Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Geology

Ozone Depletion

Ozone depletion is a steady decline of about 4 percent in the total amount of ozone in Earth's stratosphere. There is also a much larger springtime decrease in the stratospheric ozone around Earth's polar regions. The latter phenomenon is referred to as the ozone hole.

Causes of Ozone Depletion

The main cause of the ozone hole is man-made chemicals, especially man-made halocarbon refrigerants, solvents, propellants, and foam-blowing agents (CFCs, HCFS, halons). These compounds are transported into the stratosphere by wind. Once in the stratosphere, they release halogen atoms through photodissociation, which catalyze the breakdown of ozone (O₃) into oxygen (O₂).^[3] Both types of ozone depletion were observed to increase as emissions... Continue reading "Ozone Depletion and the Greenhouse Effect" »

Project Description: Volcano Research and Model Building

This lesson enables students to research, create, and erupt their own volcano model. By investigating websites, volcano fact sheets, and other information sources, students should be able to plan and make a model that represents a real volcanic eruption and another that illustrates its internal structure.

They can then demonstrate their understanding of what a volcano is, its parts, the steps that lead up to a volcanic eruption, its history, and associated hazards by presenting their model and related information to the class.

This project gives each group a chance to become experts on a particular volcano and to understand natural phenomena, such as the stages of a volcanic eruption.

Academic

Florida's Aquifers

1. 150 to 70 million years ago (MYA), sediment formed on basement rock, becoming the bedrock (limestone and related rocks and shells).

2. 70-25 MYA: Various sea level fluctuations occurred during a major hot period, and sedimentation continued.

Biscayne Bay Aquifer

• Unconfined surficial aquifer
• Depth ranges from 0 feet in the west to 260 feet in the east

Floridian Aquifer

• Larger, deeper, and older than the Biscayne Bay Aquifer
• Confined in South Florida
• Unconfined in North Florida
• Saline water in South Florida

3. The Floridian Aquifer was formed between 150-25 MYA.

4. The Biscayne Bay Aquifer was formed between 2 MYA - 125,000 years ago (TYA).

• Pollution, seepage, and contamination
• Overuse (unnecessary wasting of water)

Coastal Water

1. Freshwater... Continue reading "Florida's Coastal Ecosystems: Aquifers, Marine Life, and Seagrass" »

Kinetic Theory and States of Matter Fundamentals

Kinetic Molecular Theory (KMT) of Gases

• The particles in a gas are considered to be small, hard spheres with an insignificant volume.
• The motion of the particles in a gas is rapid, constant, and random.
• All collisions between particles in a gas are perfectly elastic.

Gas Pressure and Atmospheric Conditions

• Gas pressure is the result of billions of rapidly moving particles simultaneously colliding with an object.
• Air exerts pressure on Earth because gravity holds the particles in air within Earth’s atmosphere.

Temperature, Energy, and Standard Conditions

• STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure) is defined as 0ºC and 101.3 kPa.
• Average kinetic energy is directly related to the substance’s temperature.

Bangladesh River Flooding: 1998 Case Study

Geographical Context and Vulnerability

Bangladesh is formed by deposition from three major rivers: the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, and the Meghna. Sediment from these and over 50 other rivers forms one of the largest deltas in the world. Up to 80% of the country is located on this delta. As a result, much of the country is just a few meters above sea level and is highly vulnerable to flooding and rising sea levels.

Bangladesh is a densely populated country (an LEDC) with a high population growth rate (nearly 2.7% per annum). Almost all of Bangladesh’s rivers have their source outside of the country. For example, the drainage basin of the Ganges and Brahmaputra covers 1.75 million km² and includes the... Continue reading "Bangladesh River Floods: Causes, Impacts, and Mitigation (1998 Case Study)" »

explicar el modelo geodinámico, hacer un dibujo, explicar cada capa y nombrar las discontinuidades?

Environmental Pollution

The negative change of the characteristics of the environment is called Pollution /Clouds containing Sulphur oxides (SOx) produce acid rain/ The depletion that human activities are causing in some products is Exhaustion of raw materials/ The presence in soil of substances in concentrations sufficient to confer harmful, unhealthy or hazardous properties is the Land pollution/ The Sustainable development considers the improvement of living conditions along with the stable ecological balance at the local, regional and global maintenance/ The substance that is opaque to ultraviolet (UV) light, and it blocks about 96% of the UV light that comes from the sun isOzone/ A land-fill site is A big hole that we make in ground to