If you take a look at a map of the earth today, you will see the current locations of broken land masses that constitute the earth. However, would you believe if someone told you that these broken land masses were once connected to each other as one huge supercontinent? Well, this claim was made in …
Geology
Sand dunes are some of nature’s most scintillating creations. These eye-catching land masses are found around the globe in different climatic conditions. They are not only limited to deserts, but can form in any landscape on the earth’s surface provided the conditions are right. Every sand dune is formed as a result of the interaction …
If you look out of your window, you’ll probably see buildings, trees, telephone poles and so on. The world we live in today has mostly been shaped by humans. However, it’s not only humans that are moving things and shaping the planet. Rain, wind, and other natural elements shape the earth all the time, leaving …
A Delta is one landform that has a rich history and a wealth of benefits. Since the start of civilization, humans have settled along rivers and subsequent delta formed by them. The sediment carried along and deposited by huge flowing rivers creates an area rich in nutrients and ideal for agriculture and fishing. So, what …
Valleys are the most predominant landforms on the face of the earth. They are found on virtually every continent on planet earth, along sea bottoms, and other planets. Valleys assume a wide array of forms, from broad plains to steep-sided canyons. The kind of valley created depends on numerous factors, for instance, the erosion medium, …
There is a wide range of landforms on the planet. While some landforms like mountains and forests are beautiful, others such as swamps and deserts are not that pleasant. However, we as humans are lucky to have an infinite number of landforms to view. Desert, in particular, is one kind of landform that humans dislike …
Of all the landforms on earth, mountains loom large in people’s imagination. From ancient times, many have viewed these mysterious places as home to supernatural beings or gods. Others have viewed them as the hallmark in human escapade. Mountain climbing is one such escapade and is seen as an intense experiment of human desire and …
We watch documentaries and read a plethora of materials on the history of animal and plant species every single day. But how did humans discover the origins of these animals and plant species? It was with the help of fossils. Paleontologists have been able to harness vital information from fossils to give us clues to …
Most of today’s landscapes were carved out by the extensive glaciers of the most recent ice age. The perfectly modified landscapes robustly reflect the handiwork of ice. This carving ability explains why they are known as nature’s bulldozers. Europe harbors most of the world’s glaciers. The largest glacier is eastern Antarctica’s Lambert Glacier, which is …
Many have looked at a rock and wondered how it came to be. Well, the history of rocks begun about 4.5 billion years ago, when dust and gas combined to form the very rocks that make up our beautiful planet. Rocks are the stuff of stars since they were created from elements harnessed far of …
Wind erosion is a natural process where the soil is moved, carried, and transported by the force of the wind from one place to another. In order to be transported, the threshold velocity of the wind is needed. However, this depends on the size, weight, and wetness of the soil particles. Soils are composed of …
Seafloor spreading is a geologic process where there is a gradual addition of new oceanic crust in the ocean floor through a volcanic activity while moving the older rocks away from the mid-oceanic ridge. The mid-ocean ridge is where the seafloor spreading occurs, in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth’s lithosphere—split apart from each other. Seafloor …
In geology, a fault is a discontinuity that is formed by fracture in the surface rocks of the Earth (up to 200 km deep) when tectonic forces exceed the resistance of the rocks. In other words, a fault is a crack in the Earth’s crust. The rupture zone has a generally well defined surface called the fault …
Fold occurs when rock deforms in such a way that it bends instead of breaking. The rocks, like any other material, deform to the action of external efforts. We do not grasp this deformation, but we know when a rock is deformed. Folds come from pressure on the rocks that occur over very long periods …
Mass wasting can be defined as a geomorphic process. A geomorphic process is a natural course of weathering, erosion and deposition that causes alteration of the surface materials and landforms of the earth. Mass wasting is also known as slope movement or mass movement. It can be described as the potency by which certain landforms like …