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GEOLOGY
Geology is the science which deals with the history of the earth and inhabitants. It’s standing on the board foundations of mathematic, physic, chemistry and other sciences. Geology may be divided into physical geology and historical geology. Physical geology deals with the materials of the earth. It explains the processes and agencies by which the earth has been modified and is being modified. Historical geology deals with the records of the successive events of the earth’s history. The history and evolutionary changes of the organisms which have lived upon the earth. Geology shows us that the earth has gone through vast changes.
Do you want to be a geologist?
No, I can't see nothing exciting in study geology
Do you prefer a physical or historical geology?
I prefer historical geology because I would like to know how earth was created.
THE EARTH
Earth is the third planet from the sun. It is the only planet known to have an atmosphere containing free oxygen, oceans of liquid water on its surface, and life. Earth is the fifth largest of the planets in the solar system — smaller than the gas giants, but larger than the three other rocky planets. Earth has a diameter of roughly 8,000 miles and is round because gravity pulls matter into a ball, although it is not perfectly round, instead being more of an "oblate spheroid" whose spin causes it to be squashed at its poles and swollen at the equator. Earth rotates on its own axis once in about 24 hours. Its satellite called the moon, is controlled by the earth.
How many days does Earth needs to make a complete revolution about the sun?
The Earth takes 365 and ¼ days [łan forth days]
Why is the earth farther away from the sun at sometimes that than others?
The earth is farther away from the sun at sometimes than others because its course is not circular but elliptical.
SOLAR SYSTEM
Solar system has one controlling member, which is the sun. The sun contains almost 99,9% of the total mass of the solar system and controls by gravitational attraction the planets which revolve about it. The planets are nearly spherical in shape but they are all bulged at the equator and flattened at the poles. The nine planets of the solar system are of different sizes and at different distances from the sun. The planets fall into two groups, called the inner and outer planets. The four inner planets are small planets, Earth is the largest of the group. With the exception of Pluto, the outer planets are very much larger than the inner ones.
Which planet of the solar system is the largest, and which is the smallest?
The largest is Jupiter and the smallest is Mercury.
What is the relationship between the speed of a planet and the size of its orbit?
The size of orbit controls the speed. The nearer to the sun planet are faster because it has a shorter orbit.
4. VOLCANO
A volcano is an opening in Earth's crust. When a volcano erupts, hot gases and melted rock from deep within Earth find their way up to the surface. This material may flow slowly out of a fissure in the ground, or it may explode suddenly into the air. Volcanic eruptions may be very destructive. But they also create new landforms. During a volcanic eruption, hot melted rock called magma escapes from a vent in Earth's surface. Magma released from a volcano is known as lava. As it cools, it hardens into rock. Strong volcanic eruptions throw bits of magma into the air. Volcanic ash can coat the land for miles around the volcano.
Do you know the active volcano in Europe?
Yes, the most famous active volcanos we have in Italy for example Wezuwiusz and Etna.
Does we have a volcanoes in Poland?
We doesn't have an active volcano but we have dormant volcanoes on the lower Silesia.
5. THE EARTHQUAKE
Earthquakes occur constantly around the world. Often they are too small for people to feel at all. Most earthquakes are caused by changes in the Earth's crust. The crust is made up of rock masses called plates that are constantly moving. In different places they move apart, collide, or slide past each other. Over time this movement causes great pressure to build up. When the pressure becomes too great, the rock masses suddenly shift along a crack in the crust. The shifting rocks release energy in the form of shock waves. The waves spread through the rock in all directions, causing an earthquake.
Do you know how to measure the strength of earthquakes?
We use the Richter scale to assess the size of the earthquake
Do you know where it was the last big earthquake?
The last big earthquake was in Nepal. It was near 8 point in Richter scale.
6. LAND MASS
Most of the land of the word is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Eurasia and North America, separated by Bering Strait. Africa and South America are united with Eurasia and North America by narrow necks of land called isthmuses. The great land masses are called continents. Most of them are triangular in shape, pointing toward the south. Tongues of land that extend from continents into bodies of water are called peninsulas. An island is a body of land entirely surrounded by water. Many islands are submerged mountain ranges. Plateau is an elevation which has a large surface area. Plains are areas of level land. According to location or origin there are several types of plains.
Does Poland have an island?
Yes, we have island shoreline for example Wolin and many inland islands.
Have you ever seen one of continents from the air?
I saw Europe, when I was flying to Bristol in the UK
7. WATERFALLS
Waterfalls occur when a layer of hard rock lies on top of a band of soft rock on the river bed. A waterfall begins its formation where the band of hard rock crosses the bed of the river. The river is unable to erode this rock easily. But the river erodes the band of soft rock quickly downstream from the hard rock. This causes a sudden drop in the river’s bed below the hard rock. The river plunges over this fall and erodes deep pool underneath the falling water. Sometimes the soft rock underneath the hard rock is worn away creating an overhang. The deep pool which has been created is called a plunge pool.
