Category Archives: Geology

9. Mining

9.1 PRIMITIVE EXTRACTION I include under mining all human activities concerned with the extraction of inert natural materials. As such, the extraction of stone for construction, is mining, and at the beginning, perhaps the easiest was the excavation in relatively soft … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Mining | Leave a comment

8. Prospecting

8.1 GRASS ROOTS Grass roots exploration is the general term for the very initial stage of prospecting that starts from a zero base, that is, neither geological maps, nor aerial photos are available, and often not even topographic maps. Of … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Prospecting | Leave a comment

7. Structure and Metamorphism

7.1 General As mentioned at the introduction, faulting, folding and metamorphism are a consequence of the movement of the plates forming the earth’s crust. In areas of plate divergence, tension causes the ripping of the plates leading to the development … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Structure/metamorphism | Leave a comment

6. Sedimentation

In by far the majority of cases, materials that have been weathered and/or eroded, are transported elsewhere and eventually settle. Sedimentation is the processes to which these materials are subjected to until they are deposited, and transport is the main … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Sedimentary Rocks | 2 Comments

5. Unconformity

A sediment is a mass of material that originates from the weathering and or erosion of the earth’s surface substances which, in the majority of cases, have been transported and deposited elsewhere. Naturally, the transporting agents are the same as … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Unconformity | Leave a comment

4. Erosion

According to the American Geological Institute Glossary, erosion is the natural process whereby the materials of the earth’s crust are loosened or worn away and simultaneously removed to another place. These natural processes, in an increasing order of power, are … Continue reading

Posted in Erosion, Geology | 4 Comments

3. Weathering

3.1 Initial Stage Weathering is the chemical alteration caused by the atmospheric water in vapor and/or liquid form, due to the reacting agents carried in solution. Thus, this was the first step in the alteration of the original consolidated rocks … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Sedimentary Rocks, Weathering | 5 Comments

2. Igneous Rocks

2.1 Origin and Composition Convection cells must have developed in the Earth’s Mantle at a very early stage, consequently initiating the differentiation of the elements composing the original magma. Just like foam in a boiling pot, the less dense elements … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Igneous Rocks | 2 Comments

1. Introduction

Geology is the study of the Earth’s crust and its continuous process of modification. At the beginning of solidification, approximately 3,9 Ga (giga annum = 109 years) ago, there were only Igneous Rocks, originating from the consolidation of the initial magma. … Continue reading

Posted in Geology, Introduction | 1 Comment