Earth Science, Geologic Time & Fossils, FET-GON
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.
Earth Science, Geologic Time & Fossils Encyclopedia Articles By Title
fetch, area of ocean or lake surface over which the wind blows in an essentially constant direction, thus generating......
Fig Tree microfossils, assemblage of microscopic structures uncovered in the Fig Tree Series, a rock layer at least......
Filchner Ice Shelf, large body of floating ice, lying at the head of the Weddell Sea, which is itself an indentation......
filter-pressing, process that occurs during the crystallization of intrusive igneous bodies in which the interstitial......
fire, in gems, rapidly changing flashes of colour seen in some gems, such as diamonds. Some minerals show dispersion;......
firn, partially compacted granular snow that is the intermediate stage between snow and glacial ice. Firn is found......
Robert Fitzroy was a British naval officer, hydrographer, and meteorologist who commanded the voyage of HMS Beagle,......
Richard H. Fleming was a Canadian-born American oceanographer who conducted wide-ranging studies in the areas of......
fluorapatite, common phosphate mineral, a calcium fluoride phosphate, Ca5(PO4)3F. It occurs as minute, often green,......
fluorite, common halide mineral, calcium fluoride (CaF2), which is the principal fluorine mineral. It is usually......
fluvial process, the physical interaction of flowing water and the natural channels of rivers and streams. Such......
Fluvisol, one of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).......
flysch, sequence of shales rhythmically interbedded with thin, hard, graywacke-like sandstones. The total thickness......
fog, cloud of small water droplets that is near ground level and sufficiently dense to reduce horizontal visibility......
fog dispersal, artificial dissipation of fogs, usually by seeding or heating. It is done primarily at airports......
fog drip, water that drips to the ground from trees and other objects wetted by drifting fog droplets. The needle-shaped......
fold, in geology, undulation or waves in the stratified rocks of Earth’s crust. Stratified rocks were originally......
foliation, planar arrangement of structural or textural features in any rock type but particularly that resulting......
Fontéchevade, a cave site in southwestern France known for the 1947 discovery of ancient human remains and tools......
Edward Forbes was a British naturalist, pioneer in the field of biogeography, who analyzed the distribution of......
fossil, remnant, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of a past geologic age that has been preserved in Earth’s......
fossil record, history of life as documented by fossils, the remains or imprints of organisms from earlier geological......
Léon Foucault was a French physicist whose “Foucault pendulum” provided experimental proof that Earth rotates on......
fracture, in mineralogy, appearance of a surface broken in directions other than along cleavage planes. There are......
Franklinian Geosyncline, a linear trough in the Earth’s crust in which rocks of Paleozoic and Late Proterozoic......
freezing nucleus, any particle that, when present in a mass of supercooled water, will induce growth of an ice......
Douglas Freshfield was a British mountaineer, explorer, geographer, and author who advocated the recognition of......
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Friedmann was a Russian mathematician and physical scientist. After graduating from the......
front, in meteorology, interface or transition zone between two air masses of different density and temperature;......
frost, atmospheric moisture directly crystallized on the ground and on exposed objects. The term also refers to......
frost point, temperature, below 0° C (32° F), at which moisture in the air will condense as a layer of frost on......
Vivian Fuchs was an English geologist and explorer who led the historic British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition......
Tetsuya Fujita was a Japanese-born American meteorologist who created the Fujita Scale, or F-Scale, a system of......
fuller’s earth, any fine-grained, naturally occurring earthy substance that has a substantial ability to adsorb......
fulvic acid, one of two classes of natural acidic organic polymer that can be extracted from humus found in soil,......
fumarole, vent in the Earth’s surface from which steam and volcanic gases are emitted. The major source of the......
Tobias Furneaux was a British naval officer and explorer who was the first to circumnavigate the globe in both......
Fusulina, genus of extinct fusulinid foraminiferans (protozoans with a shell) found as fossils in marine rocks......
Fusulinella, genus of extinct fusulinid foraminiferans (protozoans with a shell) found as fossils in Late Carboniferous......
fusulinid, any of a large group of extinct foraminiferans (single-celled organisms related to the modern amoebas......
