Geology

Geology

The science that comprises the study of the solid Earth and the processes by which it is shaped and changed.

Industry: Earth science

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Geology

continental collision

Earth science; Geology

Convergence of two continental plates. Such a convergence between the Indian and Eurasian plates is responsible for producing the Himalayas.

continental crust

Earth science; Geology

The rigid, outer layer of relatively low density rock that makes up the continents.

continental drift

Earth science; Geology

A hypothesis proposed by Alfred Wegener suggesting that the continents are not stationary, but have 'drifted' through time. Plate tectonics is the name for the theory that provided the evidence ...

In the typical "continental" environment, volcanoes are located in unstable, mountainous belts that have thick roots of granite or granitelike rock. Magmas, generated near the base of the mountain ...

contour lines

Earth science; Geology

Parallel lines used on topographic maps to show the shape and elevation of the land. They connect points of equal elevations.

cordilleran ice sheet

Earth science; Geology

Ice cap that grew in western North America during the Pleistocene Epoch. It began growing first in Canada, eventually covering much of British Columbia, Alaska, the northern U.S., and parts of ...

convergent plate boundary

Earth science; Geology

A boundary in which two plates collide. The collision can be between two continents (continental collision), an relatively dense oceanic plate and a more buoyant continental plate (subduction zone) ...