TNPSC Current Affairs March 13, 2018

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs March 13, 2018 (13/03/2018)

 

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Topic: Important Geophysical phenomena, Latest Diary of Events

Geomagnetic storm

There were reports that Earth will be hit by a massive magnetic storm on March 18.

However, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has found that there was no basis for recent reports saying Earth would be hit by a massive geomagnetic storm.

What are Geomagnetic Storms?

Geomagnetic storms are caused when events such as solar flares can send higher than normal levels of radiation towards Earth.

This radiation interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field causing a geomagnetic storm.

Effects of Geomagnetic storms:

Effects from the geomagnetic storm can range from the appearance of auroras or the northern and southern lights to disruptions in communications systems due to high radiation.

This would make it difficult to communicate with others on Earth.

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Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, New Inventions on Science and Health, Latest Diary of Events

Ice-VII

Scientists have found the first ever samples of naturally occurring ice-VII on Earth. The samples were found in a diamond.

Various forms of ice:

Commonly used is called as ice-I. When water freezes, the oxygen atoms move into a hexagonal arrangement.

That’s why ice expands and has lower density than water. Compressing ice can change the shape of the crystals, turning ice-I into ice-II (rhombus-shaped crystals), ice-III (tetragonal crystals), and so on.

Unique features of Ice-VII:

Ice-VII, with its cubic crystals, is unique in that it remains stable even as pressure increases dramatically.

It’s 1.5 times more dense than ice-I as well.

There’s (almost) nowhere on Earth for ice-VII to form, because it requires both low temperatures and high pressure exceeding 30,000 atmospheres (3 gigapascals).

The only place you can reach that pressure is deep in the Earth’s mantle, but it’s too hot for ice to form there.

The formation of ice-VII doesn’t require freezing temperatures — as long as the pressure is high enough, ice-VII can form at room temperature.

Significance of this discovery:

Scientists believe that ice-VII might be present deep in the ice sheets on moons like Enceladus and Europa, or as part of the ocean floor under Titan’s hydrocarbon seas.

Having naturally occurring samples of ice-VII on Earth for study could help us understand the environments on those moons.

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Topic : Indian Army, Navy and Defense Activities, Latest Diary of Events

MILES-18

As part of the tenth edition of MILAN, the first ever multi-nation naval exercise at sea called MILES-18 is being held in the Andaman Sea.

Key facts:

Theme: ‘Friendship across the seas’.

Participating countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

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Topic : Indian Army, Navy and Defense Activities, Latest Diary of Events

‘Kinzhal’ missile

The Russian Aerospace Forces have conducted the first successful test firing of the air-launched Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile.

About the missile:

Kinzhal is claimed to be a strategic air-to-surface strike missile. The missile is claimed to have maneuverable flight characteristics not typically seen in hypersonic, solid fuel missiles.

The missile is reported to have a range of 1,200 miles (approximately 2,000 kilometers).

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Topic : Latest Diary of Events, Profile of States

Country’s ‘tallest’ flag unfurled in Belagavi

The largest national flag in the country was recently hoisted at Belagavi, Karnataka.

Key facts:

The national flag is 110m (365 feet) high from the base plate to the top. The size of the flag is 120X80 ft. It will weigh 500 kg.

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Topic : India’s Foreign Policy, Latest Diary of Events

India emerges as world’s largest importer of arms

India has emerged as the largest importer of major arms according to a latest research released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Top importer:

India became the world’s largest importer of major arms in 2013-17 accounting for 12% of the total global import.

The country that accounts for the maximum arms import of India is Russia with 62%.

America is the second largest arms supplier to India.

Top exporters:

The US emerged as the world’s top exporter of weapons accounting for 34% of global arms sales in the last five years.

Russia accounted for 20% of the export ranking second in the list.