Cameron Flashcards
Geology
2 sub-periods of the Carboniferous
Mississipian and Pennsylvanian
2 transgressions that cause uncomformity between the mississipian and pennsylvanina periods
Kaskaskia Absaroka
major continent during Paleozoic
Gondwana
When did Pangea first form
Late Carboniferous
what does unconformity mean?
different composition between layers
How do geologist separate the Mississippi and Pennsylvania sub-periods
uncomformity of rock layers
Mississippian rocks
mostly carbonate and marine clastics
clastics
made from broken pieces of weathered rock
cyclothem
alternating layers of marine sediment and non-marine sediment
Pennsylvannia rocks
cyclothem, cyclic clastic, coal facies
Paleozoic climate introdued
seasonality
what evidence for late Paleozoic seasonality
red beds
what widespread geologic feature of Permian
desserts
what type of climate ended late carboniferous
most humid equitorial climates
What saw major regression during Permian
epeiric seas
What geologic evidence for poleward temperature gradient of Permo-Carboniferous
glaciation (glacier formation
what type of cyclic sedimentation of late Paleozoic
cyclothems
what formed late Paleozoic
coal
what was deposition on craton like during mississipi and pennsylvania
remarkably repetitive pattern
what conditions needed to form coal
abundant vegetation preservation of organic matter
where did coal mostly develop
lowland swamps
why coal form in low land swamps of carboniferous
tree trunks leaf material abundant
what provide ideal conditions for coal to form
coastal flood plains and swampy regions
where do cyclothems happen
advancing delta fronts
what is a delta
the separation of a major river into many smaller rivers and swamps as the river enters the sea
what oxygen condition needed to form coal
anaerobic ( oxygen poor
what 3 part cycle happened to make coal
deposition , colonization of plants , inundation (floods)
what typical cyclothem sequence
marine sediment then non-marine then marine
what causes cyclothem sequence
transgression -regression of water
what happens during cyclothem sequence to make coal
sea level drops then swamps form then swamps flooded
What were the cyclothem sequence like in late paleozoic
rapid oscillations (many events over short period
possible cause of cyclothem
rise fall sea level
what caused rise fall of paleozoic sea levels?
growth and shrinking of glaciers gondwana
what tectonic event cause paleozoic change sea level
tectonic (plate ) up down whole continent
what sea floor change lead to change sea level paleozoic
warping of sea floor
why paleozoic clastic sediments to deltas have flucuated
changes in climate (rain fall) causing upland erosion and washing sediments to deltas
