306 Answered Questions for the topic geology

03/27/19

How accurate is the law of superposition?

Recently I started being more interested in the rational details of the sciences (... being often challenged about them by a creationist friend) and one of the creationist 'theories' I've... more

03/27/19

In what geological situations can I find gold?

I've heard that gold ore is often associated with quartz veins. What geological processes enable gold particles to naturally cluster together like this? What characteristics/properties should I... more

Why is continental crust less dense than oceanic?

Why is it that continental crust is less dense than oceanic, where in fact continental crust is thicker than oceanic crust?

03/27/19

Why silicon is abundant in earth surface?

What is the reason for having silicon in so large quantity on earth surface?

viable geothermal energy supply from exhausted fracked gas wells?

The UK legislator with primary responsibility for energy has claimed that exhausted fracked natural-gas wells will be suitable for re-use as a geothermal energy supply (not necessarily geothermal... more

03/26/19

What lithologies are deemed most suitable for the storage of nuclear waste?

I have visited storage- and test facilities that are within salt and clay (Opalinuston) lithologies. What are other lithologies that are considered for the storage of nuclear waste and what are... more

How can I tell if a rock is really petrified wood?

I found a rock in the Mojave desert and it resembles a tree branch including what appears to be wood grain. Is there some test or observation that can be done at home to conclusively answer my... more

03/24/19

earth science question

what are the 3 types of techtonic plates

What is the difference between eluvium and alluvium?

I was reading about kimberlite on Wikipedia and it mentioned eluvium. I've heard of alluvium, alluvial fans, alluvial deposits, etc. However, when I looked up eluvium, it sounded exactly like... more

What was the first rock in the rock cycle?

I am an undergraduate student but I am a tutor at a High School, and one student asked me. Attempting to explain the rock cycle "if one rock turns into the other then which came first" my gut is... more

How and where do double-terminated crystals form?

How and where do double-terminated crystals form? Most terminated crystals form by 'growing' out of a rock. Which causes one side to be flat,(or whatever the shape of the rock it 'grew' out of was... more

Magma resultant from group 1 and group 2 elements?

I was recently speaking with a geology professor over lunch at a university who has a theory that I've never heard before. His postulation was quite compelling and I was hoping to do a little... more
Geology Fossils Rocks

03/19/19

How can a non-geologist identify a rock?

I found a rock on a beach in north-east Evia, Greece. Half is light gray, and half is dark gray. There are white (or very light gray) thin lines that form swirls throughout, crossing the light/dark... more

Is there a reason most mountain ranges seem to run parallel to coastlines?

Eyeballing a map of the world, it seems that most mountain ranges that don't occur along continental fault lines run parallel to coastlines. Is there a reason for this?

03/19/19

Why are there more intense earthquakes in Iran than in Iraq?

Why are there more intense earthquakes in Iran than in Iraq, if they are so close together?I often hear news items of earthquakes in Iran that are higher on the Richter Scale than those that happen... more

03/19/19

How to interpret the use of late and early Tertiary from older literature?

When reading older papers how should I interpret the use of "Late Tertiary" and "Early Tertiary"? Would these periods equate to Paleogene and Neogene, or was there a different accepted boundary... more

Why do rocks on other solar system bodies that have an atmosphere seem to be flat?

Images taken by landers on Titan and Venus and Mars show landscapes where rocks, to me at least, are surprisingly flat. Being used to walking around in forests with roundish meter sized boulders,... more

What is the reasoning behind the statement "Faulting will occur along the plane where the shear stress is the highest"?

In "An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes and Earth Structure", authors Seth Stein and Michael Wysession made the statement: "Faulting will occur along the plane where the shear stress is the... more
Geology

03/19/19

How has the relative ratio of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks changed over Earth's history?

Has the relative ratio of sedimentary over igneous rocks increased, simply as a result of more and more of the Earth's rock being exposed to sedimentary processes?Or has it increased only for the... more

03/18/19

Width of strata in stratigraphic column?

I am trying to understand whether there is one "standard" meaning of the width of represented strata in stratigraphic columns, but I can find nothing online or in my geology books.I notice that,... more

03/18/19

Simulating the earths crust?

I would like to create a computer simulation which would fold two plane-ish surfaces into two crumpled-ish surfaces. This in order to simulate the earths crust movement and collisions resulting in... more

How do seismologists locate the epicenter and focus of an earthquake?

I know the focus of an earthquake is where the earthquake originated from, but what I could never figure out is, how to scientists find out where exactly the focus (and epicenter) are located?
Geology Carbon Climate Ocean

03/18/19

What controls the acidity of the ocean?

I have learned that: * coral reefs are made up mostly of calcium carbonate * coral reefs are mainly distributed in the tropical zone* The calcium carbonate will be decomposed in the reaction as... more

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