Pedology, the study of soil, involves classifying soils based on their horizons, which are distinct layers with differing properties reflecting the soil-forming processes.
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Geochronology uses radioactive decay of isotopes to date materials older than the range of radiocarbon dating (which is around 50,000 years).
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The Anthropocene epoch is marked by a significant increase in the global abundance of plastic, with plastic particles now found even in the deepest ocean trenches.
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Seismology uses data from seismic waves, not just earthquakes, to study Earth's interior. Explosions and other vibrations are also used as sources.
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The timescale of deep time is so vast that if the entire history of Earth were compressed into a single year, all of recorded human history would fit into the last few seconds.
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Catastrophism, once a dominant geological theory, posited that Earth's features were primarily shaped by sudden, violent events like massive floods, rather than gradual processes.
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