Earth Science, Geologic Time & Fossils, UMB-İZM

Planet Earth has billions of years of history, from the time when it was an inhospitable ball of hot magma to when its surface stabilized into a variety of diverse zones capable of supporting many life-forms. Many are the species that lived through the various geologic eras and left a trace of their existence in the fossils that we study today. But Earth is never done settling, as we can see from the earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and other phenomena manifested in Earth’s crust, oceans, and atmosphere.
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Earth Science, Geologic Time & Fossils Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Umbrisol
Umbrisol, one of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).......
undertow
undertow, a strong seaward bottom current returning the water of broken waves back out to sea. There is in fact......
Ungava-Quebec Crater
Ungava-Quebec Crater, geologically young crater, produced by an impact event involving a meteorite, located in......
uniformitarianism
uniformitarianism, in geology, the doctrine suggesting that Earth’s geologic processes acted in the same manner......
updraft and downdraft
updraft and downdraft, in meteorology, upward-moving and downward-moving air currents, respectively, that are due......
uplift
uplift, in geology, an increase in the vertical elevation of Earth’s surface in response to natural causes. Broad,......
urban climate
urban climate, any set of climatic conditions that prevails in a large metropolitan area and that differs from......
vadose zone
vadose zone, region of aeration above the water table. This zone also includes the capillary fringe above the water......
Van Allen radiation belt
Van Allen radiation belt, doughnut-shaped zones of highly energetic charged particles trapped at high altitudes......
Van earthquake of 2011
Van earthquake of 2011, severe earthquake that struck near the cities of Erciş and Van in eastern Turkey on October......
vanadate mineral
vanadate mineral, any of the many naturally occurring compounds of vanadium (V), oxygen (O), and various metals;......
vanadinite
vanadinite, vanadium mineral in the pyromorphite series of the apatite group of phosphates, lead chloride vanadate,......
Varenius, Bernhardus
Bernhardus Varenius was a major figure in the revival of geographic learning in Europe, whose scholarly general......
variscite
variscite, phosphate mineral, hydrated aluminum phosphate (AlPO4·2H2O), which is valued as a semiprecious gemstone......
varved deposit
varved deposit, any form of repetitive sedimentary rock stratification, either bed or lamination, that was deposited......
Venyukovia
Venyukovia, genus of extinct mammallike reptiles (therapsids) that are found as fossils in Permian deposits in......
Vertisol
Vertisol, one of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).......
Vertisol
Vertisol, one of the 12 soil orders in the U.S. Soil Taxonomy. Vertisols are clay-rich soils that undergo significant......
vesuvianite
vesuvianite, common silicate mineral that occurs in crystalline limestones near their contacts with igneous rocks,......
Vidal de La Blache, Paul
Paul Vidal de La Blache was a French geographer who had a profound influence on the development of modern geography.......
Vindija
Vindija, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region of Croatia, known for Neanderthal......
vivianite
vivianite, phosphate mineral, hydrated iron phosphate [Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O], that occurs as colourless when freshly......
Vogt, Johan Herman Lie
Johan Herman Lie Vogt was a Norwegian geologist and petrologist who pioneered in the use of physical-chemical methods......
volcanic eruption
volcanic eruption, an eruption of molten rock, hot rock fragments, and hot gases through a volcano, which is a......
volcanic glass
volcanic glass, any glassy rock formed from lava or magma that has a chemical composition close to that of granite......
volcanic winter
volcanic winter, cooling at Earth’s surface resulting from the deposition of massive amounts of volcanic ash and......
volcanism
volcanism, any of various processes and phenomena associated with the surficial discharge of molten rock, pyroclastic......
volcanology
volcanology, discipline of the geologic sciences that is concerned with all aspects of volcanic phenomena. Volcanology......
Voltzia
Voltzia, a genus of fossil cone-bearing plants dating to the Early Triassic epoch (beginning 251 million years......
Väisälä, Yrjö
Yrjö Väisälä was a Finnish meteorologist and astronomer noted for developing meteorological measuring methods and......
Wabar Craters
Wabar Craters, group of meteorite craters discovered in 1932 in the Rubʿ al-Khalī desert of Saudi Arabia. The largest......
Waksman, Selman Abraham
Selman Abraham Waksman was a Ukrainian-born American biochemist who was one of the world’s foremost authorities......
water cycle
water cycle, cycle that involves the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-atmosphere system. Of the many......
water mass
water mass, body of ocean water with a distinctive narrow range of temperature and salinity and a particular density......
water table
water table, upper level of an underground surface in which the soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water.......
waterspout
waterspout, a small-diameter column of rapidly swirling air in contact with a water surface. Waterspouts are almost......
wave
wave, a ridge or swell on the surface of a body of water, normally having a forward motion distinct from the oscillatory......
wavellite
wavellite, hydrated aluminum phosphate [Al3(PO4)2(OH)3·5H2O], a common phosphate mineral that typically occurs......
weather
weather, state of the atmosphere at a particular place during a short period of time. It involves such atmospheric......
weather bureau
weather bureau, agency established by many countries to observe and report the weather and to issue weather forecasts......
weather map
weather map, any map or chart that shows the meteorological elements at a given time over an extended area. The......
weather modification
weather modification, the deliberate or the inadvertent alternation of atmospheric conditions by human activity,......
weather satellite
weather satellite, any of a class of Earth satellites designed to monitor meteorological conditions (see Earth...
weathering
weathering, disintegration or alteration of rock in its natural or original position at or near the Earth’s surface......
Wedekindellina
Wedekindellina, genus of fusulinid foraminiferans, an extinct group of protozoans that possessed a hard shell of......
Wegener, Alfred
Alfred Wegener was a German meteorologist and geophysicist who formulated the first complete statement of the continental......
Wei Yuan
Wei Yuan was a historian and geographer of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12). Wei was a leader in the Statecraft......
Werner, Abraham Gottlob
Abraham Gottlob Werner was a German geologist who founded the Neptunist school, which proclaimed the aqueous origin......
West Greenland Current
West Greenland Current, cool flow of water proceeding northward along the west coast of Greenland. See Greenland...
wet equatorial climate
wet equatorial climate, major climate type of the Köppen classification characterized by consistently high temperatures......
whirlpool
whirlpool, rotary oceanic current, a large-scale eddy that is produced by the interaction of rising and falling......
whirlwind
whirlwind, a small-diameter columnar vortex of rapidly swirling air. A broad spectrum of vortices occurs in the......
Wilkins Ice Shelf
Wilkins Ice Shelf, a large body of floating ice covering the greater part of Wilkins Sound off the western coast......
willemite
willemite, white or greenish yellow silicate mineral, zinc silicate, Zn2SiO4, that is found as crystals, grains,......
Wilson, J. Tuzo
J. Tuzo Wilson was a Canadian geologist and geophysicist who established global patterns of faulting and the structure......
wind
wind, in climatology, the movement of air relative to the surface of the Earth. Winds play a significant role in......
wind chill
wind chill, a measure of the rate of heat loss from skin that is exposed to the air. It is based on the fact that,......
wind shear
wind shear, rapid change in wind velocity or direction. A very narrow zone of abrupt velocity change is known as......
windstorm
windstorm, a wind that is strong enough to cause at least light damage to trees and buildings and may or may not......
winter
winter, coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring; the name comes from an old Germanic word that means......
witherite
witherite, a carbonate mineral, barium carbonate (BaCO3), that is, with the exception of barite, the most common......
Witwatersrand System
Witwatersrand System, major division of Precambrian rocks in South Africa (the Precambrian began about 3.8 billion......
Wolf Creek Crater
Wolf Creek Crater, huge meteorite crater 65 miles (105 km) south of Halls Creek, Western Australia. The crater......
wolframite
wolframite, chief ore of tungsten, commonly associated with tin ore in and around granite. Such occurrences include......
woolly rhinoceros
woolly rhinoceros, (genus Coelodonta), either of two extinct species of rhinoceros found in fossil deposits of......
World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization (WMO), specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) created to promote the establishment......
Worthenia
Worthenia, genus of extinct gastropods (snails) preserved as common fossils in rocks of Devonian to Triassic age......
wulfenite
wulfenite, lead molybdate, PbMoO4, a minor source of molybdenum and the second most common molybdenum mineral.......
wurtzite
wurtzite, a zinc sulfide mineral that occurs typically in Potosí, Bolivia; Butte, Mont.; and Goldfield, Nev. It......
Wüst, Georg
Georg Wüst was a German oceanographer who, by collecting and analyzing many systematic observations, developed......
Xenacanthus
Xenacanthus, long-surviving but now extinct genus of freshwater sharks. Xenacanthus survived from the end of the......
xenolith
xenolith, rock fragment within an intrusive igneous body that is unrelated to the igneous body itself. Xenoliths,......
xenotime
xenotime, widely distributed phosphate mineral, yttrium phosphate (YPO4), though large proportions of erbium commonly......
Yonaguni Monument
Yonaguni Monument, underwater rock structure that was discovered in the mid-1980s near Yonaguni Island, Japan.......
Younger Dryas
Younger Dryas, cool period between roughly 12,900 and 11,600 years ago that disrupted the prevailing warming trend......
zeolite
zeolite, any member of a family of hydrated aluminosilicate minerals that contain alkali and alkaline-earth metals.......
zeolite facies
zeolite facies, one of the major divisions of the mineral facies classification of metamorphic rocks, the rocks......
Zhang Heng
Zhang Heng was a Chinese mathematician, astronomer, and geographer. His seismoscope for registering earthquakes......
zinc
zinc (Zn), chemical element, a low-melting metal of Group 12 (IIb, or zinc group) of the periodic table, that is......
zincite
zincite, mineral consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO), usually found in platy or granular masses. Its blood-red colour......
zircon
zircon, silicate mineral, zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4, the principal source of zirconium. Zircon is widespread as......
Zirkel, Ferdinand
Ferdinand Zirkel was a German geologist and pioneer in microscopic petrography, the study of rock minerals by viewing......
Zittel, Karl Alfred, Ritter von
Karl Alfred, knight von Zittel was a paleontologist who proved that the Sahara had not been under water during......
zoogeography
zoogeography, the branch of the science of biogeography (q.v.) that is concerned with the geographic distribution......
İzmit earthquake of 1999
İzmit earthquake of 1999, devastating earthquake that struck near the city of İzmit in northwestern Turkey on August......

Earth Science, Geologic Time & Fossils Encyclopedia Articles By Title