Unveiling the Universe: From Big Bang to Galaxies

The Universe: Composition

Visible Matter:

  • Normal (0.4%): Stars, planets, and intergalactic hot gas
  • Normal non-luminous (3.6%): Black holes and intergalactic gas

Invisible Components:

  • Dark Matter (21%): Unknown composition, inferred from mass measurements.
  • Dark Energy (75%): Unknown nature, responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe.

The Origin of the Universe: The Big Bang

All matter was concentrated in a small area and underwent a massive explosion (the Big Bang). Matter was propelled

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Understanding Environmental Impact: Contamination, Audits, and Pollution

Environmental Contamination

Contamination is the introduction of pollutants into an environment through contact with another contaminated source.

Environmental Audits

An environmental audit is a diagnosis and study of the environmental situation of an installation or activity. To conduct this examination, it’s necessary to certify and verify the proper operation of systems and management, considering current regulations and available technologies.

Contents of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

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Plate Tectonics and the Scientific Method

Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics: Moving and Shaking. There are many major plates and dozens of smaller, or minor, plates. Six of the major plates are named for the continents within them, such as the North American, African, and Antarctic plates. Smaller plates are important to shaping the Earth too. The tiny Juan de Fuca plate is largely responsible for the volcanoes that dot the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

The plates make up Earth’s outer shell, called the lithosphere (includes the crust

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Rock Weathering Processes and Slope Stability

Mechanical Weathering Processes

Decompression (Pressure Release)

Rocks formed deep within the Earth reach the surface due to the erosion of overlying materials. This process leads to a decrease in lithostatic pressure until it reaches atmospheric pressure. This decompression causes the rock to expand, displaying numerous joints (diaclases) and widening existing cracks.

Frost Wedging (Gelifraction)

Ice is a highly effective agent of mechanical weathering, particularly in areas with fluctuating temperatures

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Understanding Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Rock Types

Volcanoes

A volcano is any crack in the earth’s surface that emits incandescent materials from within.

Volcanic Eruptions

Pressure increases in the magma chamber, its walls dilate and fracture, escaping gas and carrying the rest of the magma, similar to what happens when shaking a carbonated drink.

Volcanic Products

  • Gases: The first products to reach the surface.
  • Lava: The melt.
  • Pyroclasts: Solid materials ejected into the air.
  • Ashes: The smallest pyroclastic materials.
  • Lapilli: Medium-sized pyroclastic
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Russian Revolutions: 1905 and February 1917 Analysis

The 1905 Revolution: A Triple Political Crisis

The Revolution of 1905 in Russia stemmed from a triple political malaise at the beginning of the 20th century:

  • Discontent among the peasantry due to unfulfilled agrarian reforms.
  • Disappointment, unemployment, and misery among the industrial proletariat.
  • The aspirations of minority liberal and student sectors for a political regime similar to Western models.

Russia’s defeat by Japan in 1904-1905 exposed the Tsarist regime’s weaknesses, unleashing a wave of

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