Geology Test 1 review – Flashcards
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Geology
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The study of earth
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Oceanography
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a study of the ocean
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Meteorology
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study of atmosphere and the process that produce weather
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Astronomy
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the study of the universe
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renewable
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can be replenished ( plants, energy from water and wind
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Nonrenewable
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Metals (ex: metals and fuels)
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Hypothesis
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(tentative or untested explanation
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theory
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tested and confirmed hypothesis
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Paradigm
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a theory that explains a large number of interrelated aspects of the natural world
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What are earth's four major spheres?
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Hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere
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what are the layered structures of earth based on compositional differences?
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Crust, Mantle, Core
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Plate tectonics
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describe earths internal workings
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Lithospheric plates
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the broken pieces of earth's crust which move on the surface
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Pangea
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super-continent which broke up to create the modern continents
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Negative-Feedback Mechanisms
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Resist change and stabilize the system
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Positive-feedback mechanisms
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Enhance the system
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How old is earth
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4.6 billion years
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How long ago did the big bang occur?
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13.7 billion years ago
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what are the 2 sources of energy that power the earth system?
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Sun, earth's interior
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How long ago did Pangaea began breaking appart?
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200 million years
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Lithosphere
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earth's rigid outer shell
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Name the 3 plate boundaries:
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Divergent, Convergent, Transform
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Divergent Plate boundaries form..
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continental riffs, mid ocean ridges.
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Convergent Plate boundaries form
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(remember: destructive).. ocean trenches
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New sea floor is created through:
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Divergent Plate boundaries
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Volcanoes on the ocean floor are created through:
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ocean-ocean convergence! (convergent plate boundaries)
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the Himalayas were produced as a result of:
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the collision of india and asia
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Transform Fault Boundaries
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plates slide past one another, no new crust is created or destroyes
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This phenomenon explains the presence of volcanoes in the middle of the pacific ocean:
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Hotspots (remember: the Hawaiian Islands formed over a hotspot)
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when a piece of oceanic crust is subducted below continental crust what is formed?
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Volcanic arc
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What drives plate tectonics?
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convection and subduction
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Which type of plate boundary is most closely associated with mountain building
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Convergent
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Faulting, earthquakes, Mountain building and volcanoes can be observed in which part of the lithospheric plates?
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At the margins
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What type of stress is associated with transform faults?
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Shear Stress
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Mineral
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Natural, Inorganic, Solid, possesses an orderly internal structure of atoms, has a defnite chemical composition
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Rock
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any naturally occurring solid mass of mineral or mineral-like matter
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what are the components of an atom?
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protons, neutrons, electrons
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Coal, Oil, natural gas= are they renewable?
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NO!!!!!!!!!
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The external expression of a mineral's orderly mineral arrangement of atoms is referred to as?
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Crystal form
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What are the three types of bonds?
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Covalent, metallic, Ionic
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Mechanical breakage along planes of weakness within the mineral is know as
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Clevage
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Luster
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Appearance in reflected light
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Streak
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color of mineral in powdered form
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Tenacity
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A mineral's resistance to breaking
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Hardness
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ability to resist scratching or abrasion
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Fracture
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tendency to break along uneven surfaces due to strong bonding
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How many elements make up the majority of earth's continental crust?
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eight (8)
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Most minerals:
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Feldspars and quartz
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Concentrations of metallic minerals that can be mined at a profit
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Ore deposits
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What are the 3 main groups of rocks?
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Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic
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Rock Cycle
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Shows the interrelationships among the three rock types and the components and processes of the Earth system
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Magma VS Lava
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MAGMA forms within the earths crust....rises towards surface( b/c it is less dense)..reaches earth's surface and erupts as LAVA!
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occurs when the molten rock cools and solidifies
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Crystalization (or solidification)
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what are the two types of igneous rocks
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Intrusive and Extrusive
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Intrusive
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form when magama cools and crystallizes inside earth. (slow cooling= large crystals)
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Extrusive
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Form on the surface of the Earth from molten rock known as lava. (quick cooling= small crystals)
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Texture + Mineral composition are used to identify:
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Igneous rocks
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What are the 5 types of textures in igneous rocks?
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Fine grained( aphanitic), Coarse-grained(phaneritic), Porphyritic, Glassy, Vesicular
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Light Silicates are rich in:
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Silica
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Dark silicates are rich in:
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Iron/Magnesium, (low in silica)
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Felsic
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Light colored, igneous rocks (granitic)
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Mafic
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Dark colored igneous rocks (basaltic)
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Andesitic ( or intermediate)
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Have a composition between granitic and basaltic rocks.Have a mixture of both light and dark colored minerals
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Ultramafic
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Will be composed primarily of dark colored minerals, such as olivine
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What does Bowen's reaction series show?
