Geology Test Chapters 1-5 – Flashcards
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Geology
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The scientific study of the solid earth and its different systems
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Physical Geology
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Study of the Earth, materials that make up the Earth. And the processes both internal and external that shape it.
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Historical geology
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The study of the history of the planet Earth, the origin of its features, and life through time.
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Uniformitarianism
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They key to the past is present
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The Science of Geology 1-6
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1) a question is devised 2)Available info is gathered 3)Hypotheses are developed 4)A test is devise and data is collected 5)Based on data, the hypothesis is rejected, accepted, or modified 6)Sometimes additional tests are needed.
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Nebular Theory
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-The solar nebula consisted of hydrogen and helium in addition to microscopic dust grains. -Assumed a flat, disk shape with the protosun (pre-sun) at the center -Inner planets began to form from metallic and rocky substances -Larger outer planets formed from fragments of ices
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Origins of the Universe
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-13.7 Billion years ago- Big bang -Solar disk forms -Small mini-planets form from collisions of astroids -Inner planets- warmer, water and gases melt, rock crystallize. -Outer planets- colder, water and gas freeze.
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Earth- Goldilocks Planet
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-10% closer=no liquid and atmospheric temp like Venus -10% farther=No liquid -Sun is modest-size= Last longer
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Early Evolution of Earth
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-Layered structure (Metals sank, Molten rock rose to produce crust. -Chemical segregation established the three basic divisions of Earths Interior -Primitive atmosphere evolved from volcano gases -The earliest primitive crust was lost to erosion and geologic processes.
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Origins of the Earth
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-Earth and solar system took current shape 4.7 billion years ago. -Object collided with earth to form moon 4.6 billion years ago. -Differentiation of heavy metals to core, and lighter towards surface. -Earth Earth had lava oceans "Hadean" period. -Early curst lost to erosion -Out gasses from lava led to Atmosphere.
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Relative Dating
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Placing rocks and events in their proper sequence or order without knowing their age in years
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Absolute Dating
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Using radioactive isotopes to determine age
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Geologic Time Scale
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-Earth is 4.6 Billion years old -History is broken into time periods based largely on fossils -Life has only thrived for 550 mil years while humans only in the common era.
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External Processes
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-Erosion -Glaciers -Landslides
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Internal Processes
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-Magmatism -Earthquakes -Faults
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External processes are powered by the sun.. Where??
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-Atmosphere -Hydrosphere -Earth's Surface
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What powers the internal Processes that produce volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountains?
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The heat remaining from Earth's Formation and heat that is continuously generated by radioactive decay.
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Asthenosphere
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Weak layer (still solid)
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Lithosphere
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Rigid uppermost layer, 100-250 km thick. The tectonic plates are lithospheric plates.
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Lower Mantle
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Solid
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Outer core
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Liquid
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Inner core
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Solid
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Earth's chemical Structure Crust- Mantle- Core-
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Crust- low density. Light layer of earth on top (Pepperoni) Mantle- Denser layer- (2800 km) Thick Core- Iron and Nickel (4500 km) Thick
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Continental Shelf
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Flooded portion of the continent. Underlain by continental crust
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Continental Slope
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Steep drop off
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Continental Rise
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Where deep ocean meets continental slope
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Abyssal Plain
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Deep Ocean Plains
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Deep-Ocean Ridge
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Fractured portion of the crust where new crust is created, Igneous rocks.
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Seamounts
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Volcanoes in the middle of the ocean plates
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Trench
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Where tectonic plates meet
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Convergent (collisional) (Examples too) Ocean-Ocean ocean-continent Continent-continent
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Ocean-ocean= plates sub ducting under another plate. Ocean-continent=oceanic plate sub ducting under continental plate. -Cascades and Andes Continent-continent=two continents colliding; little to no subduction -India-asia=himalayas
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Divergent (extensional)
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Rifting of plates=pulled or pushed apart. Oceanic=Mid-Atlantic ridge continental= East African rift
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Transform
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Plates sliding past each other. -san Andreas fault
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Plate Tectonics (Three points)
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-Similarities in rocks, fossils, and continental shapes are due to drifting of continents through time. -Tectonic plates are comprised of lithosphere and "glide" on weak asthenosphere. -Plate boundaries are ACTIVE tectonic regions
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Definition or a Mineral
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Naturally occurring -Inorganic -Solid -Ordered internal molecular structure -Definable chemical composition (Mg, Fe, Ca)
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Definition of a Rock
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A solid aggregate or mass of minerals
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Hotspots
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"Fixed" location in the mantle/core, but plates are moving over hotspots. -Yellowstone (Hotspot beneath Wyoming/Idaho/Montana)
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Ionic Bonding (Chemical Bond)
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Attraction of positive and negative ions to form a bond.