Where is the most famous waterfall?
The most famous waterfall is in North America.
Have you ever swam near a waterfall?
I never swam but I would like it.
8. SPHERE (Earth’s build)
The topmost layers of the earth are called the crust. Its thickness and composition are not constant, but vary between the continental crust and the oceanic crust. The continental crust consist of light rock such as gneiss, granodiorite and granite , and the oceanic crust is made up of dark rock such as basalt. It may be 70km in thickness under the continents. Part of the earth below the crust is called mantle. Because of its dominant position in the balance of the Earth's mass plays a key role in the release of energy from the Earth's interior. The remaining part- inside the mantle- the word core is used. It’s the hottest part of the Earth and this part is made up of iron and nickel.
What is the boundary between the crust and mantle?
Abroad crust-mantle is called mohorovičić discontinuity. [mohorowicik diskontiniułiti]
What are the consequences of the release of energy from the earth?
Consequences are the processes of plate tectonics for example continental drift and mountain formation.
9. DEFORESTATION
Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests are cut down for many reasons, but most of them are related to money or to people’s need to provide for their families .The biggest driver of deforestation is agriculture. Farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Logging operations, which provide the world’s wood and paper products, also cut countless trees each year. Loggers, some of them acting illegally, also build roads to access more and more remote forests—which leads to further deforestation. Forests are also cut as a result of growing urban sprawl.
Have you ever seen place after deforestation?
Yes, last year when I had a practice in forest inspectorate. It was terrible view, but it was intended to improve forest health
Do you know where deforestation is the biggest problem?
I don’t know where is the biggest but it’s a serious problem in the South America on Lowland Amazon.
10. ENERGY RESOURSES
Primary energy sources take many forms, including nuclear energy, fossil energy -- like oil, coal and natural gas -- and renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower. Nuclear technology uses the energy released by splitting the atoms of certain elements. The burning of fossil fuels by humans is the largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases that allows radiative forcing and contributes to global warming. There are many forms of renewable energy . Most of these renewable energies depend in one way or another on sunlight. Wind and hydroelectric power are the direct result of differential heating of the Earth's surface. Solar energy is the direct conversion of sunlight using panels or collectors. Biomass energy is stored sunlight contained in plants. Geothermal energy is a result of radioactive decay in the crust of the Earth.
Are you using renewable energy sources?
Yes, I have at home a solar collector which is used to heating the water.
What do you think is it possible to replace energy from fossil fuels to renewable energy?
I think it’s possible, but it requires money and educating the people.
11. WEATHERING
Around the world, all surfaces are being slowly worn away by the processes of weathering and erosion. Weathering is related to the surface of the lithosphere for it proceeds where rocks, air and water come together. Studies or soils and their parental rock show that weathering includes both mechanical disintegration and chemical decomposition. In mechanical weathering rock are affected by alternate heating and cooling. Repeated expansion and contraction causes the surface layer to flake off. Chemical weathering causes that rocks are exposed to the oxygen and carbon dioxide of the atmosphere change in chemical composition. Minerals join with oxygen and carbon dioxide. Thus, the rock is decomposed . Decomposed rock often breaks away from its ,,parent rock”.
What kind of weathering is better to fertilize the soil?
The better is chemical weathering because dissolved minerals penetrate into the soil.
Do you know the effects of weathering?
Crushing rocks, devastation of infrastructure, change the chemical composition of rocks, the formation of caves
12.WEATHER
Weather is the state of the atmosphere over short periods of time. Weather can change from hour to hour, day to day, month to month or even year to year. It includes sunshine, rain, cloud cover, winds, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, flooding, blizzards, ice storms, thunderstorms, steady rains from a cold front or warm front, excessive heat, heat waves and more. Weather forecasting is a prediction of what the weather will be like in an hour, tomorrow, or next week. Weather forecasting involves a combination of computer models, observations, and a knowledge of trends and patterns. By using these methods, reasonable accurate forecasts can be made up to few days in advance.
What is the difference between weather and climate?
While the weather can change in just a few hours, climate takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of years to change.
How the weather affects the best for you?
The best for me is sunny weather with a breath of wind.
13. CLIMATE
Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area region’s weather patterns, tracked for more than 30 years, are considered its climate. Different parts of the world have different climates. Some parts of the world are hot and rainy nearly every day. They have a tropical wet climate. Others are cold and snow-covered most of the year. They have a polar climate. Between the icy poles and the steamy tropics are many other climates that help make the Earth a unique planet. Average temperature and precipitation are important features of a climate. Climate features also include windiness, humidity, cloud cover, and fogginess. All climates are the product of many factors, including latitude, elevation, topography, distance from the ocean, and location on a continent.
What is the difference between weather and climate?
While the weather can change in just a few hours, climate takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of years to change.
What can have influence to the change of climate?
Climate change can happen for many reasons. The movement of tectonic plates, volcanic activity, and the tilt of Earth’s axis all have effects on climate.