance to see these beautiful birds.
In conclusion, we found that the education about the Blackfaced Spoonbills in Taiwan is general. It is because when we asked the question in questionnaire, some of them could only probably said the appearance of Blackfaced Spoonbills. It has to improve more about that.The most serious problem was they thought that the number of Blackfaced Spoonbills was not so low. Therefore, in our opinion, the government should put more effort in education. The interviewee said that the information about Blackfaced Spoonbills is only taught in primary school. We thought the Taiwan government should extend the curriculum to the secondary school to let them know more about the birds. In school, they can hold more lecture to introduce the Blackfaced Spoonbills. This can also improve the education level about the Blackfaced Spoonbills. Moreover, advertisement is a important media to promote how to protect the Blackfaced Spoonbills to the Taiwanese. If Taiwan government can respect more, we think the Blackfaced Spoonbills can have more protection!

attachment

The characteristic of Black-faced spoonbills in different age
Age: 1 year-old
Bill: The upper bill is smooth and is dark red colour.
Iris: Brown or black in colour.
Yellow flecks: NA
Feather: Have black flecks in the end of the feather.
Remark: Immature birds
Age: 2-3 year-old
Bill: Lower bill is dark red colour.
Iris: Orange or red in colour
Yellow flecks: Not obvious
Feather: Black flecks disappear gradually.
Remark: Subadults birds
Age: 4-5 year-old
Bill: The bill is black in colour.
Iris: Red in colour
Yellow flecks: Obvious
Feather: The feather becomes white.
Remark: Able to sire
Age: 5 year-old or above
Bill: Appearance of yellow flecks in the front-end of the bill.
Iris: Red in colour
Yellow flecks: Obvious
Feather: All the feather is white in colour.
Remark: Adults birds[1]
The file of Black-faced spoonbills
The information is come from a book.[1]
Scientific name:Platalea minor Temminek et Schlegel
Common name:Black-faced spoonbill
Habits: They are gregarious and inhabit seashores, estuaries, and areas near fish farms. They are vigilant, so people could not be close to them easily. In winter, they would be more active at night time.
Reproduction:They would use small branches to build nests. They would spawn about 3-6eggs.
Food:They feed mainly on small fish and shrimp, or even aquatic animals.
Quantity:In 1999, only 613 Black-faced spoonbills were left in the world. In 2010, the number of the the Black-faced spoonbills are raised to about 2346.[1]
The result of the interviews
All the 5 interviewees are Taiwanese.

Reference list

[1] 周大慶&王徵吉(2000) 黑面舞者 台中:晨星出版集團
[2]Meng-Ju Liu(5/2004) Spoonbill, Industry and Polution in Taiwan
http://www1.american.edu/TED/spoonbill.htm