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Index of geology articles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of all articles related to geology – Scientific study of Earth's physical composition that cannot be readily placed on the following subtopic pages:

A

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  • Asthenosphere – Highly viscous, ductile, and mechanically weak region of Earth's mantle
  • Astrogeology – Geology of astronomical objects apparently in orbit around stellar objects
  • Aulacogen – Failed arm of a triple junction, an inactive rift zone

B

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  • Batholith – Large igneous rock intrusion
  • Beach – Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water
  • Bolide – Extremely bright meteor

C

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  • Calcium – chemical element with symbol Ca and atomic number 20
  • Canyon – Deep chasm between cliffs
  • Cave – Natural void under the Earth's surface
  • Cement – Hydraulic binder used in the composition of mortar and concrete
  • Cementation – Process of chemical precipitation bonding sedimentary grains
  • Cenozoic – Third era of the Phanerozoic Eon
  • Coast – Area where land meets the sea or ocean
  • Concretion – Compact mass formed by precipitation of mineral cement between particles
  • Conglomerate – Sedimentary rock composed of smaller rock fragments
  • Continent – Large geographical region identified by convention
  • Convergent boundary – Region of active deformation between colliding tectonic plates
  • Crag and tail – Geographic feature created by glaciation
  • Crust – Outermost solid shell of astronomical bodies

D

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  • Datum (geodesy) – Reference frame for measuring location
  • Deposition – Geological process in which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or landmass
  • Diapir – Type of geologic intrusion
  • Dike – A sheet of rock that is formed in a fracture of a pre-existing rock body
  • Divergent boundary – Linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
  • Drumlin – Elongated hill formed by glacial action

E

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  • Earth science – Fields of natural science related to Earth
  • Environmental engineering – Engineering discipline related to environmental science
  • Environmental geography – Intersection of human and physical geography
  • Eon – Subdivision of geological time; shorter than a supereon and longer than an era
  • Epigenesis
  • Epoch – Subdivision of geological time; shorter than a period and longer than an age
  • Era – Subdivision of geological time; shorter than an eon and longer than a period
  • Eustasy – Global sea level independent of local factors

F

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  • Fahlband – Stratum in crystalline rock, containing metallic minerals
  • Fall line – Meeting point of uplands and coastal plain
  • Felsic – Igneous rock rich in silica and feldspar

G

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  • Geologic age – Smallest hierarchical geochronologic unit
  • Geologic fault – Fracture or discontinuity in displaced rock
  • Geologic modelling – Applied science of creating computerized representations of portions of the Earth's crust
  • Geologic period – Geologic time unit shorter than an era, longer than an epoch
  • Geologic time scale – System that relates geologic strata to time
  • Geological phenomenon
  • Geologist – Scientist who studies geology
  • Geology – Scientific study of Earth's physical composition
  • Geology of the Alps – The formation and structure of the European Alps
  • Geomorphology – Scientific study of landforms
  • Geostatistics – Branch of statistics focusing on spatial data sets
  • Geyser – Natural explosive eruption of hot water
  • Glacial period, also known as Glaciation – Interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances
  • Graben – Depressed block of planetary crust bordered by parallel normal faults

H

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  • Hadean – Geologic eon, 4567–4031 million years ago
  • Horst (geology) – Raised fault block bounded by normal faults
  • Hotspot (geology) – Volcanic region hotter than the surrounding mantle

I

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  • Igneous rock – Rock formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava
  • Integrated geography – Intersection of human and physical geography
  • Isostasy – State of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust and mantle

K

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  • Karst – Topography from dissolved soluble rocks

L

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M

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  • Mafic – Silicate mineral or igneous rock that is rich in magnesium and iron
  • Mantle (geology) – Layer inside a planet between core and crust
  • Marine regression – Geologic event in which sea level falls relative to the land
  • Mass wasting – Movement of rock or soil down slopes
  • Matrix (geology) – Finer-grained material in a rock within which coarser material is embedded
  • Metamorphic rock – Rock that was subjected to heat and pressure
  • Meteorite – Solid debris from outer space that hits a planetary surface
  • Mineral – Crystalline chemical element or compound formed by geologic processes
  • Mining engineering – Engineering discipline
  • Mudpot – Hot spring, or fumarole, with limited water
  • Mud volcano – Landform created by the eruption of mud or slurries, water and gases

N

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O

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  • Orogeny – The formation of mountain ranges

P

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Q

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R

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  • Regression (geology) – Geologic event in which sea level falls relative to the land
  • Relative density – Ratio of two densities
  • Rift – Geological linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart
  • Rock (geology) – Naturally occurring mineral aggregate
  • Rock strata – Layers of sediment, rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics
  • Rodinia – Hypothetical Neoproterozoic supercontinent
  • Rubidium–strontium dating – Radiometric dating technique for rocks and minerals

S

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  • Sand – Granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles
  • Sandstone – Type of sedimentary rock
  • Sediment trap – Any topographic depression where sediments substantially accumulate over time
  • Sedimentary rock – Rock formed by the deposition and cementation of particles
  • Sequence stratigraphy – Study and analysis of groups of sedimentary deposits
  • Silicate mineral – Rock-forming minerals with predominantly silicate anions
  • Sill – Tabular intrusion between older layers of rock
  • Stratigraphy – Study of rock layers and their formation
  • Stratum – Layer of sediment, rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics
  • Subduction – A geological process at convergent tectonic plate boundaries where one plate moves under the other

T

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  • Tar pit – Asphalt pit or asphalt lake
  • Tenham (meteorite) – Chondritic meteorite that fell in 1879 in a remote area of Queensland, Australia
  • Timeline of geology – Chronological list of notable events in the history of the science of geology
  • Transform fault – Plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal
  • Transgression (geology) – Geologic event in which sea level rises relative to the land

U

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  • Uniformitarianism – Assumption that the natural laws and processes of the universe are constant through time and space

V

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  • Volcano – Rupture in a planet's crust where material escapes

W

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X

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Y

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Z

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