Land Feature of Texas

Land Feature of Texas Introduction 230m years ago, all the continents were merged into one gigantic and enormous uniform supercontinent called Pangaea. (Johnson, 2006) The gravitational and conventional forces beneath the surface of the Earth forced the crustal layer of the Earth to divide and drift apart forming the presently existing continents. As they drifted away from each other, oceans filled the gaps between them. These plates are still in motion to date. (Plumer, 1950)Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Land Feature of Texas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Pangaea first split into Laurasia to the North and Gondwanaland to the South, these two further separated into the various continents the earth presently has. The Earth’s crust was portioned according to their specific customized plates; the heavier, denser plates formed the ocean and sea beds, while the lighter and less dense plates, formed the continental cru sts. (Johnson, 2006) Formation of Texas: plate tectonic theory Texas lies in the North American Continental Crust. This plate is presently moving evenly west towards the Pacific Plate this movement is very slow and unnoticeable. Since the Precambrian period, immense crustal forces have acted on the original plate forming the topography of the present day Texas. Its landscape has been in constant change due to the forces acting from within the crust. Such changes as the uplifting of the mountain ranges and hills, the down streaming of sediments by river courses, the erosion and denudation of extrusive land forms have a direct influence on shaping the topography of the region. All these forces are symptoms of the massive geological processes within the parent plate in the region. Towards the North-Western sections of Texas, relatively older rocks lie as compared to the other sections. These rocks are believed to have been formed during the movements of the Sierra Grande-Chaves. These aged rocks are of granitic, volcanic and volcano-sedimentary origins. They were formed nearly 1.5 billion years ago. 200 million years later, metamorphism and igneous activity covering an area stretching from Llano Uplift to Trans Pecos, was witnessed in the Texas region, this area is endowed with humongous deposits of petroleum and other precious minerals like Copper. This has been attributed to the relatively higher temperature and pressure experienced in the area. The pressure is as a result of the compression and tensional forces in the folded regions. Rocks aged over 500 million years formed during the Cambrian period are predominant in both the Western and Central parts of the state. These heavily weathered rocks are in abundance of intrusive igneous, volcanic and metamorphic categories of rocks.Advertising Looking for research paper on geology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rocks of Texas Igneous rocks and metamorphic The igneous rocks of Texas are majorly intrusive. They are formed when magma cools and solidifies either within, or on the surface of the earth. When magma cools within the crust of the Earth, it solidifies to form intrusive igneous rocks. However, when it flows onto the surface of the Earth, cools and solidifies, the rock formed as result of such an activity is known as an extrusive igneous rock. Volcanic rocks of Texas were formed during the eruption of the Llano Uplift in the area. The erupted molten materials from beneath the earth cooled on the surface of the Earth. This resulted into the volcanic rocks found within the state of Texas. These rocks are hard to come by since they are covered with newer younger bedding layers. Sedimentary rocks The sedimentary rocks found within the Texas state were formed as a result of washing down the stream, the weathered pieces of other pre-existing rocks and land forms. (Pellant and Pellant, 2009) Weathering and denudation are re curring processes, the weathered rock particles were carried by the drainage vessels in the area and deposited in some parts of the main land, this eventually led to the formation of the sedimentary rocks in Texas. (Pellant and Pellant, 2009) The importance of the rocks The rocks within the Texas State have numerous uses. These rocks have great significance to the economy of Texas. These include the under listed: From the rocks, the state extracts minerals; examples are feldspar, sulfur, potash and phosphate. These minerals are sources of revenue for the federal government. The folded rocks of Llano Uplift are rich in petroleum deposits that the state can easily harness. (Plummer, 1950) The petroleum is very essential in running several industries The availability of the minerals has led to the emergent of industries that use them as raw materials; this has led to the creation of employment opportunities for the citizens e.g. soda ash mining in the Southern Texas.Bottom of Form The western part of Texas is endowed with Uranium minerals. The deposits of this precious element have been very significant in the sustenance of the nuclear enrichment program in the United States. From the regions of Uvalde to Texacarna, there exists huge deposits of copper which have greatly assisted in earning foreign exchange and supporting other related industries Support of the construction industry. The rocks are used as materials in building and construction References Johnson, R. L. (2006). Plate tectonics. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books. Pellant, C., Pellant, H. (2009). Rocks (U.S. ed.). Pleasantville, NY: Gareth Stevens Pub.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Land Feature of Texas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Plummer, F. B. (1950). The carboniferous rocks of the Llano region of central Texas. Austin: The University of Texas publication.

