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Ep227: Largest Mountain Ranges in the World · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we're going on a high altitude adventure to explore
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  some of the largest mountain ranges around the world.
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  Get ready to learn about gigantic chains of mountains,
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  how they formed, and why they're so important for our planet and
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  for people. Let's start by understanding
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  what a mountain range is. A mountain range is a group of
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  mountains that are connected together, usually stretching
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  over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers.
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  These aren't just single mountains standing alone,
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  they're long lines or clusters of mountains that can be seen
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  from space. Mountain ranges are formed by
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  powerful natural forces deep inside the Earth, mostly when
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  huge pieces of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates,
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  crash into each other or slide apart.
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  This can push up land into tall peaks and ridges over millions
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  of years. Now let's take a trip to some of
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  the biggest and most famous mountain ranges on Earth.
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  We'll learn what makes each one special, how big they are, where
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  they're located, and some amazing facts about them.
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  Our first stop is Asia, home to the tallest mountain range in
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  the world, the Himalayas. The Himalayas stretch across
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  five countries, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan.
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  They cover about 2400 kilometers, which is longer than
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  the distance from New York City to Miami.
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  The Himalayas are famous for having the highest mountain on
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  earth, Mount Everest, which stands at 8848 meters above sea
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  level. That's almost the height of 29
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  Empire State Building stacked on top of each other.
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  The Himalayas are so high that they have snowed and glaciers
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  all year round. Hundreds of rivers like the
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  Ganges and the Brahmaputra start from these mountains because of
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  all the melting snow and ice. Did you know that the Himalayas
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  are still growing? The tectonic plates under India
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  are slowly moving north and pushing up the mountains a tiny
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  bit every year. Scientists say the Himalayas
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  grow about 1 centimeter each year.
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  That's about the width of your fingernail.
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  Next, let's travel to South America to visit the Andes, the
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  longest mountain range on land. The Andes stretch along the
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  entire West Coast of South America, running through seven
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  countries, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile,
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  and Argentina. The Andes are about 7000
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  kilometers long. That's almost twice the length
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  of the entire United States. The highest peak in the Andes is
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  Akankagwa, which is 6961 meters tall.
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  The Andes are home to many volcanoes, high plateaus, and
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  famous places like Machu Picchu, an ancient city built by the
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  Inca people. The Andes are not just tall and
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  long, they're also home to unique animals that you might
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  not find anywhere else. Animals like llamas, alpacas and
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  condors live in these mountains. The people who live in the Andes
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  have learned to grow special crops like potatoes, quinoa and
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  maize high up in the mountains where the air is thin and the
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  weather can be very cold. Now let's head to North America
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  to check out the Rocky Mountains, often called the
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  Rockies. The Rockies run from the
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  northern part of British Columbia and Canada all the way
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  down to New Mexico. In the United States, they
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  stretch for about 4800 kilometers.
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  The highest peak in the Rockies is Mount Albert in Colorado,
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  which is 4401 meters tall. The Rockies are famous for their
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  beautiful forests, crystal clear lakes, and amazing wildlife like
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  bears, elk, and mountain lions. Did you know that the Rocky
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  Mountains are much younger than some other ranges like the
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  Appalachians? The Rockies formed about 80
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  million to 55,000,000 years ago, while the Appalachian Mountains
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  are more than 480 million years old.
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  That's why the Rockies have sharper, jagged peaks, while the
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  Appalachians look more rounded and worn down.
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  Speaking of the Appalachian Mountains, let's learn about
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  them next. The Appalachians are one of the
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  oldest mountain ranges in the world.
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  They stretch for about 2400 kilometers from the Canadian
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  province of Newfoundland and Labrador all the way down to
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  central Alabama in the United States.
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  The highest peak in the Appalachians is Mount Mitchell
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  in North Carolina, which stands at 2037 meters.
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  Even though the Appalachians aren't as tall as the Rockies or
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  the Himalayas, they are covered with thick forests and have many
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  hiking trails that people love to explore.
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  The Appalachian region is famous for its colorful autumn leaves
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  and rich wildlife. People have lived in these
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  mountains for thousands of years, and many towns and cities
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  were built along the valleys and rivers that flow through the
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  Appalachians. Let's travel across the Atlantic
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  Ocean to Europe, where we'll find the Alps.
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  The Alps are the highest and most famous mountain range in
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  Europe. They stretch about 1200
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  kilometers across eight countries, France, Switzerland,
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  Italy, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Slovenia.
