What are 7 Major Tectonic Plates? Planet Earth! It’s a beautiful place filled with vast oceans, rugged mountains, and magnificent plateaus. But is this always the way our planet has looked? According to Geologists, billions of years ago, the landmasses were all bunched together as one massive supercontinent. This supercontinent then broke apart due to … Read more
14 Different Types of Terrain That Can be Found on This Planet The word Terrain originated from the Latin “Terra” which translates to Earth. The terrain is a word usually used when describing the lay of the land and maybe also be called Topography or relief. This word is most common among geographers, as they … Read more
What is a Gold Nugget? Of all the 118 elements in the periodic table, gold has captured the minds and motivations of mankind. And, of all the forms taken by gold, gold nuggets stand out the most. Perhaps this is owed due to its inherent rarity, or the tantalizing color. Whatever it is about gold … Read more
What is Sand? Sand is more than something that blankets beaches and deserts. It is ubiquitous, much more diverse and, an authentic relic. As Rachel Carson, the American marine biologist once quoted, “In every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is a story of the Earth.” So, what is sand? Where does sand … Read more
Quartzite – Formation, Composition, Properties, and Uses Quartzite (from German Quarzit) forms when quartz sandstones are metamorphosed. The term quartzite also implies its high quartz content. Most quartzites contain 90% quartz by volume, but the percentage can go up to 99% in the case of the purest quartzite forms. Quartzite looks similar to its parent … Read more
Limestone – Formation, Composition, Types and Uses Limestone, or calcium carbonate, is the common rock found throughout the world. Oldest and perhaps slightly overlooked, limestone is very much part of our everyday life. It may be hidden with your walls, in the water you drink, the food you consume, or in the cosmetics. First discovered … Read more
What is Erosion? By the geological procedure, erosion happens. All the natural forces contribute to this happening. All the earthen materials shift itself from one place to another, and the forces like water and wind assist in it. Exogenous developments remove rocks and soil from the outer layer of the soil and then transfer it … Read more
What are Weathering and Erosion (For Kids)? Erosion is the process of constant disintegration of rocks and surfaces due to physical factors like wind, ice, water, and climate change. Thus it is just the opposite of deposition, a process by which particles get deposited at a place by some physical factors. Erosion is also the … Read more
Tibetan Plateau: Definition, Location, Formation, and Interesting Facts On a general note, plateaus are interesting landforms that are spotted all over the world. Plateaus are extensive landforms that usually have a flat or sloping top and the elevation of most plateaus usually ranges from a few hundred to several thousand meters. Usually, plateaus are larger … Read more
What is Glacial Erosion? Glaciers are huge sheets of solid ice and snow that cover a large area of land. Owing to the force applied by the weight of the ice, the glaciers move very slowly almost 2 cm per day. This movement of the chunks of packed ice causes erosion on the land underlying … Read more
The Great Plains The Great Plains, previously known as the Great American Dessert, is a massive piece of land stretching from Canada to Mexico across the midsection of the United States of America. The enormous expanse of grassland spans from mountain elevations of the Rocky Mountains to the Missouri River and from the Rio Grande … Read more
What is a Plateau? Earth has four major landforms, namely mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains. Plateaus take up one-third of the Earth’s land surface and therefore found in every continent. It is an elevated landform with a more or less large flat or leveled area on top. Plateaus are also called high plains or tablelands … Read more
What is a Cliff? We have many times seen pictures of a huge mass of rock standing almost vertically along the ocean or riverbanks. These are nothing but cliffs, which are a common form of landscape. Cliffs are erosional landforms that usually exist in the form of vertical or nearly vertical rock exposures. A cliff … Read more
What are U-shaped Valleys? Valleys are of many kinds, however, among valleys mostly found formations are either U-shaped valley or V-shaped valley. U shaped valleys are found all over the world and are very common in mountain ranges, mainly where glaciers are formed or in previously glaciated mountainous areas. U-shaped valleys usually have a distinct … Read more
What is Glacier? Glaciers are a natural wonder of the world. These are vast rivers of ice found on mountain tops or highlands and build up from an accumulation of fresh snow that never melts entirely. They form over the decades and often centuries. Surprisingly some can be seen even from space. There are wrong … Read more