Uniformitarianism Research Paper

How do you think the principle of uniformitarianism accounts for occasional catastrophic events such as meteorite impacts, huge volcanic eruptions, or great earthquakes? Because uniformitarianism shows us that if our earths plates are moving today, they were moving in the past. This moving of the plates causing things such as earthquakes.
In what ways do geologic processes affect your daily life? Geology is the study of earth, which is where we live. Understanding geology and how it works, helps us understand how it affects us. We use up earths resources such as oil, coal, and minerals. Geology helps us understand volcanoes and earthquakes. We are able to track volcanoes and tectonic plates and be able to better predict disasters helping us
to be better prepared.
When astronauts brought back rock samples from the Moon, the minerals present were mostly the same as those found on Earth. Can you think of reasons why this might be so? Would you expect minerals on Mars or Venus to be the same, or at least very similar, to those on Earth? One reason why the minerals would be the same is because if you follow the big bang theory you would know that we all ultimately came from the same big material, So there would ultimately be some of the same minerals. From this reasoning, I would believe mars and venus to have the same minerals as earth also.
Which of the following materials are minerals, and why (or why not)?
Water; beach sand; diamond; wood; vitamin pill; gold nugget; fishbone; emerald. Water is an element, not a mineral. Beach sand is a mineral, because it is ultimately pulverized rocks, which are also minerals. Diamonds are minerals, they are compacted carbon. Wood is not a mineral, it is from a tree which is not a mineral. Vitamin pills are packed full of minerals that are good for our bodies (for the most part). Gold nuggets are minerals, just as diamonds are. They are rare and made by the earth. Fishbones are not minerals, maybe over time after earth has done it 's job it can be part of a mineral, but not just as a bone. Emeralds are also
minerals.
How old are the rock formations in the area where you live and attend college or university? How can you find out the answer to this question? I live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where there is quartzite and the falls. It is very easy to figure out how old the rock formations in this area are. I can go to the areas where there is informational brochures and signs. I can also use the internet to find the answer as well. The website leifericson.org stated that “The Falls of the Big Sioux were carved in the hard Sioux Quartzite metamorphic rock on the Big Sioux River near the end of the Wisconsin Ice age, 14,000 years ago. The sand that eventually became this quartzite was deposited around 1.6 billion years ago, during the Precambrian, by a series of southeastward draining plexus of braided streams flowing into a shallow inland sea.
Choose one of the geologic periods or epochs listed in Figure 3.8 and find out all you can about it: How are rocks from that period identified? What are its most characteristic fossils? Where are the best samples of rocks from your chosen period found? According to nationalatlas.org “During the Jurassic, Pangea began to break apart. Africa broke away from North America, creating an ancestral Atlantic Ocean. North and South America rifted apart, forming the Gulf of Mexico. In western North America, the Rocky Mountains began to develop, and some of the oldest rocks found in the Sierra Nevada were deposited. This period is well known for its dinosaur fossils. Many of the famous herbivores such as stegosaurus and brachiosaurus lived during the Jurassic. Much of interior North America was underwater, covered by the Sundance Sea. As sediment eroded from the mountain ranges on either side of the inland sea, the Sundance began to retreat. The sedimentary rocks that formed, especially those that make up the Morrison Formation, have yielded many dinosaur fossils. The end of the Jurassic is marked by an extinction that killed off many dinosaurs, including the very large herbivores.
Besides the Rockies and the Sierra, Jurassic rocks are also found at the center of the Michigan Basin.”

Recall from Chapter 1 (see Table 1) that Earth and Venus are so similar in size and overall composition that they are almost “twins.” Why did these two planets evolve so differently?
Why is Earth 's atmosphere rich in oxygen and poor in carbon dioxide, whereas the reverse is true on Venus? What would happen to Earth 's oceans if Earth were a little bit closer to the Sun? The biggest reason that venus and earth are so different is because of their distance from the sun. They formed in different places and therefore formed differently. Their atmospheres are different because of their placement. If earth were closer to the sun, the oceans would dry up just like mars is so
dry. what do you think might have happened to mammals if the end-of-Cretaceous extinction had not wiped out the dinosaurs? I believe that if the extinction period had not have happened, dinosaurs very well have could have thrived and humans would not be here like we are today.

References:
Zerr, M.; n.d.; Big Sioux River; Retrieved from http://www.leifericson.org/zerrphotos/id17.html
n.a.; North American Tapestry; Retrieved from http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/geology/legend/ages/jurassic.html