What are Index Fossils? Fossils are the remnants of ancient living things like animals and plants well-preserved from the prehistoric period by the vision of natural conditions. It can be usually a rock in which organisms are preserved. These are found in sedimentary rocks, coal, asphalt deposits, amber and other materials. The scientific discipline that transacts with the study of …

Overview In 2022 more than 1,000 emitting sites gushed the strong greenhouse gas methane into the global atmosphere, mostly from oil and gas facilities. The worst single leak discharged pollution at a rate equal to 67m running cars. Studies also reveal 55 methane bombs around the world, fossil fuel extraction sites where gas leaks alone would release it at levels …

Overview of Energy Resources In recent times, geologic knowledge has been important for positioning economically valuable materials for humanity’s use. All things we use in daily life come from only three sources: they are farmed, mined, or hunted and fished. At the start of the twentieth century, the assumption was widespread that food supplies would not be maintained with world …

What is a Biogeochemical Cycle? Biogeochemical cycles mostly refer to the movement of nutrients and other elements between biotic factors and abiotic factors.  The term biogeochemical comes from “bio” which means biosphere, “geo” which denotes the geological components, and “chemical” meaning the elements that move through a cycle. Earth conserves substances in the form of atoms. The earth’s system recycles matter in various forms because it …

What is Acid Rain Acid rain is one of the consequences of air pollution which occurs when emissions from factories, heating boilers, or cars contact with the water in the atmosphere. The eroding nature of acid rain causes extensive damage to the environment.  When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides form from the smoke released from the burning of fossil fuels such as …

Overview Deforestation is the direct human-induced conversion of forested land to other land such as cropland, grassland, or settlement. It refers to forest area reduction around the globe because of different drivers such as urbanization, overpopulation, mining, etc. Due to anthropogenic activities since 1960, deforestation is negatively impacting the ecosystem, climate, and biodiversity. According to UNFAO, forests are being cut …

Introduction Seasons are considered by roughly constant annual weather patterns, day lengths, and temperature ranges. Except for the tropics and polar regions of the earth, it normally describes the four seasons as spring, summer, autumn, and winter and associates detailed ecological and astronomical events with each time of year.  The seasons are related but different to astral seasons, which are more …

Solar Energy Radiation from the sun is capable enough to produce heat, causing different chemical reactions, and generating electricity. The total amount of solar energy that strikes the Earth is vastly more than the world’s current and expected energy requirements. If appropriately harnessed, this highly dispersed source has the potential to satisfy all future energy needs. In the present century, solar energy is becoming progressively attractive as a renewable …

Overview The mining and processing of minerals provide us with the major building blocks required to form much of the infrastructure required to support current societies. Whereas demand for some resources such as coal is dropping, other resources such as copper are seeing increasing demand as new products and technologies require diverse materials. For example, a single lithium-ion electric vehicle battery pack …

Renewable Energy Renewable energy, frequently referred to as clean energy, comes from natural sources or processes that are constantly replenished. For example, sunlight and wind keep shining and blowing, even if their availability depends on time and weather. While renewable energy is often thought to be a new technology, connecting nature’s power has long been used for heating, transportation, lighting, and …