From today's featured articleMount Takahe is a 3,460-metre-high (11,350 ft) snow-covered shield volcano in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the Amundsen Sea. It is about 30 kilometres (20 mi) wide with parasitic vents and a caldera up to 8 kilometres (5 mi) wide. Most of the volcano was formed by trachytic lava flows. It reached its present height about 200,000 years ago. Snow, ice, and glaciers cover most of Mount Takahe. With a volume of 780 km3 (200 cu mi), it is a massive volcano; the parts of the edifice that are buried underneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet are probably even larger. It is part of the West Antarctic Rift System along with eighteen other known volcanoes. A major eruption took place around 17,700 years ago, possibly forming an ozone hole over Antarctica. The last eruption occurred about 7,600 years ago; there is no present-day activity. The name of the volcano refers to the takahē, a flightless bird from New Zealand. (Full article...)
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On this dayDecember 18: National Day in Qatar (1878)
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Championships were held across three continents in 2018 to determine the best players in major cue sports, including snooker, pool, and English billiards. The snooker season runs between May and April, while the pool and billiards seasons run through the calendar year. Four men's adult world championships were held in 2018, with Mark Williams (pictured) winning the World Snooker Championship, Joshua Filler holding the WPA World Nine-ball Championship, Sourav Kothari the World Billiards Championship and Dick Jaspers winning the UMB World Three-cushion Championship. Three women's world championships were also held, with Han Yu winning the WPA Women's World Nine-ball Championship, the World Billiards Championship being won by Emma Bonney and Ng On-yee winning the World Women's Snooker Championship. The snooker Triple Crown featured Ronnie O'Sullivan winning the UK Championship, while the Masters was won by Mark Allen. (Full list...)
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English Gothic architecture is an architectural style that flourished in England in the Late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. The defining features of Gothic architecture are pointed arches, rib vaults, buttresses, and extensive use of stained glass. The Gothic style endured in England until the early 16th century – much longer than in Continental Europe, from where it had been introduced. This photograph shows the Gothic cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral, which have the earliest surviving fan vaults in the country, designed between 1351 and 1377. The cloisters were used as a backdrop in three of the Harry Potter films. Photograph credit: Christopher J. T. Cherrington
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