Forces that Shape the World

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The Earth is made of layers, and the heat and pressure increase the deeper you go.

globe icon  Inside the Earth – a video primer on the underlying structure of our planes (6:20)

globe icon  Convection in the Mantle – the flow of rock under the crust (2:55)

globe icon  Convection Moves the Crust – quick look at its cyclic nature (1:13)

globe icon  Continental Drift – more in depth look at the movement of crustal plates (7:17)

globe icon  Tectonic Plates – (2:21)

Heat, pressure and movement create rifts and weak areas in the Crust.

globe icon  How we classify Volcanoes  (1:50)

globe icon  Shield Volcanoes form at Divergent Plate Boundaries  (3:23)

globe icon  Volcanoes are more explosive at Convergent Plate Boundaries  (4:51)

globe icon A close Look at an Unusual Volcano  (27:01)

globe icon Mountains are Raised at Convergent Plate Boundaries   (3:00)

globe icon Basic Volcano Structure and Terms  (1:20)

globe icon 10 Deadliest Volcano Eruptions in History  (4:13)

globe icon The Life of a Volcanologist  (3:17)

globe icon 10 Incredible Facts About Lava  (2:46)

globe icon Recent Stromboli Pyroclastic Flow  (0:44)

globe icon New Mineral Found in Russian Volcano  (article)

Monitor Active Volcanoes Around the World in Real-Time

Pressure and Movement also Result in Earthquakes

globe icon  Earthquakes 101 – a basic look at what causes them (2:38)

globe icon  The Ring of Fire – where 90% of Earthquakes happen (1:42)

globe icon  Earthquake Footage from Around the World  (10:50)

globe icon  Earthquakes in New Hampshire – (article)

globe icon  Are Earthquakes in NH Unusual? – a brief local new bit (1:06)

globe icon  Recent Earthquakes in Northeastern US – (article with links) 

Monitor Earthquakes and Tremors as they happen

Earthquakes can Trigger Other Disasters

globe icon Earthquakes trigger Landslides  (0:25)

globe icon Earthquakes trigger Tsunamis  (2:15)

globe icon Tsunamis of Dec 26, 2004  – good animation of How it Happened (0:26)

Cold Pressure shapes our World, too.

globe icon What is an Ice Age?  – brief definition and history (2:08)

globe icon What ia a Glacier?  (1:48)

globe icon The Last 4 Glacial Cycles  – animation with time line (1:08)

globe icon Glaciers: Movers and Shapers  (article)

All of these processes keep moving, mixing and reconstituting the component elements, and are why we enjoy such a wide variety of mineral species.

For Further Study:

globe icon Free Online Geology-related Books

globe icon Free Online Books on Mineralogy

globe icon Dana’s New Mineralogy (2007)

globe icon Geology Periodicals Archived Online