Category: Regional Specifics

What is intensity of an earthquake?

The intensity is a number (written as a Roman numeral) describing the severity of an earthquake in terms of its effects on the earth’s surface and on humans and their structures. Several scales exist, but the ones most commonly used in the United States are the Modified Mercalli scale and the Rossi-Forel scale. What is

What is the name of the fault line on the East Coast?

The east coast of the United States is home to the Ramapo Fault Zone. Spanning more than 185 miles (298 km), this fault system runs between the northern Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont region to the east. Along this fault zone is a remarkably straight magnetic line that runs between New York and Alabama along

What is a volcano and how is it formed?

A volcano is formed when hot molten rock, ash and gases escape from an opening in the Earth’s surface. The molten rock and ash solidify as they cool, forming the distinctive volcano shape shown here. As a volcano erupts, it spills lava that flows downslope. Hot ash and gases are thrown into the air. What

What happened during the Archean era?

During the Archean Eon, methane droplets in the air shrouded the young Earth in a global haze. There was no oxygen gas on Earth. Oxygen was only in compounds such as water. Complex chemical reactions in the young oceans transformed carbon-containing molecules into simple, living cells that did not need oxygen to live. What life

What is the rock cycle powered by?

The rock cycle is driven by two forces: (1) Earth’s internal heat engine, which moves material around in the core and the mantle and leads to slow but significant changes within the crust, and (2) the hydrological cycle, which is the movement of water, ice, and air at the surface, and is powered by the

What is the definition of relative dating?

What do you mean by relative dating? Relative dating methods estimate whether an object is younger or older than other things found at the site. Relative dating does not offer specific dates, it simply allows to determine if one artifact, fossil, or stratigraphic layer is older than another. What is the definition of relative dating

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