Uniformitarianism says that "ancient geologic features are interpreted by understanding active processes that are readily observed".

Simply stated, this means that features of the Earth can be explained by the actions of gradual processes operating over long periods of time; for example, a mountain need not be thought of as having been created in a moment, but instead it may be seen as the result of continuous subduction, causing magma to rise and form continental volcanic arcs.

Earth is blanketed by an atmosphere consisting of 78.0% nitrogen, 20.9% oxygen, and 1% Argon. The atmosphere has five layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere; and 75% of the atmosphere's gases are in the bottom-most layer, the troposphere.

The magnetic field created by mantle's internal motions produces the magnetosphere which protects the earth's atmosphere from the solar wind. It is theorized that the solar wind would strip away earth's atmosphere in a few m… Continue

Gondwana, also called Gondwanaland, the second largest continent of the Palaeozoic Era (545 to 248 million years ago), making up more than 70 per cent of the Earth’s continental area at its maximum extent. Confined to the southern hemisphere, this enormous land mass was involved in a series of collisions with other continental blocks, culminating in the formation of the supercontinent known as Pangaea during the Permian Period. The subsequent rifting of Pangaea during the Mesozoic Era resulted i… Continue

An electromagnet is a magnet that is created by a current that flows around a soft-iron core.

Earth has a soft iron core surrounded by semi-liquid materials from the mantle that move in continuous currents around the core; therefore, the earth is an electromagnet.

This is referred to as the dynamo theory of Earth's magnetism.

The fact that Earth is an electromagnet helps it maintain an atmosphere suitable for life.

Plate tectonics, mountain ranges, volcanoes, and earthquakes are geological phenomena that can be explained in terms of energy transformations in the Earth's crust.

Beneath the earth's crust lies the mantle which is heated by the radioactive decay of heavy elements. The mantle is not quite solid and consists of magma which is in a state of semi-perpetual convection. This convection process causes the lithospheric plates to move, a… Continue