Final answer:
N-transforms refer to geological processes, which involve changes to Earth's geology without altering the elemental composition of materials involved, unlike chemical processes that create new substances.
Step-by-step explanation:
The natural formation processes known as N-transforms refer to geological processes, which is option 2 from the provided choices. These processes are part of Earth's dynamism and include various types of changes that occur to rocks and Earth's surface structures.
Not to be confused with chemical processes, which involve changes in the elemental composition of substances, or biological processes, which pertain to the functions of living organisms, geological processes are concerned with physical changes to Earth's geology without altering the elemental composition of materials involved.
For example, metamorphism is a geological process where a pre-existing rock is transformed by changes in temperature, pressure, or contact with chemically reactive fluids.
This recrystallization event alters the rock's minerals and results in a metamorphic rock with a notably different appearance from the original rock.
In contrast, a chemical process changes the chemical structure of substances involved, leading to the formation of new substances with a different set of chemical and physical properties.
This is illustrated by processes such as rusting iron or baking bread, where new chemicals are formed as a result of the process.