Geology Case

The size of the earth's human population directly affects the severity of many environmental problems. Explain this idea in the context of (a) resources and (b) pollution. When the earth was formed it was created with a certain amount of things. Throughout the years we've learned that some things are inexhaustible while other things are exhaustible. Things like trees, air, and some animals are not easily created therefore when we've used each of these things up they are not coming back. I believe that's why they're trying to create things like cloning; which in my opinion isn't really the real thing so it may not even hold the same nutrients as the real thing. The world is growing by leaps and bounds. In about 10 years there will probably be about as double the amount of people that exist right now. The more people there are the more the demand for resources rise. The population started off small but has been growing exponentially for the past couple of years. I can remember when I was younger you never realize that things will someday go away but as a I grew into an adult I realize that things can be depleted or even messed up. In regards to pollution if a small amount of people may do something that may hurt the earth it will not be as effective as 4.5 billion people doing the same thing. If the whole world continues to drive and allow smut to flow freely it will continue to pollute the air we breathe. At a greater rate that a handful of people. (b)If the pollutants produced by a small number of people are distributed over the whole earth, the net effect on a global scale is negligible, but 6 billion people generating pollutants can and do make a measurable impact on the quality of the global environment.

1. Explain Rock Cycle. Discuss the processes that lead to the formation of the different types of rocks. Explain the several possible sources of heat or pressure that can cause metamorphism. The magma/lava comes out of the earth and cools thereby creating igneous rock. Then igneous rocks become eroded, and break down into tiny particles called sediment. Igneous rocks can form inside the earth. Then sediments begin to settle at the bottom of the streams, oceans, rivers, lakes, etc, and then they become more and more sediment is piled on the top of the sediment. The sedimentary rock over time can be over turned into metamorphic rock (which is formed under the earth). It can also be turned into magma, and this process will start over again. The metamorphic rock will be melted into magma again, and start the cycle over or it will be uplifted and exposed. There are many elevated pressures and temperatures of metamorphism are many. A main source of pressure is the burial which under many kilometers of overlying rock. The weight of the rock is also another source of pressure. Elevated temperatures occur when the temperatures increase with the depth of the earth.