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Covalent Bonding (Chemical Bond)
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Electrons are shared by atoms (H2) to form a bond.
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Metallic Bonding (Chemical Bond)
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Extreme sharing of electrons to form a bond.
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Polymerization
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Sharing of oxygen atoms in silica tetrahedral to form chains, sheets, and complex structures
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Magma
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Comprised of liquids, solids, and gas components
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Melting
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Generation of liquid in a magma
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Crystallization
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Formation of solid crystals
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Volatiles
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Gaseous component
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Felsic
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FELdspare and Silica (Quartz) minor and magnesium
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Mafic
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Magnesium and Iron
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Aphanitic (Texture)
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Fine-grained
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Phaneritic (Texture)
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Coarse-Grained
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Porphyritic (Texture)
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Coarse and Fine-grained
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Groundmass (Texture)
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The fine-grained component of a porphyritic rock
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Phenocryst (Texture)
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Large crystals
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Vesicular (Texture)
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Texture with spherical gas pockets
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Pumice (Texture)
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Ejected magma; cools quickly in the air
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Glassy (Texture)
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Cools very rapidly
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Pyroclastic/Breccia (Texture)
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Angular fragments
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Three ways to melt a rock
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1) Decrease in Pressure (Bringing towards the surface) 2) Addition of water 3) Temperature increases
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Plutons
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Intrusive igneous body emplaced at depth
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Dikes
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Intrusive igneous body that cuts across the sedimentary bedding
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Sills
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Intrusive igneous sheets that run horizontal and parallel to sedimentary beddings
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Laccoliths
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Intrusive igneous bod emplaced near the surface
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Volcanic Necks
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The crystallized volcanic pipe
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Batholith
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Collection of plutons
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Crater of Volcano
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Steep-walled depression at the summit, generally less than 1 kilometer in diameter
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Caldera of Volcano
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Summit depression typically greater than 1 kilometer in diameter, produced by collapse following a massive eruption.
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Factors determining "violence" of explosiveness
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Composition of Magma Temperature of Magma Dissolved gasses in the Magma (Controls the Viscosity)
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Viscosity
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Measure of material's resistance to flow (e.g., Higher viscosity materials flow with greater difficulty)
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Physical Geology is best described as the________
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Study of rocks and minerals and processes that shape the surface of the Earth
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The principle of uniformitarianism is commonly state as ________
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The present is the key to the past
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Which of the following observations and inferences is consistent with the idea of uniformitarianism?
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Glacial landforms in southern Africa show the region was once covered by ice sheets
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A _________ is a well-tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific observations
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Theory
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The Earth system is powered by energy from _________
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Solar Radiation and earth's internal heat
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Formation of the Earth's Layered structure resulted from ___________
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Melting and chemical differentiation
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____________ rocks always originate at the surface of the solid Earth
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Sedimentary
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The asthenosphere is part of ___________
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The mantle
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Mid-oceanic ridges occur above___________
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Divergent boundaries
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The Hawaiian Islands formed above a ____________
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Hot spot
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Deep-ocean trenches are found above __________
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Subduction zone
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New oceanic lithosphere is formed at ___________
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Divergent boundaries by submarine eruptions and intrusions of basaltic magma
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In an element, atomic number is defined as the ________, whereas atomic mass is the _________.
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Number of protons; sum of protons and neutrons
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Atomic bonding, which involves two atoms "sharing" one or more electrons, is known as ________
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covalent bonding
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Which of the following minerals has the highest hardness value?
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Quartz
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Which one of the following describes a mineral's response to mechanical impact?
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Cleavage
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What element is the most abundant in the Earth's crust by weight
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Oxygen
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All silicate minerals contain which two elements?
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Silicon, oxygen
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Which of the following minerals is a silicate?
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Muscovite
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A mineral formed entirely from silicon and oxygen is __________
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Quartz
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Clays are ___________
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Nonferromagnesian sheet silicates formed by chemical weathering
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All igneous rocks have __________
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interlocking crystals of silicate minerals
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A __________ is an open cavity in volcanic rock that was filled by a gas bubble when the lava was still mainly liquid
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Vesicle
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Coarse grained igneous rocks are _____________
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Intrusive
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___________ is a volcanic rock that is extremely vesicular and glassy
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Pumice
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Generally speaking, ___________
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Felsic rocks are light-colored
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Basalt is __________
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Extrusive and mafic
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_________ is the dominant feldspar in basalt
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Plagioclase
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A batholith is _________
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A large mass of intrusive igneous rock made of plutons
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__________ is characterized by very coarse mineral grains
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Pegmatitie