Georg Christian Füchsel was a German geologist, a pioneer in the development of stratigraphy, the study of rock......
gabbro, any of several medium- or coarse-grained rocks that consist primarily of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene.......
Gaea, Greek personification of the Earth as a goddess. Mother and wife of Uranus (Heaven), from whom the Titan......
gale, wind that is stronger than a breeze; specifically a wind of 28–55 knots (50–102 km per hour) corresponding......
galena, a gray lead sulfide (PbS), the chief ore mineral of lead. One of the most widely distributed sulfide minerals,......
Ganlea megacanina, extinct primate species belonging to the family Amphipithecidae and known only from fossils......
garnet, any member of a group of common silicate minerals that have similar crystal structures and chemical compositions.......
Gastrioceras, genus of extinct cephalopods (animals related to the modern squid, octopus, and nautilus), found......
gauging station, site on a stream, canal, lake, or reservoir where systematic observations of gauge height (water......
Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac was a French chemist and physicist who pioneered investigations into the behaviour of gases,......
gaylussite, a carbonate mineral, hydrated sodium and calcium carbonate [formulated Na2Ca(CO3)2·5H2O], that precipitates......
Geb, in ancient Egyptian religion, the god of the earth, the physical support of the world. Geb constituted, along......
Rudolf Oskar Robert Williams Geiger was a German meteorologist, one of the founders of microclimatology, the study......
Sir Archibald Geikie was a British geologist who became the foremost advocate of the fluvial theories of erosion.......
Gelisol, one of the 12 soil orders of the U.S. Soil Taxonomy. Gelisols are perennially frozen soils of the Arctic......
geochemical cycle, developmental path followed by individual elements or groups of elements in the crustal and......
geochemistry, scientific discipline that deals with the relative abundance, distribution, and migration of the......
geochronology, field of scientific investigation concerned with determining the age and history of Earth’s rocks......
geode, hollow mineral body found in limestones and some shales. The common form is a slightly flattened globe ranging......
geodesy, scientific discipline concerned with the precise figure of the Earth and its determination and significance.......
geoengineering, the large-scale manipulation of a specific process central to controlling Earth’s climate for the......
geography, the study of the diverse environments, places, and spaces of Earth’s surface and their interactions.......
- Introduction
- Exploration, Mapping, Science
- Academic Discipline, 19th Century, Education
- Exploration, Mapping, Cartography
- UK, Academic, Development
- Spatial Analysis, Human-Environment Interaction, Globalization
- Landforms, Climate, Environment
- Locational Analysis, Human Impact, Spatial Patterns
- GIS, Mapping, Analysis
- Human-Environment Interaction, Spatial Analysis, Globalization
- Human, Population, Landscape
- Mapping, Cartography, GIS
- Physical, Human, Regional
geoid, model of the figure of Earth—i.e., of the planet’s size and shape—that coincides with mean sea level over......
geologic time, the extensive interval of time occupied by the geologic history of Earth. Formal geologic time begins......
geology, the fields of study concerned with the solid Earth. Included are sciences such as mineralogy, geodesy,......
- Introduction
- Earth Composition, Rocks, Minerals
- Petrology, Rocks, Minerals
- Sedimentary Petrology, Stratigraphy, Rock Types
- Geochemistry, Rocks, Minerals
- Isotopes, Geochemistry, Rocks
- Structure, Rocks, Minerals
- Folds, Faults, Strata
- Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes
- Surface Features, Processes, Earth
- Earth History, Stratigraphy, Plate Tectonics
- Fossils, Stratigraphy, Tectonics
- Astrogeology, Planetary Science, Earth Science
- Mining, Construction, Environment
- Mineral Deposits, Formation, Exploration
geomagnetic field, magnetic field associated with Earth. It is primarily dipolar (i.e., it has two poles, the geomagnetic......
