geologic process

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Noun

geologic process - (geology) a natural process whereby geological features are modified

geology - a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks

alluvion - gradual formation of new land, by recession of the sea or deposit of sediment

desertification - the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert; is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land; "the dust storms in Korea are the result of rapid desertification in China"

diastrophism - the process of deformation that produces continents and ocean basins in the earth's crust

eating away, eroding, erosion, wearing, wearing away - (geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)

folding, fold - a geological process that causes a bend in a stratum of rock

glaciation - the process of covering the earth with glaciers or masses of ice

intrusion - the forcing of molten rock into fissures or between strata of an earlier rock formation

metamorphism - change in the structure of rock by natural agencies such as pressure or heat or introduction of new chemical substances

natural action, natural process, action, activity - a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings); "the action of natural forces"; "volcanic activity"

orogeny - the process of mountain formation (especially by the upward displacement of the earth's crust)

stratification - forming or depositing in layers

subduction - a geological process in which one edge of a crustal plate is forced sideways and downward into the mantle below another plate

References in periodicals archive ?

This natural geologic process is known as exfoliation and can produce dramatic changes in geography.

All is calm, all is bright

Helens 30 years ago today was part of a continuing geologic process. Explosions like it had come before, and will come again.

Life under the volcanos

(5) Melosh H., Impact Cratering: A Geologic Process, Oxford University Press, New York, 1989

Cassini A: the nature of the 'Washbowl' described by Wilkins & Moore on 1952 April 3

By obvious, she partly means Earth-like and partly means that no chemical or geologic process could have produced a similar signature.

Will we know ET when we see it? The search for alien life requires an open mind

Fifty years of deep-space exploration have revealed this fundamental truth: impact cratering is far and away the most common geologic process on solid bodies in our solar system.

Faulting the Lunar Crust: subtle cracks and creases betray shifts in the lunar landscape

Impact cratering is the solar system's most ubiquitous and primeval geologic process. Every cratered surface tells stories of bombardment and subsequent geologic or atmospheric events.

Lunar news flash: did scientists make LCROSS seem like a dud by raising expectations of a spectacle?

Prepared in advance of a short course sponsored by the Mineralogical Society of America held October 2005, these 22 papers describe thermochronology techniques that produce explanations for the geologic process responsible for thermal histories.

Low Temperature Thermochronology: Techniques, Interpretations & Applications

This was one of the first convincing examples of comparative planetology--knowledge of a geologic process on one body (Earth) helped us understand an unusual feature on another body (the Moon).

Alphonsus: volcanism then and now?

All of this monumental readjustment takes place within a few minutes--impact cratering is the fastest geologic process known!

Copernicus: a spellbinding crater

"The fact that the mid-Atlantic is subsiding because of long-term geologic processes means that it will continue for centuries and millennia, in addition to whatever other changes in sea level occur.

Sea-Level Rise Aided by Sinking Land

The geologic processes are still at work in Tennessee, with sinkholes claiming land in areas of limestone, rivers eroding sediment and shifting channels, and some of North America's largest earthquakes occurring every 500 years on the ancient rift faults near Reelfoot Lake.

Roadside Geology of Tennessee

A geoscene wall near the main entrance to the center will serve as a teaching tool for earth science and geology students investigating various geologic processes, such as folding, faulting, and igneous intrusions.