Earth Sciences, WHI-İZM

The Earth sciences are the fields of study concerned with the solid Earth, its waters, and the air that envelops it. Included are the geologic, hydrologic, and atmospheric sciences.
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white mica
white mica, fine-grained variety of any of the silicate minerals muscovite, paragonite, or talc...
Why Do Stars Twinkle?
Light emitted from stars does not actually twinkle but only appears to twinkle when viewed from Earth. As starlight......
Why Is Summer Warmer Than Winter?
The temperature people feel outside is largely based on the absorption of radiant energy from the Sun. Differing......
Wichita orogeny
Wichita orogeny, a period of block faulting in the southern part of the Wichita–Arbuckle System in western Oklahoma......
willemite
willemite, white or greenish yellow silicate mineral, zinc silicate, Zn2SiO4, that is found as crystals, grains,......
wind
wind, in climatology, the movement of air relative to the surface of the Earth. Winds play a significant role in......
wind chill
wind chill, a measure of the rate of heat loss from skin that is exposed to the air. It is based on the fact that,......
wind rose
wind rose, map diagram that summarizes information about the wind at a particular location over a specified time......
wind shear
wind shear, rapid change in wind velocity or direction. A very narrow zone of abrupt velocity change is known as......
windstorm
windstorm, a wind that is strong enough to cause at least light damage to trees and buildings and may or may not......
winter
winter, coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring; the name comes from an old Germanic word that means......
Wisconsin Glacial Stage
Wisconsin Glacial Stage, most recent major division of Pleistocene time and deposits in North America, which began......
witherite
witherite, a carbonate mineral, barium carbonate (BaCO3), that is, with the exception of barite, the most common......
Witteberg series
Witteberg series, uppermost member of the Cape System of sedimentary rocks in South Africa. It consists of about......
wolframite
wolframite, chief ore of tungsten, commonly associated with tin ore in and around granite. Such occurrences include......
wollastonite
wollastonite, white, glassy silicate mineral that commonly occurs as masses or tabular crystals with other calcium-containing......
Wordian Stage
Wordian Stage, second of three stages of the Middle Permian (Guadalupian) Series, made up of all rocks deposited......
World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization (WMO), specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) created to promote the establishment......
Wuchiapingian Stage
Wuchiapingian Stage, first of two stages of the Upper Permian (Lopingian) Series, encompassing all rocks deposited......
wulfenite
wulfenite, lead molybdate, PbMoO4, a minor source of molybdenum and the second most common molybdenum mineral.......
wurtzite
wurtzite, a zinc sulfide mineral that occurs typically in Potosí, Bolivia; Butte, Mont.; and Goldfield, Nev. It......
Würm glacial stage
Würm glacial stage, major division of late Pleistocene deposits and time in Alpine Europe (the Pleistocene epoch......
xenolith
xenolith, rock fragment within an intrusive igneous body that is unrelated to the igneous body itself. Xenoliths,......
xenotime
xenotime, widely distributed phosphate mineral, yttrium phosphate (YPO4), though large proportions of erbium commonly......
Yangtze River floods
Yangtze River floods, floods of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in central and eastern China that have occurred......
Yarmouth Interglacial Stage
Yarmouth Interglacial Stage, major division of Pleistocene deposits and time (from 2.6 million to 11,700 years......
Yonaguni Monument
Yonaguni Monument, underwater rock structure that was discovered in the mid-1980s near Yonaguni Island, Japan.......
Younger Dryas
Younger Dryas, cool period between roughly 12,900 and 11,600 years ago that disrupted the prevailing warming trend......
Ypresian Stage
Ypresian Stage, oldest division of Eocene rocks, representing all rocks deposited worldwide during the Ypresian......
Zanclean Stage
Zanclean Stage, lowermost division of Pliocene rocks, representing all rocks deposited worldwide during the Zanclean......
zeolite
zeolite, any member of a family of hydrated aluminosilicate minerals that contain alkali and alkaline-earth metals.......
zeolite facies
zeolite facies, one of the major divisions of the mineral facies classification of metamorphic rocks, the rocks......
zinc
zinc (Zn), chemical element, a low-melting metal of Group 12 (IIb, or zinc group) of the periodic table, that is......
zincite
zincite, mineral consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO), usually found in platy or granular masses. Its blood-red colour......
zircon
zircon, silicate mineral, zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4, the principal source of zirconium. Zircon is widespread as......
zoisite
zoisite, silicate mineral, calcium and aluminum silicate, Ca2Al3(SiO4)3OH, characteristic of regional metamorphism......
zonda
zonda, winter foehn (that is, a warm dry wind blowing down the side of a mountain) in Argentina, where it blows......
zoogeography
zoogeography, the branch of the science of biogeography (q.v.) that is concerned with the geographic distribution......
åkermanite
åkermanite, mineral composed of dicalcium magnesium disilicate, Ca2MgSi2O7, one end-member of the melilite mineral......
İzmit earthquake of 1999
İzmit earthquake of 1999, devastating earthquake that struck near the city of İzmit in northwestern Turkey on August......

Earth Sciences Encyclopedia Articles By Title