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the order of mineral crystallization (which mineral weathers out first)
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Magmatic Differentiation
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Formation of one or more secondary magmas from a single, parent magma
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Crystal Setting
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Occurs when earlier formed minerals are more dense than the liquid portion and sink to the bottom
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What happens when magma goes through assimilation
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it incorporates itself to surrounding rock
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Sedimentary rocks are produced through
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Lithification (compaction, cementation)
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Strata, Bedding planes, and fossils are all features of what type of rock?
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Sedimentary rocks.
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what types of rocks are produced from preexisting rocks (parent rocks) ?
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Metamorphic rocks
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What are 3 metamorphic agents?
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Heat, pressure( stress), chemically active fluids (mainly water)
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Stress
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Directed Pressure..The force exerted to cause deformation
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Strain
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Deformation such as a change in shape. applied force.
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3 types of stress
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compressional, tensional, shear
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Foliated Texture
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Minerals are in a parallel alignment. Minerals are perpendicular to the compressional force
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Nonfoliated Texture
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Contain equidimensional crystals. Resembles a coarse-grained igneous rock
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what is necessary for loose sediement to become sedimentary rock?
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Cementation, compaction
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what does a porphyritic texture indicate about the history of an igneous rock?
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that it was cooled at depth. (intrusive)
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Largest eruption to occur in N. America
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Mount St. Helens
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what determines the violence of an eruption?
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Composition of magma, temperature magma, dissolved gases in magma
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Viscosity
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Measure of a materials resistance to flow
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what are the 2 different types of lava?
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Pahoehoe lava and Aa lava
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Aa lava
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Slow, viscous
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Pahoehoe lava
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faster, less viscous
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Lava tubes
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Cave-like tunnels that were once conduits carrying lava from the volcanic vent to the flow's leading edge. Serve as insulated pathways that help lava advance
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Pyroclastic Materials
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"fire fragments". range in size from fine dust to pieces that weigh several tons
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cone shaped structures that experience successive short periods of erupting and long periods of inactivity
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Volcanoes
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Crater
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steep-walled depression at the summit
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Calders
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(a summit depression greater than 1 km diameter)
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Parasitic cones
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smaller cones building off the side of the main volcano
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What are the 3 types of volcanoes?
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Shield, Cinder, composite
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Shield Volcano
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Broad, slightly domed ,primarily made of basaltic (fluid) lava ,Generally large size
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Cinder Cone (volcano)
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rather small in size, large deep craters, frequently occurs in groups.
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Composite Volcano
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Large in size, nearly symmetrical structure, most violent
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Lahar
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Volcanic mudflow
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Nuée ardente
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Fiery pyroclastic flow made of hot gases infused with ash and lava fragments
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what are the 3 types of calderas?
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Crater lake type, hawaiian type, yellowstone type
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Dike
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a tabular, discordant pluton ,Cut across bedding surfaces
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Sill
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a tabular, concordant pluton ,Nearly horizontal bodies formed in weak areas between sedimentary beds
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The greatest volume of volcanic rock is produced along :
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the oceanic ridge system
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what type of volcano is the highest?
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shield volcano
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Hot mixtures of gas, ash and pumice that race down the flanks of volcanos:
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pyroclastic flows
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Weathering
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the disintegration and decomposition of material at or near the surface
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Mass wasting
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the transfer of rock material downslope under the influence of gravity
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Erosion
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the incorporation and transportation of material by a mobile agent, usually water, wind, or ice
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What are the 2 kinds of weathering?
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Mechanical and chemical
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Mechanical weathering
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Breaking of rocks into smaller pieces by physical forces without changing the rock mineral's composition
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Frost wedging
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Water in the cracks of rocks freezes (enlarging the cracks)
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Salt crystal growth
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Salt precipitates from water on rocks (i.e. from seaspray), leaving crystals of salt to wedge the rock into fragments
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Sheeting
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Concentric slabs of igneous rock breaking loose after being exposed during erosion (i.e. granite)
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Chemical weathering
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Alters the internal structures of minerals by removing or adding elements
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Most important agent in chemical weathering
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WATER
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the majority of earth's land surface is covered by:
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Regolith
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Soil texture ( 3 types)
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sand (large size), silt, clay(small size)
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Loam
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Mixture of sand, silt, clay
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Unconsolidated granular particles assume a stable slope called
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Angle of repose
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Fall
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free-fall of pieces
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Slide
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Material moves along a well-defined surface. Moves downhill quick. (sandstone layer above clay layer)
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Flow
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Material moves as viscous fluid. (ash, mud)
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Slump
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Unconsolidated rock moves along a curved surface. rotational movement
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Creep
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Loose sediments w/ soil and plants
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Rockslide
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Rapid (up to 125 miles per hour). Blocks of bedrock move down a slope
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Debris flow (mudflow)
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Rapid flow of debris with water,Often confined to channels.
