the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past
a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge.
types of rock that are formed by the deposition and subsequent cementation of that material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water
a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface
the science of determining the relative order of past events
lithosphere of the earth is divided into a small number of these, which float on and travel independently
a span of time marked by character, events, changes on earth, etc
a particular period of time marked by distinctive features, events, etc.
an axiom that forms one of the bases of the sciences of geology, archaeology, and other fields dealing with geological stratigraphy. In its plainest form, it states that in undeformed stratigraphic sequences, the oldest strata will be at the bottom of the sequence.
An indefinitely long period of time
an extended break in a body of rock
a core sample that is typically removed from an ice sheet, most commonly from the polar ice caps of Antarctica, Greenland or from high mountain glaciers elsewhere
the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that remove soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, then transport it away to another location.
the outermost solid shell of a rocky planet or natural satellite, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle.
the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from 541 to 485.4 million years ago (mya) and was succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux.
the science that deals with the earth's physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it.
the largest span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale