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A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics (lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exposed in a geographical region (the stratigraphic column).
The geological history of the Earth follows the major geological events in Earth's past based on the geological time scale, a system of chronological measurement based on the study of the planet's rock layers (stratigraphy). Earth formed about 4.54 billion years ago by accretion from the solar nebula, a disk-shaped mass of dust and gas left ...
Relative dating is the science of determining the relative order of past events (i.e., the age of an object in comparison to another), without necessarily determining their absolute age (i.e., estimated age). In geology, rock or superficial deposits, fossils and lithologies can be used to correlate one stratigraphic column with another.
Sedimentary rocks are formed through the gradual accumulation of sediments: for example, sand on a beach or mud on a river bed. As the sediments are buried they get compacted as more and more material is deposited on top. Eventually the sediments will become so dense that they would essentially form a rock. This process is known as lithification.
Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: γῆ, gê, 'earth'; μορφή, morphḗ, 'form'; and λόγος, lógos, 'study') [2] is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand ...
Rock formations in Ongamira Valley, Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina. Belogradchik Rocks, Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria. "Jaws", an erosional fin in Little Finland, Nevada, US. "Hajdučka vrata" on Čvrsnica, Herzegovina. Paklenica, Croatia. Devil's Town, Serbia. Three Sisters in Blue Mountains, Australia. A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or ...
Saamian orogeny – Formation of an extensive area of tonalitic-trondhjemitic crust in Fennoscandia, (3.1–2.9 Ga) Lopian orogeny – Archean orogeny – Formation of two different types of terrain compatible with plate tectonic concepts. One is a belt of high-grade gneisses formed in a regime of strong mobility, while the other is a region of ...
Sedimentology encompasses the study of modern sediments such as sand, [1] silt, and clay, [2] and the processes that result in their formation (erosion and weathering), transport, deposition and diagenesis. [3] Sedimentologists apply their understanding of modern processes to interpret geologic history through observations of sedimentary rocks ...