How can we best classify places that share similar characteristics? No doubt the most familiar one is through nationalities or areas enclosed by national or political boundaries. But geographers have gone beyond this to use cultural regions that can be quite powerful at getting deeper insights into a people’s identity, sense of place, and connection …
Since ancient civilizations, we have been mining ores and/or minerals because they contain a wide of elements that we use in our everyday lives. From ceramics, plaster, chemical filters, salts, construction materials, appliances, cars, computers, fertilizers, and jewelry to electronic components, almost everything that we use is derived from ores and/or minerals. So, without ores/mineral …
Igneous rocks are found within the earth’s crust. The earth’s interior temperature is high and results in volcanic activity. Molten magma erupts to the earth’s surface, where the temperature is low. Molten magma solidifies rapidly on cooling to form a glassy solid with fine grains. Magma is made of igneous rocks. When molten magma (lava) …
A forceful agent like wind or water may be powerful but sooner or later, they lose their energy like tiring giants. So, what happens to the loads they carry? These loads, called sediments, get dropped on the earth. The transport agent can be flowing water, wind, ice, or the sea. The loads or sediments they …
The depths of the earth can be tremendously hot, reaching insane temperatures that can take you all the way from 600 °C to 1,300 ° C (that’s 1100 °F to 2400 °F)! That doesn’t spare rocks that literally melt to form hot molten material or magma. What happens to this magma? It tries to escape …
How much government is right for us? Would you like government breathing down your neck at every turn or no government at all so that you can indulge your happy spirits to the hilt? Each of these options has its dangers: too much government gives leaders authoritarian powers that choke individual liberty. On the other …
A transform boundary (also called a transform fault), is a fractured area or Faultline on the earth’s surface where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other. The plates’ grinding action against each other can produce phenomenal effects such as shallow earthquakes, widespread deformation of the crust, and displacement of rock. Transform plate boundaries typically …
When extreme heat and pressure act on protoliths, metamorphic rocks are formed. There are two types of metamorphic rocks: foliated and non-foliated. A foliated rock has distinct layers that repeatedly occur throughout its structure. Foliated rocks are found within the earth’s interior. They are formed when high pressure is exerted on existing rocks. When the …
Want a front-row seat to some tension-packed seismic action on earth? You are likely to get some from a convergent boundary. This is a high activity area that can also literally get too hot to touch! A convergent boundary marks the area where two tectonic plates collide or meet each other. As a result of …
Metamorphic rocks are formed when Igneous or Sedimentary rocks transform. The word metamorphic is derived from two Greek words, Meta which means change, and morphe which denotes form. Metamorphic, therefore, means a change in form. Metamorphic rocks are formed within the earth’s crust when the existing rocks are subjected to high temperature and pressure. Great …