Geogenic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Originating from geological activities, this term describes substances or phenomena that arise from the Earth's natural processes
2. This descriptive adjective denotes materials or occurrences produced by geological actions, highlighting their development from the Earth's crust
3. Referring to phenomena that occur due to Earth's geological processes, this term signifies materials that are formed through natural activities within the planet's geology

Etymology: "Geogenic" is a plain technical formation: "geogeny" combined with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic". The first part, "geogeny," joins Greek "gē," meaning earth, with the element "-geny," from Greek "-genēs," meaning born of or produced by, so the pieces together convey something produced by the earth itself. Scientists use the adjective mainly in geology, geochemistry and environmental science to separate substances or effects that come from natural earth processes from those introduced by living things or human activity. Groundwater that picks up minerals from surrounding rock, for example, can be described as geogenic contamination, while a pollutant from a factory would not be.

Synonyms: geological, earthly, terrestrial, planetary, lithospheric