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  The highest peak in the Alps is Mont Blanc, which is 4808 meters
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  tall and sits on the border between France and Italy.
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  The Alps are famous for their beautiful snowy peaks, ski
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  resorts and mountain villages. People from all over the world
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  visit the Alps in winter to ski and snowboard or in summer to
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  hike and climb. The Alps are also home to
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  animals like ibex, chammy and marmots.
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  The glaciers and snow in the Alps provide fresh water to
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  millions of people in Europe. Did you know that the Alps were
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  formed when the African tectonic plate crashed into the European
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  plate about 65,000,000 years ago?
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  That mighty collision pushed up the land to create these
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  stunning mountains. Now let's head to Africa to
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  explore the Atlas Mountains. The Atlas Mountains run for
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  about 2500 kilometers across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in
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  North Africa. The highest peak in the Atlas
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  Mountains is to Call, which is 4167 meters tall and located in
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  Morocco. The Atlas Mountains are
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  important because they catch rain clouds from the Atlantic
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  Ocean, which helps create fertile valleys where people
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  grow crops and raise animals. In the Atlas Mountains, you can
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  find unique animals like Barbary macaques, which are a type of
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  monkey, and Barbary leopards. There are also many traditional
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  Berber villages where people have lived for hundreds of
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  years. Moving to Australia, we'll find
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  the Great Dividing Range. This is the biggest mountain
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  range in Australia, stretching for about 3500 kilometers along
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  the eastern side of the country from Queensland through NSW to
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  Victoria. The highest peak is Mount
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  Kosciusko, which is 2228 meters tall.
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  Even though these mountains aren't as high as some others,
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  the Great Dividing Range is very important because it helps
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  create different climates across Australia.
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  The eastern side and it gets more rain, which is why you find
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  rainforest there, while the western side is much drier.
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  Did you know that the Great Dividing Range is home to the
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  world's oldest tropical rainforest, the Dain Tree
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  Rainforest, which is over 180 million years old?
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  That's even older than the Amazon rainforest.
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  Let's make a quick stop in Antarctica to learn about the
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  Transantarctic Mountains. These mountains are not as well
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  known, but they are one of the longest mountain ranges in the
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  world, stretching for about 3500 kilometers across the continent.
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  The highest peak is Mount Kirkpatrick, which is 4528
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  meters tall. The Transantarctic Mountains
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  divide Antarctica into East and West Antarctica.
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  Even though most of the mountains are covered by ice,
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  scientists have found fossils of ancient plants and animals
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  there, which helps us learn about what Antarctica was like
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  millions of years ago. Before we finish, let's talk
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  about why mountain ranges are important.
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  First, they're home to millions of people and thousands of
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  different plants and animals. Some animals, like snow leopards
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  in the Himalayas or llamas in the Andes, live only in these
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  high places. 2nd mountain ranges are like giant water towers.
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  They store snow and ice, which melts and feeds rivers that
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  provide water for drinking, farming and electricity.
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  Third mountains help shape the weather.
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  They can block or catch rain clouds, which changes how much
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  rain falls in different places. Mountain ranges are also
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  important for adventure. People love to hike, climb, ski
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  and explore these beautiful places.
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  And for many cultures, mountains are special and even sacred.
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  People have told stories and some songs about mountains for
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  thousands of years. Let's do a quick recap of what
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  we learned today. Mountain ranges are long groups
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  of mountains formed by movements in the Earth's crust.
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  The Himalayas in Asia are the tallest and still growing.
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  The Andes in South America are the longest on land.
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  The Rockies in North America are younger and have sharp peaks,
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  while the Appalachians are much older and more rounded.
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  The Alps in Europe are famous for their snowy peaks and ski
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  resorts. The Atlas Mountains in Africa
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  catch rain and have unique animals.
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  The Great Dividing Range in Australia is home to ancient
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  rainforests. The Transantarctic Mountains in
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  Antarctica are covered in ice and hold secrets from the past.
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  Thanks for joining us on this mountain adventure.
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  Remember, the world is full of amazing places to explore and
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  learn about. Stay curious, keep asking
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  questions and TuneIn next time to kick cast daily for more fun
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  facts and discoveries. See you soon, grab.
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  Your breakfast, feeling fine, adventures waiting, don't be
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  late. Today's the.
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  Day we celebrate Kick Cast Daily starts your day.