102,857
edits
Changes
From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to searchCreated page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== New Latin, from Latin, spread, bed, from neuter of ''stratus'', past participle of ''sternere'' to spread...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Strata.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
New Latin, from [[Latin]], spread, bed, from neuter of ''stratus'', past participle of ''sternere'' to spread out
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_century 1599]
==Definitions==
*1: a bed or layer artificially made
*2a : a sheetlike mass of sedimentary rock or earth of one kind lying between beds of other kinds
:b : a region of the [[sea]] or [[atmosphere]] that is analogous to a stratum of the earth
:c : a layer of tissue <deep stratum of the skin>
:d : a layer in which [[archaeological]] [[material]] (as [[artifacts]], [[skeletons]], and dwelling remains) is found on excavation
*3a : a part of a historical or [[sociological]] series representing a period or a [[stage]] of [[development]]
:b : a socioeconomic level of [[society]] comprising persons of the same or similar [[status]] especially with regard to [[education]] or [[culture]]
*4: one of a [[series]] of layers, levels, or gradations in an ordered system <strata of [[thought]]>
*5: a statistical subpopulation
==Description==
In geology and related fields, a ''stratum'' (plural: '''strata''') is a layer of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedimentary_rock sedimentary rock] or [[soil]] with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers. The "stratum" is the fundamental unit in a stratigraphic column and forms the basis of the study of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratigraphy stratigraphy].
When planning [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineering civil engineering] projects or other large constructions, the ''strata'' of the area where the construction takes place is a significant [[factor]] in [[design]] [[decisions]]. For example if a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal canal] is to be built on a route where the strata are not watertight, the canal will have to be lined with some form of waterproof material (usually [[clay]]).
Each layer is generally one of a number of [[parallel]] layers that lie one upon another, laid down by [[natural]] forces. They may extend over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_E11_m² hundreds of thousands of square kilometers] of the [[Earth]]'s surface. Strata are typically seen as bands of different [[colored]] or differently structured material exposed in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff cliffs], road cuts, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarry quarries], and [[river]] banks. Individual bands may vary in thickness from a few millimeters to a kilometer or more. Each band represents a specific mode of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposition_(sediment) deposition]: river silt, beach sand, coal swamp, sand dune, lava bed, etc.
Geologists [[study]] rock strata and categorize them by the material of beds. Each distinct layer is typically assigned to the name of sheet, usually based on a town, [[river]], [[mountain]], or region where the formation is [[exposed]] and available for study. For example, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgess_Shale Burgess Shale] is a thick exposure of dark, occasionally fossiliferous, shale exposed high in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Rockies Canadian Rockies] near Burgess Pass. Slight distinctions in material in a formation may be described as "members" (or sometimes "beds"). Formations are collected into "groups" while groups may be collected into "supergroups".
[[Category: Earth Science]]
==Origin==
New Latin, from [[Latin]], spread, bed, from neuter of ''stratus'', past participle of ''sternere'' to spread out
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_century 1599]
==Definitions==
*1: a bed or layer artificially made
*2a : a sheetlike mass of sedimentary rock or earth of one kind lying between beds of other kinds
:b : a region of the [[sea]] or [[atmosphere]] that is analogous to a stratum of the earth
:c : a layer of tissue <deep stratum of the skin>
:d : a layer in which [[archaeological]] [[material]] (as [[artifacts]], [[skeletons]], and dwelling remains) is found on excavation
*3a : a part of a historical or [[sociological]] series representing a period or a [[stage]] of [[development]]
:b : a socioeconomic level of [[society]] comprising persons of the same or similar [[status]] especially with regard to [[education]] or [[culture]]
*4: one of a [[series]] of layers, levels, or gradations in an ordered system <strata of [[thought]]>
*5: a statistical subpopulation
==Description==
In geology and related fields, a ''stratum'' (plural: '''strata''') is a layer of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedimentary_rock sedimentary rock] or [[soil]] with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers. The "stratum" is the fundamental unit in a stratigraphic column and forms the basis of the study of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratigraphy stratigraphy].
When planning [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineering civil engineering] projects or other large constructions, the ''strata'' of the area where the construction takes place is a significant [[factor]] in [[design]] [[decisions]]. For example if a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal canal] is to be built on a route where the strata are not watertight, the canal will have to be lined with some form of waterproof material (usually [[clay]]).
Each layer is generally one of a number of [[parallel]] layers that lie one upon another, laid down by [[natural]] forces. They may extend over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_E11_m² hundreds of thousands of square kilometers] of the [[Earth]]'s surface. Strata are typically seen as bands of different [[colored]] or differently structured material exposed in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff cliffs], road cuts, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarry quarries], and [[river]] banks. Individual bands may vary in thickness from a few millimeters to a kilometer or more. Each band represents a specific mode of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deposition_(sediment) deposition]: river silt, beach sand, coal swamp, sand dune, lava bed, etc.
Geologists [[study]] rock strata and categorize them by the material of beds. Each distinct layer is typically assigned to the name of sheet, usually based on a town, [[river]], [[mountain]], or region where the formation is [[exposed]] and available for study. For example, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgess_Shale Burgess Shale] is a thick exposure of dark, occasionally fossiliferous, shale exposed high in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Rockies Canadian Rockies] near Burgess Pass. Slight distinctions in material in a formation may be described as "members" (or sometimes "beds"). Formations are collected into "groups" while groups may be collected into "supergroups".
[[Category: Earth Science]]
