We live in the Holocene Epoch, of the Quaternary Period, in the Cenozoic Era (of the Phanerozoic Eon). What era are we currently experiencing? According to the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the professional organization in charge of defining Earth’s time scale, we are officially in the Holocene (“entirelyRead More →
Florida and North Dakota are the states with the fewest earthquakes. Antarctica has the least earthquakes of any continent, but small earthquakes can occur anywhere in the World. Are earthquakes increasing 2021? Recent Earthquake Statistics On average, there are 16 major earthquakes (M 7.0-8.0+) worldwide per year. … So farRead More →
Pebbles are found in two locations – on the beaches of various oceans and seas, and inland where ancient seas used to cover the land. When then the seas retreated, the rocks became landlocked. They can also be found in lakes and ponds. Are rocks made of pebbles? Sedimentary rocksRead More →
For centuries the Romans used a period of eight days in civil practice, but in 321 CE Emperor Constantine established the seven-day week in the Roman calendar and designated Sunday as the first day of the week. Which day is the seventh day according to the Bible? We should observeRead More →
1 dialectal, England : waterway. 2 : an ore deposit. 3 : something that resembles a lode : an abundant store. Is Lodea a word? Yes, lode is in the scrabble dictionary. What does the word Motherlode mean? 1 : the principal vein or lode of a region. 2 :Read More →
Contemporary uses Orpiment is used in the production of infrared-transmitting glass, oil cloth, linoleum, semiconductors, photoconductors, pigments, and fireworks. What type of rock is orpiment? Orpiment is another arsenic sulfide mineral with a stunning orange-yellow color. The mineral is found naturally in hydrothermal vents, hot springs, and fumaroles. What isRead More →
Florence Bascom (1862–1945) was a true pioneer in geoscience: her PhD work furthered our understanding of the origins and formation of the Appalachian Mountains, and she geologically mapped a good portion of the United States. She was both a professional geologist, and an academic and teacher. How old is FlorenceRead More →
They drift because they are sitting on a layer of solid rock (the upper mantle or “asthenosphere”) that is weak and ductile enough that it can flow very slowly under heat convection, somewhat like a liquid. On what layer do the tectonic plates float? Earth’s thin outer shell is brokenRead More →
Volcanoes – these occur when hot magma is forced to the Earth’s surface through fissures and cracks in the Earth’s crust. Earthquakes – these most commonly occur when two tectonic plates move against each other. … Tsunamis – caused by the rapid displacement of water. What are examples of tectonicRead More →
Mainland is defined as “relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it .” The term is often politically, economically and/or demographically more significant than politically associated remote … How many mainlands are there? But using the criteria defined above, manyRead More →