Chapter 1 - Planet & Population Flashcards

1
Q

What does Environmental Geology focus on?

A

The many interactions between humans and the geologic environment.

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2
Q

How old is the solar system?

A

12 to 14 billion years old

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3
Q

How was the solar system formed?

A

It formed as dust condensed from the gaseous nebula, then clumped together to make planets.

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4
Q

How do the compositions of the planets vary?

A

Higher metal and rock content in the 4 planets closest to the sun, and larger proportions of gas and ice in the planets further from the sun.

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5
Q

What is ACCRETION?

A

When gravity collects solid material that has been condensed from a solar nebula.

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6
Q

What are Earths major compositional zones?

A

The central core, the surrounding mantle, and the crust.

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7
Q

How old is the Earth?

A

4 billion years old

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8
Q

Mercury’s composition and physical properties.

A

Rocky, iron-rich, dry and pockmarked with craters.

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9
Q

Mars’ composition and physical properties

A

Shares surface features with Earth (volcanoes, canyons , dunes, slumps, stream Chanel’s, etc), but its surface is now dry and barren.

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10
Q

Jupiter’s composition and physical properties

A

It is a huge gas ball, with no solid surface, and has dozens of moons made out of ice and rock that circles it. It mimics that of a miniature solar system.

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11
Q

What does the core consist of?

A

Mostly iron; outer part is molten.

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12
Q

What does the mantle (largest zone) consist of?

A

Primarily ferromagnesian silicates, at great depth oxides of iron, magnesium, and silicon.

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13
Q

What does the crust consist of?

A

Oceanic crust (sea floor) is similar to the mantle, but is richer in silicon. Continental crust is thicker and less dense - it is rich in calcium, sodium, potassium, and aluminum.

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14
Q

The heating and differentiation of the early earth led to…

A

The creation of the atmosphere and oceans.

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15
Q

How did the ocean form?

A

Through the heating of minerals that contained water or gases, as the earth cooled the water and gas was able to condense to form the oceans.

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16
Q

What did the early earth’s atmosphere probably consist of?

A

Nitrogen and carbon dioxide released from volcanoes.

17
Q

What is the “geologic spiral”?

A

A geologic record where important plant and animal groups are placed according to they’re first appearance in large quantities.

18
Q

How did the earth become safe for oxygen-breathing organisms?

A

A single-celled blue-green algae appeared in large quantities, they manufactured food through photosynthesis, consumed carbon dioxide and released oxygen as a by-product.

19
Q

Why do we not have solid record of how early creatures looked like?

A

They left very few remains as they had no skeletons, teeth, shells or other hard parts that could be preserved in rocks.

20
Q

When did the first multicelled oxygen-breathing creatures first develop?

A

1 billion years ago

21
Q

When did marine animals with shells become widespread?

A

550 million years ago.

22
Q

How old is the rock with oldest evidence of animals with a backbone?

A

500 million years old.

23
Q

When did insect appear?

A

300 million years ago.

24
Q

When did land plants develop?

A

400 million years ago.

25
Q

When did dinosaurs and the first mammals appear?

A

200 million years ago.

26
Q

When did birds first appear?

A

150 million years ago.

27
Q

When were mammals and birds well established?

A

100 million years ago

28
Q

How old are the most primitive human like remains?

A

No more than 4-5 million years old.

29
Q

How old are Homo sapiens?

A

Half a million years old.

30
Q

What is the scientific method?

A

A means of discovering basic scientific principles.

31
Q

What is a hypotheses?

A

It ranges from a general conceptual framework or model describing the functioning of a natural system, to a very precise mathematical formula relating several kinds of numerical data.

32
Q

What do all hypotheses have in common?

A

They must be susceptible to testing ,and most importantly, falsification.

33
Q

What is a theory?

A

A generally accepted explanation for a set of data or observations.

34
Q

What is a scientific theory?

A

A very well-tested model with a very substantial and convincing body of evidence that supports it.

35
Q

When does population growth occur?

A

When new individuals are added to the population faster than existing individuals are removed from it.

36
Q

What is ‘exposential growth’?

A

maintaining the population growth rate constant, but the number of individuals added per unit of time increases.

37
Q

What is ‘doubling time’?

A

The length of time required for a population to double in size.