FOR LEO LEANDER CARSTEN PETER Text copyright 2015 Carsten Peter Compilation copyright 2015 National Geographic Society All rights reserved Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permis sion from the publisher is prohibited The National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organiza tions Founded in 1888 to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge the Society s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet It reaches more than 400 mi ion people worldwide each month through its official journal National Geographic and other magazines National Geographic Channe television docu mentaries music radio films books DVDs maps exhibitions live events school publishing pro grams interactive media and merchandise National Geographic has funded more than 10 000 scientific research conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program pro moting geographic literacy STAFF FOR THIS BOOK Erica Green Project Editor James Hiscott Art Director Designer Lisa Jewell Photo Editor Carl Mehler Director of Maps Sven M Dolling Michael McNey and Mapping Specialists Map Research and Production Paige Towler Editorial Assistant Rachel Kenny and Sanjida Rashid Design Production Assistants Michael Cassady Rights Clearance Specialis Grace Hill Managing Editor Mike O Connor Production Editor Lewis R Bassford Production Manager Rachel Paulise Manager Production Services Susan Borke Legal and Business Affairs John Chow Imaging For more information please visit national geographic com call 1 800 NGS LINE 6475463 or write to the following address National Geographic Society 45 17th Street NW Washington D C 20036 4688 USA Visit us online at nationalgeographic com books For librarians and teachers ngchildrensbooks org PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC socIETY Gary E Knell President and CEO John M Fahey Chairman of the Board Melina Gerosa Bellows Chief Education Office Declan Moore Chief Media Oficer Hector Sierra Senior Vice President and General Manager Book Division More for kids from National Geographic kids nationalgeographic com For information about special discounts for bulk purchases please contact National Geographic Books Special sales ngspecsales ngs org For rights or permissions inquiries please contact National Geographic Books Subsidiary Rights ngbookrights ngs org R MANAGEMENT KIDS PUBLISHING AND MEDIA Nancy Laties Feresten Senior Vice President Jennifer Emmett Vice President Editorial Director Kids Books Julie Vosburgh Agnone Vice President Editoria Operations Rachel Buchholz Editor and Vice President NGKids magazine Michelle Sullivan Vice President Kids Digita Eva Absher Schantz Design Director Jay Sumner Photo Director Hannah August Marketing Director R Gary Colbert Production Director DIGITAL Anne McCormack Director Laura Goertzel Sara Zeglin Producers Emma Rigney Creative Producer Bianca Bowman Assistant Producer Natalie Jones Senior Product Manager Peter Carsten author Extreme planet Carsten Peter s adventures in voli canoes caves canyons deserts and beyond by Carsten Peter with Glen Phelan pagescm Audience Ages 8 12 Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 978 1 4263 21009 pbk alk paper ISBN 978 1 4263 210 6 library binding alk paper 1 Peter Carsten Juvenile literature 2 Geology Juvenile literature 3 Extreme environments Juvenile literature 4 Earth Planet Juvenile liter ature 5 Nature photography L Phelan Glen author IL National Geographic Society US III Title IV Title Carsten Peter's adventures in volca noes caves canyons deserts and beyond TR140 P45P 48 2015 55 ac23 2015013169 Printed in Hong Kong 15 THK 1 All content and information published in this book is provided to the reader as is and without any warranties The situations and natural events described in the book carry inherent risks and hazards The reader must evaluate and bear all risks associated with use of the information provided in this book including those risks associated with reliance on the accuracy thoroughness utility or appropriate ness of the information for any particular situation The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability less or risk personal or otherwise that is incurred as a consequence of the use or application of any of the contents in this book
Introduction 6 Chapter One Volcanoes Chapter Two Glaciers Ice Sheets 26 Chapter Three Deserts 44 Chapter Four Caves 62 Chapter Five Canyons 80 Chapter Six Extreme Forces 94 Conclusion 107 Glossary Resources 108 Index Credits 10
MINTRODUCTION DID YOUEVER WANT to visit a place so badly that you thought about it day and night Maybe it was a national park like Yellowstone an impressive structure like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or a famous building like the Taj Mahal Maybe you saw awesome photographs of it and said I just have to see this place in person For me that place was Mount Etna I loved looking at photos of this active volcano But I really wanted to see Etna for myself I bugged my parents for years to go there Finally at the age of 15 my dream came true We took a vacation from our home in southern Germany to the Italian island of Sicily home of the famous Mount Etna A tour bus took us nearly 1 000 feet 3 353 m to the top of the volcano I breathed the thin air and walked slowly to the edge of the crater to look inside It was a steep abyss with sheer vertical walls Smoke covered the crater floor so it looked bottomless I couldn't take my eyes off it I pictured the melted rock boiling beneath and then bursting out in an eruption I could sense the awesome power That s when I became obsessed with volcanoes Since then I have explored and photographed dozens of volcanoes all around the world from the rain forests of Indonesia to the scorched plains of Africa to the frigid
ice sheets of Antarctica I ve stood within arm's reach of red hot boiling lava I've felt the rumble of volcanoes coming to life and then dodged flying chunks of rock during eruptions In this book ril share with you some of my volcano adventures You too will sense the awesome power of these forces of nature as we climb inside a crater and stand next to a lake of bubbling lava But that's not all I share my journeys into the depths of glaciers Imagine exploring these icy blue masses from the inside Then we'll warm up quickly as we trek across the world's largest desert on a camel We'll make mind boggling discoveries as we explore caves and canyons We ll even hunt down forces of nature in the air as we chase tornadoes and lightning across the Great Plains of the United States Along the way you'll learn the science behind these extreme places and events Why do volcanoes form where they do What causes crystals the size of tree trunks to grow ina cave What makes narrow slot canyons so dangerous to explore How is technology helping us learn more and more about tornadoes and lightning You ll find the answers to these and lots of other questions about our extreme planet People often ask me why I do it Why do I put myself in scary dangerous situations just to get a photograph First it s never just a photograph My photos and those of other nature photographers are a way to show people natural wonders they've never seen before Through our photos we can share our experiences and our appreciation for the beauty the mystery the wonder of our planet That s a special gift and one I want to pass on Another thing that draws me to extreme places is curiosity When you re riding down a winding road do you want to know what s around the next bend 1 do When I come upon a cave entrance I want to know what it s like inside What will I see hear smell feel That curiosity drives me to explore and photograph seldom seen or never before seen places I also enjoy the physical and mental challenge of exploring extreme places and getting just the right photo that dramatic shot that will stick in your mind It's not easy To get unique shots I have had to become an expert climber a scuba diver and even a pilot of a motorized paraglider I ve worked with engineers to invent gadgets that can go places I can't All of this hard work has paid off You ll see amazing photos in this book some of my favorites in fact I hope they spark your imagination and curiosity Mostly I hope that by sharing my adventures you ll come to appreciate nature not only extreme places but also the nature right outside your door whetherit sacreek a patch of prairie agrove of woods or just a tree on the school grounds it s there for you to explore Maybe take a few photos while you're at it And now onward to adventure Carsten Peter
