Earth’s applicable nature

By MICHAEL JOHN UGLO
THE fourth lecture of the Sciences of the Earth series is on the applicable nature of this planet earth.
Communication is very vital for survival. All in a communication mode and networking operates by way of a code, its decryption and a protocol for transmission and if need be a protocol for its assembly and disassembly together with a checksum for error detection and correction prior to reception for consumption. At least, in theory and in practice, that is the standard for living things to communicate for their survival. Without these mechanisms, the communication can be scrambled and posed for further improvement before the intended information is received.
A graphical array system that is created will allow for reception of messages in both alphanumeric and with audio and video. It will have the allowance for the maximum number of horizontal and vertical bits like a 1024 x 768 and certain number of pixels like 16 or 32 to account for colored picture messages and to resolutions that can be derived as from a bit map. This is the grounding that paves way for a colorful message form any sender like a face book user or a person sending an email with attachments when he or she is applying for a job on the world wide web (www) or just commu

nicating with the receiver to achieve that common aim.
Most similarly, geologists, geophysicists and geotech engineers decrypt the intertwined nature of the earth to uncover its content for work and study that is most beneficial to the work they are engaged in. No one should take anything for granted as everything seemingly is an encryption of a data to say in the computing and mathematical world to turn it into its useful purposes.
Planetary geology
Geologists are interested to study the structure of the other planets and natural satellites like the moon. It is covered in planetary geology or is also called astrogeology. The word geo comes from the Greek word meaning earth but the term geology is also applied to other planetary bodies as well. To study about the moon, it is termed as lunar geology or selenology for the study of the moon. There was a space mission called Viking 2 lander sent to the planet Mars in December 09th of 1977 to take pictures of planet Mars. One of the Phonenix landers navigated for the presence of chemicals, water, soil and minerals to see if there was any sign of life there. The study of Mars is also called areology. The determination of the internal composition and the processes that shape the planet or the moon is the utmost interest of the geologists to study astrogeology as space explorations are readily made frequent in the twentieth century.
In astrogeology, geologists use the readily available methods they use to study planet earth to apply to other planetary bodies as well as the natural satellites. Such studies include the existing geological principles such as superimposition, uniformitaniarism, crosscutting relationship, intrusive relationship, original horizontality principle, inclusion and components principle as well as the principle of faunal succession if there would be any life at all.
5.2 Applied geology
Geology is applied in many fields for its many uses and benefits. Such applications are in mining, petroleum, economy, engineering, natural hazards as well as study of the water bodies or hydrology and the issues affecting the environment.
Geologists determine the extraction of mining products that are very vital to our uses such as minerals as pumice, mica and quartz. Elements would include sulfur, potassium, iodine, chlorine and helium. Precious metals mined will include gold, copper and silver and diamond as an allotrope of the element carbon.
The petroleum geology is based the study of the sedimentary rock structures that contains within its subsurface deposits of hydrocarbons such as the petroleum and natural gas. These deposits are found deep within the basins. Knowing the tectonic evolution of those rock structures as well as the position of those rock units re

veal to the petroleum geologists of the likelihood of the hydrocarbon deposits.
The economic geology looks at the minerals and elements with metals extractions that are vital to the benefit of man. The economic geologists manage and provide advice on the available stock of those vital elements, minerals and metals that can be extracted for use or for profit. They comprise of the natural resources which include uranium, hydrocarbons, phosphates, nitrates, calcium carbonate, copper, nickel, gold, silver and cobalt.
The engineering geology is to determine the stability of the sites for constructions and infrastructures. Mud and clay cannot hold structures properly in place. Structures can be avoided to be built on fault lines and on sedimentary rock structures as well because it will subside du to the instability of the bed rocks to dissolve and also prone to tectonic movements. Particularly in civil engineering the location, design, construction and operation are of vital importance for an immovable and very strong foundation for constructions like bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers and sealed roads.
In natural hazards like landslides, avalanches, earthquakes, tsunamis, land subsidence, rockfalls and volcanoes are considered and seeing the geologic landforms and rock-beds, good advices are provided to save properties and lives. The geologic considerations are considered apart from what the weather and climate as meteorology. Active volcanic sites with diverging plates, as well as sedimentary rock land forms active plate tectonic areas are a surer, sites for such disasters to happen.
In the arid regions bore water is a relief and that is looked at in the study of hydrology covered in geohydrology. The principles as the infiltration and percolation of rainwater known as runoff and surface flowing waters into the underground happens in sites whose rock beds are of mudstone, sandstone and calcium carbonates as well as shales. The geologic principles of cross-cutting and with horizontality as well as vertical intrusions and compositions and inclusions are considered. Products of boreholes and ice cores determine in stratigraphy the availability of ground water wells. They are contained inside basins that provide the conducive environments for their storage. The geology for the contamination of those water bodies are very important for any chemical industries

and dumping grounds that may be located close to the site.
My Prayer for PNG today is: “Yahweh’s people dance for joy. O come before the Lord. And play for him on glad tambourines, and let your trumpet sound…”

Next week: Earth’s materials