Ch. 1 Flashcards
cryosphere
frozen water of the earth
rock cycle
describes the major materials that comprise the earth, the processes that form them, and how they relate to each other
Weathering
physical or chemical breakdown of rocks into smaller fragments
psuedoscience
collection of ideas that may appear scientific but does not use the scientific method
cannot be tested and not meet scientific standards
biosphere
life on earth in all its forms and interactions including humankind
science
provides means to evaluate and create new knowledge without bias
Charles Lyell
wrote princples of geology and elements of geology
made uniformitarianism popular
What is the geocentric model
earth is center of universe, everything revolvs around it- 2nd centry Ptolemy
oceanic crust
basalt, 6-7 km, bottom of ocean
3 main layers by chemical comp
crust, mantle, and core
continental crust
50 km thick and composed of low density igneuous and sedimentary rocks
two types of crust
continental and oceanic crust
mantle
the largest chemical layer by volume, lies below the crust and extends 1800 miles below the Earth’s surface
peridodite
Catastrophism
Before Uniformitarianism (by Werner)
rocks and landforms were formed by great catastrophic events
processes that operate today did not operate in the past
Principle of Uniformitarianism
states that natural processes operate the same now as in the past
laws of nature are uniform acorss space and time
ingeneous rocks
begins with magma that forms under the earth’s surface in the crust; when cools it solidifies through process called crystalization
subjective observation
based on a person’s feelings and beliefs and is unique to that ind
Empiricism
emphasizes the value of evidence gained from experimentation and observation
Deductive reasoning
applies known principles of thought to establish new ideas or predict new outcomes
start with generalized principles and logically extends them to new ideas or specific conclusions
oceanic crust
10 km, made of high density igneous basalt type rocks
70% of planet
continental crust
granite, 35 km, continents and continental shelves,less dense
precambrian time
three oldest eons
Inductive reasoning
begins from new observations and attempts to discern underlying generalized principles
comes from analyzing measurable evidence
3 eras of phanerozoic
paleozoic, mesozoic, and cenozoic
core
under the mantle which is 2200 mi thick and iron and nickel
paleozoic
ancient life,
mesozoic
middle life (age of reptiles) - dinosaurs
lithification
process of compaction and cementation
lithosphere
outermost layer, strong rigid, brittle, broken into plates
phanerozoic
makes the proliferation of multicellular animals
3 eras
hydrologic cycle
movement of H2O through Earth’s sphere
atmosphere
the gas envelope surrounding the earth