ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Geology of the United States

Geology is the study of the rocks and earth that make up our planet. In the United States, there are many different types of rocks and landforms! It's like a huge puzzle with different pieces fitting together.

We have mountains, plateaus, valleys, and plains. This is because the tectonic plates under the earth's surface move around and bump into each other, which causes the ground to shift and form different types of landforms.

The Appalachian Mountains on the east coast are some of the oldest mountains in the world! They were formed millions of years ago when the continents were still moving around. The Rocky Mountains are much younger, and were formed by forces pushing the land up from underneath.

There are also lots of different types of rocks in the United States. Some are soft like sandstone, while others are really hard like granite. We also have things like coal and oil that we use for energy.

All of these different geological features combine to make the landscape we see today. It's really cool to think about how the land has changed over millions of years!