Earth’s Dynamic Processes: Geology and Ecology Basics
Earth’s Dynamic Processes: Geology and Ecology
Geological Processes
Erosion, Transport, and Sedimentation
Erosion: Is the mobilization and removal of materials resulting from the weathering of rocks.
Transport: Eroded materials from the erosive processes are transported to other places.
Sedimentation: Occurs when the strength of the transporting agents decreases, and these materials are deposited in the field.
Water Action and River Systems
Surface Water Dynamics
Runoff: If water saturates the ground’s
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External Geodynamic Processes
External geodynamic processes occur on land or close to it. External geological agents include: rain, rivers, wind, sea, and ice. These agents produce weathering, erosion, transportation, and sedimentation. Moreover, they redistribute land, shaping the relief, and transform sediments into sedimentary rocks.
Weathering: Transformation of Earth’s Surface
Weathering is the set of changes experienced by lithospheric materials in contact with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, or
Read MoreUnderstanding Environmental Science: Resources, Impacts, and Risks
Environmental Fundamentals & Core Concepts
Human material development involves the increasing consumption of natural resources, generating an increasing impact on the environment and escalating environmental risks.
Understanding Ecosystems
- Ecosystem: All living beings who inhabit a given area, the interactions that develop between them, and the environment in which they find themselves.
- Biomes: Large ecosystems.
- Biosphere: (Geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere) A set of all ecosystems.
Ecosystem
Read MoreKey Scientific Theories: Universe Expansion & Continental Movement
Cosmology: Understanding the Universe
Cosmology describes the universe using mathematical models. These mathematical models are a set of equations used to describe physical systems, like the universe, allowing us to predict the properties of new states when modifying some of its variables.
Measuring the Recessional Speed of Galaxies
When light reaches Earth from stars in galaxies, it contains a mixture of radiation of different colors or wavelengths. This light can be separated by a spectroscope, leading
Read MoreMajor Environmental Threats: Water, Soil, Air Pollution
Inland Water Pollution
Freshwater is essential for life on Earth, but due to increasing population and industrial activity, pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater is steadily increasing.
Causes of Inland Water Pollution
- Industry: Inland waters are vulnerable to toxic poisoning.
- Sewage, Urban, and Industrial Waste: Everyday, collective discharges pollute inland water bodies.
- Farming: Use of products like herbicides and pesticides pollutes freshwaters.
- Accidents: Accidental dumping of radioactive waste.
The Journey of Human Development and Natural Selection
Evolution
Evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations, relying on the process of natural selection.
- The theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species are related and gradually change over time.
- Evolution relies on genetic variation, which affects the physical characteristics of an organism.
Human Evolution
Human evolution is the process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates.
According to the scientist Charles Darwin (1809–1882)
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