Understanding Weathering, Diagenesis, and Sedimentary Rocks

Weathering: Alteration of Surface Rocks

Weathering is the alteration of surface rocks in contact with air and water.

Physics of Weathering

The physical aspect of weathering involves the disintegration or division of rocks into fragments without modifying their chemical and mineralogical composition. Living organisms also play a role.

Gelifraction (Freeze-Thaw)

Gelifraction occurs when water penetrates cracks in rocks, freezes, and expands, increasing its volume and causing fractures.

Haloclastia (Salt

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Argentina’s River Systems: A Comprehensive Look

Argentina’s River Systems

Types of River Systems

Argentina has three main types of river systems:

  • Exoreic: Rivers flow into the ocean through a main collector.
  • Endorheic: Rivers flow into inland lakes or lagoons.
  • Arreic: Water is lost through evaporation or seepage.

Rivers Flowing to the Atlantic

The rivers flowing to the Atlantic Ocean are extensive and form the most important basin, the Plata Basin. Its principal collectors are the Paraná, Uruguay, and Paraguay rivers, which converge to form the Río

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Understanding Climate Change, Earthquakes, and Tsunamis

What Climate Models Predict

Climate models predict that the average global temperature of Earth will rise between 1.4 and 6 ºC by the end of the 21st century. The sea level is expected to rise between 20 and 80 cm above the current level by the end of the century. Extreme weather events will become more pronounced.

Environmental Effects

  • Loss of biodiversity
  • Alteration of seasonal variations of species
  • Disappearance of humidity and other vulnerable ecosystems

Health Effects

Tropical diseases could spread

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Natural Disasters and Relief in Andalusia

Volcanoes

Volcanoes are openings or cracks in the Earth’s crust through which molten materials escape. A volcanic eruption involves the expulsion of magma through a vent, often a crater, on the surface. Active volcanoes are currently erupting, while dormant volcanoes may erupt after many years. Eruptions can change the landscape, as expelled materials accumulate to form volcanic cones. Sometimes, eruptions can even create volcanic islands.

Earthquakes

Seismic events, or earthquakes, are sudden tremors

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Mallorca’s Dune Systems: Formation, Communities, and Conservation

Mallorca’s Dune Systems

Mallorca boasts five significant dune systems, formed in under 50 years: Palm Bay, sandy areas, Mitjorn Estrenc, East Bay Best, and two in the Bay of Alcudia (Can Picafort and S’Albufera-Son Serra de Marina). Additionally, numerous smaller beach dune systems, in varying states of development, are found along the coast (S’Carbo, Cala Mesquida, Peguera).

The tourist boom of the 1960s led to urban development, resulting in the destruction of some dune systems. The dunes in Peguera

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Plate Tectonics: Movement, Types and Evidence

Plate Tectonics: Movement and Types

Plate tectonics describes the large-scale motion of Earth’s lithosphere. The lithosphere is broken up into large slabs, which are spherical in shape. These plates move slowly and slide on the upper mantle.

Types of Plates

  • Mixed plates: Composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere.
  • Oceanic plates: Consist only of oceanic lithosphere. An example is the Pacific Plate, known for its wide extension.

Plate Boundaries

  • Constructive (divergent) boundaries: These are
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