- Introduction
- Measurement, Variation, Reversal
- Dipolar, Earth, Magnetosphere
- Sources, Steady, Magnetic
- Ionospheric Dynamo, Earth's Core, Magnetic Reversals
- Magnetopause, Currents, Shielding
- Field-Aligned Currents
- Sources, Variation, Steady
- Ionospheric Dynamo, Currents, Variations
- Magnetic Reconnection, Earth's Core, Solar Wind
- Ring Current Decay
- Expansion, Earth's Core, Magnetism
geomagnetic reversal, an alternation of the Earth’s magnetic polarity in geologic time. See polar...
geomagnetic storm, disturbance of Earth’s upper atmosphere brought on by coronal mass ejections—i.e., large eruptions......
geomagnetic storm of 1859, largest geomagnetic storm ever recorded. The storm, which occurred on Sept. 2, 1859,......
geomagnetics, branch of geophysics concerned with all aspects of the Earth’s magnetic field, including its origin,......
geomorphic cycle, theory of the evolution of landforms. In this theory, first set forth by William M. Davis between......
geomorphology, scientific discipline concerned with the description and classification of the Earth’s topographic......
geophone, trade name for an acoustic detector that responds to ground vibrations generated by seismic waves. Geophones—also......
geophysics, major branch of the Earth sciences that applies the principles and methods of physics to the study......
George Philip and Son, British publishing house, one of the oldest in the United Kingdom, located in London. The......
geosyncline, linear trough of subsidence of the Earth’s crust within which vast amounts of sediment accumulate.......
giant water scorpion, any member of the extinct subclass Eurypterida of the arthropod group Merostomata, a lineage......
gibbsite, the mineral aluminum hydroxide [Al(OH)3] an important constituent of bauxite (q.v.) deposits, particularly......
Gibraltar remains, Neanderthal fossils and associated materials found at Gibraltar, on the southern tip of Spain.......
Giganotosaurus, (Giganotosaurus carolinii), genus of a large theropod dinosaur in the family Carcharodontosauridae......
Gigantopithecus, (Gigantopithecus blacki), genus of large extinct apes represented by a single species, Gigantopithecus......
Maurice-Irénée-Marie Gignoux was a French geologist who contributed to knowledge of the stratigraphy of the Mediterranean......
Grove Karl Gilbert was a U.S. geologist, one of the founders of modern geomorphology, the study of landforms. He......
glacial stage, in geology, a cold episode during an ice age, or glacial period. An ice age is a portion of geologic......
glacier, any large mass of perennial ice that originates on land by the recrystallization of snow or other forms......
glaciology, scientific discipline concerned with all aspects of ice on landmasses. It deals with the structure......
glaucophane facies, one of the major divisions of the mineral facies classification of metamorphic rocks, the rocks......
glaze, ice coating that forms when supercooled rain, drizzle, or fog drops strike surfaces that have temperatures......
Gleysol, one of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).......
global warming, the phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near the surface of Earth over the past one......
- Introduction
- Climate Change, Glaciation, Effects
- Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, Pollution
- Radiative Forcing
- Carbon Dioxide, Climate Change, Greenhouse Gases
- Ozone, Compounds, Pollution
- Land Use, Climate Change, Emissions
- Volcanic Aerosols
- Orbital Variations, Climate Change, Earth
- Climate Sensitivity, Feedback, Impacts
- Climate Research
- Climate Models, Emissions, Impacts
- Climate Change, Impacts, Solutions
- Ice Melt, Sea Level Rise
- Climate Change, Melting Ice, Rising Sea Levels
- Socioeconomic Impacts, Climate Change, Adaptation
globe, the most common general-use model of spherical Earth. It is a sphere or ball that bears a map of the Earth......
Glossopteris, genus of fossilized woody plants known from rocks that have been dated to the Permian and Triassic......
Glyptodon, genus of extinct giant mammals related to modern armadillos and found as fossils in deposits in North......
gneiss, metamorphic rock that has a distinct banding, which is apparent in hand specimen or on a microscopic scale.......
goethite, a widespread iron oxide mineral [α-FeO(OH)] and the most common ingredient of iron rust. It was named......
gold (Au), chemical element, a dense lustrous yellow precious metal of Group 11 (Ib), Period 6, of the periodic......
Victor Mordechai Goldschmidt was a German mineralogist who made important studies of crystallography. His first......
Boris Borisovich, Prince Golitsyn was a Russian physicist known for his work on methods of earthquake observations......
gomphothere, any member of a line of extinct elephants that formed the most numerous group of the order Proboscidea......
Gondwana, ancient supercontinent that incorporated present-day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India,......