Geology

Continental Drift: A Tale of Moving Continents and Plate Tectonics

Plate tectonics are deceptively slow. It’s just centimeters each year. Continental drift is the idea that continents passively move due to tectonic activity

Mantle Convection: Earth’s Plate Tectonic Conveyor Belt

Under the rigid layer of rock we live on, the Earth is plastic & more dense. Because of its fluid properties, mantle convection can occur within the Earth.

Metamorphic Rocks: Heat, Pressure and Metamorphism

If you take an existing rock and add immense heat or pressure to it, the rock becomes soft and pliable like cookie dough transforming into metamorphic rocks.

Antarctic Plate: The Drifting Continent of Antarctica

Antarctic plate holds the continent of Antarctica including the surrounding ocean. It shares borders with the African, Pacific & South American plate.

How Do Glaciers Form?

Like a rake scraping the dirt, glaciers leave a lasting impression on the land. They can erode mountains, transport vast amount of rock and reshape the land.

Coal Formation: How Coal Forms

Hydrocarbons, oil and coal formation in general are made from living organisms that have been compacted from intense heat and pressure millions of years ago.

Mountain Building: How Mountains are Made

When convergent plates collide, the lithosphere thrusts upwards. This geologic process of vertical upheaving are orogenies or mountain building events.

African Plate and the East African Rift Zone

The African major plate contains all of Africa as well as the surrounding oceanic crust of the Atlantic Ocean. It moves at an average rate of 2.5 cm per year.

What Happened in the Archean Eon? [4.0 to 2.5 billion years ago]

Earth formed a stable climate in the Archean Eon. Because it cooled down from its molten state, Earth was able to support oceans, continents and oxygenation

Fossil Records: A Journey into the Past

When you unveil a fossil, it’s like rewinding into the past. Fossils are preserved remains from past living things such as bones, shells or exoskeletons.

Indo-Australian Plate: Tectonic Boundaries and Movement

The Indo-Australian Plate combines the Australian & Indian Plate. Widely considered two separate plates, it includes Australia, India and the Indian Ocean.

What is Isostatic Rebound?

During the last ice age, ice pushed down on continents with immense pressure. After the ice melted, land began slowly lifting which is isostatic rebound.

3 Mechanical Weathering Processes that Break Down Rocks

Mechanical weathering is the breakdown of rocks into sediments by physical means.This type of weathering does not alter the chemical composition of rocks.

5 Asthenosphere Facts: What is the Asthenosphere?

The asthenosphere is the unsung hero of our planet. This plasticky layer 80 to 200 km beneath Earth provides the necessary lubrication for plate tectonics.

South American Plate: Tectonic Boundary and Movement

The South American plate is the smallest of all major plates that includes the continent of South America and a large portion of the Atlantic Ocean.