How to Use a Relative Clause

How to Use a Relative Clause Relative clauses are also referred to as adjective clauses. They are used to modify a noun, which is either the subject or the object of a sentence. For example: She is the woman who he met at the party last week. I bought a book which was published in Germany last year. Who he met at the party is a relative clause that describes the subject of the sentence, which is woman. Which was published in Germany describes the object of the verb bought. Intermediates: That is the school. I went to that school as a boy. That is the school (that) I went to as a boy. Thats a beautiful car over there! Id like to buy that car. Id like to buy that beautiful car over there. How to Use Relative Clauses? Use relative clauses to provide extra information. This information can either define something (defining clause) or provide unnecessary but interesting added information (non-defining clause). Relative clauses can be introduced by: A relative pronoun: who (whom), which, that, whoseNo relative pronounWhere, why, and when instead of a relative pronoun You need to consider the following when deciding which relative pronoun to use: Is the subject or object or possessive of a relative clause?Does it refer to a person or an object?Is the relative clause a defining or non-defining relative clause? Relative clauses are often used in both spoken and written English. There is a tendency to use non-defining relative clauses mostly in written, rather than in spoken, English. The Importance of Defining Relative Clauses The information provided in a defining relative clause is crucial in understanding the meaning of the sentence. Examples:   The woman who lives in apartment number 34 has been arrested.The document that I need has important written at the top. The purpose of a defining relative clause is to clearly define who or what we are talking about. Without this information, it would be difficult to know who or what is meant. Example:  The house is being renovated. In this  case, it is not necessarily clear  which  house is being renovated. Non-Defining Relative Clauses Non-defining relative clauses provide interesting additional information which is not essential to understanding the meaning of the sentence. Example:  Mrs. Jackson, who is very intelligent, lives on the corner. Correct punctuation is essential in non-defining relative clauses. If the non-defining relative clause occurs in the middle of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun and at the end of the clause. If the non-defining relative clause occurs at the end of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun. In defining relative clauses, there are no commas. Examples:   Children who play with fire are in great danger of harm.The man who bought all the books by Hemingway has died. Generally,  who  and  which  are more usual in written English, whereas  that  is more usual in speech when referring to things. Relative Pronouns and Defining Relative Clauses Examples:   Thats the boy (who, whom) I invited to the party.Theres the house (that, which) Id like to buy. Relative Pronouns Used as a Possessive Examples:   Hes the man whose car was stolen last week.They were sure to visit the town whose location was little-known. It is preferable to use  that  (not  which) after the following words: all, any(thing), every(thing), few, little, many, much, no(thing), none, some(thing), and after superlatives. When using the  pronoun  to refer to the object,  that  can be omitted. Examples:   It was everything (that) he had ever wanted.There were only a few (that) really interested him. Examples:   Frank Zappa, who was one of the most creative artists in rock n roll, came from California.Olympia, whose name is taken from the Greek language, is the capital of Washington State. Relative Pronouns and Non-Defining Relative Clauses Examples:   Frank invited Janet, who (whom) he had met in Japan, to the party.Peter brought his favorite antique book, which he had found at a flea market, to show his friends. That can never be used in non-defining clauses. Possessive in Non-Defining Relative Clauses Example:   The singer, whose most recent recording has had much success, was signing autographs.The artist, whose name he could not remember, was one of the best he had ever seen. In non-defining relative clauses,  which  can be used to refer to an entire clause. Example:   He came for the weekend wearing only some shorts and a t-shirt, which was a stupid thing to do. After numbers and words like  many, most, neither, and some, we use  of,  before,  whom,  and  which  in non-defining relative clauses.   Example:   Many of those people, most of whom enjoyed their experience, spent at least a year abroad.  Dozens of people had been invited, most of whom I knew.