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

Add a new term

Contributors in Geology

Become a Contributors

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.

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.

Continental crust

Earth science; Geology

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

Dacite

Earth science; Geology

Dacite lava is most often light gray, but can be dark grey to black. Dacite lava consists of about 63 to 68 percent silica (SiO2). Common minerals include plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, and ...

Debris avalanche

Earth science; Geology

A rapid and unusually sudden sliding or flowage of unsorted masses of rock and other material. As applied to the major avalanche involved in the eruption of Mount St. Helens (1980), a rapid mass ...

Debris flow

Earth science; Geology

A type of landslide made up of a mixture of water-saturated rock debris and soil with a consistency similar to wet cement. Debris flows move rapidly downslope under the influence of gravity. ...