Geology

El Nino: The name given to the occasional development of warm ocean surface waters along the coast of Ecuador and Peru. Recently this phenomenon has…

Ebb Tide: Time during the tidal period when the water level in the sea is falling. It means the stage between high tide and low…

Cumulus Cloud: Large clouds with relatively flat bases. These are found in an altitude range from 300 – 2,000 m. They are low-level clouds, usually…

Coriolis Force An apparent force due to the Earth’s rotation. Causes moving objects to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to…

Continental Crust: A Granitic portion of the Earth’s crust that makes up the continents. The thickness of the continental crust varies between 20 – 75 km. It…

Cumulonimbus Cloud: A well developed vertical cloud that often has top shaped like an anvil. These clouds can extend in altitude from a few hundred…

Cirrostratus Clouds: High altitude sheet-like clouds composed of ice crystals. These thin clouds often cover the entire sky. Found in an altitude range from 5.000…

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Is an artificially created gas that has become concentrated in the Earth’s atmosphere. This very strong greenhouse gas is released from aerosol sprays,…

Cold Front: A transition zone in the atmosphere where an advancing cold air mass displaces a warm air mass. Commonly, when the cold front is…

Cirrocumulus Clouds: Patchy white high altitude cloud composed of ice crystals. Found in an altitude range from 5.000 – 18.000 m. This happens because of…