Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Earth Science > Climate Change and Geologic Time > Flashcards

Climate Change and Geologic Time Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Name the eons in order from oldest to recent.

A

Precambrian

Phanerozoic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

How many eras are there?

A

3

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

When do all the eras take place?

A

During the Phanerozoic eon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How do we divide the eras?

A

Depends on type of fossil life found in the rock layers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does Cenozoic mean and what kinds of animals are found during that era?

A

“New life”

-mammals, birds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What does Mesozoic mean and what kinds of animals are found during that era?

A

“Middle life”

-dinosaur

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What does Paleozoic mean and what kinds of animals are found during that era?

A

“Old life”

-fish, insects, amphibians, early reptiles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Name the eras from oldest to most recent.

A

Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How many periods are there?

A

12

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is original horizontality?

A

When sediments are deposited it happens in horizontal layers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is superposition?

A

Oldest layers on bottom, newest layer on top

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is cross-cutting?

A

Any feature (fault, dyke, etc) that cuts across a layer is younger than the layer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is inclusion?

A

Rocks or rock fragments in a layer are older than the layer

-any fossil in a layer is the same age as the layer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How many Eons are there?

A

2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Name the periods from oldest to youngest.

A 
Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian 
Devonian
Mississippian
Pennsylvanian
Permian
Triassic 
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Tertiary
Quatenary
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is an index fossil?

A

A fossil that is:

  • widespread
  • only present for a short amount of time (single layer)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is an unconformity?

A

A gap in rock layers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How do unconformities show up?

A

Shows up as a wavy line in the rock layer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is an angular unconformity?

A
  • original layers are tilted and lifted
    • then exposed to erosion
  • sink back down and new layers are added
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is disconformity?

A

Layers remain horizontal above and below unconformity

All layers are sedimentary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is non-conformity?

A

Layers above are horizontal

Below the unconformity is bed rock (igneous or metamorphic)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is absolute (Radiometric) dating?

A

Method to determine the actual age, in years,of a rock or other object

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What occurs in the production of an alpha particle?

A

Consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What occurs in the production of a beta particle?

A

A neutron breaks down into a proton and an electron

The atom keeps the proton, but loses the electron as a beta particle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is a half-life?

A

Amount of time required for one half of a radioactive sample to decay

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is the half-life of carbon-14?

A

5,730 years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is the half-life of potassium-40?

A

1.3 billion years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is the half-life of uranium-238?

A

4.5 billion years

29
Q

How far can you go back using Radiometric dating for carbon-14?

A

About 50,000 years

30
Q

What doesn’t Radiometric dating work on?

A

Sedimentary rock

31
Q

Who proposed that the earth was older than what we thought?

A

James Hutton

32
Q

What is uniformitarianism?

A

Slow processes today were just as slow in the past

33
Q

What are the two eons of geologic time?

A

Precambrian and phanerozoic

34
Q

What are the three eras of geologic time?

A

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic

35
Q

To which eon do the eras belong and why are there none in the other eon?

A

They belong in the Phanerozoic eon, because there was no life in the Precambrian eon.

36
Q

What are the 12 periods (by era)?

A

Paleozoic:Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian
Mesozoic-Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
Cenozoic-tertiary, quatenary

37
Q

What signals the start or end of a geologic period?

A

The fossil life found during that time frame/a major event

38
Q

Which eon, era and period are we currently in?

A

Eon:Phanerozoic Era:Cenozoic Period:Quatenary

39
Q

Describe the earth’s climate history over time.

A

Cold and hot, never stable

40
Q

What is the Greenhouse Effect?(include what it is, why it is important, how long it has been around, what gases are needed)

A

Process by which radiation from a planet’s atmosphere warms the planet’s surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere, it’s important because it helps us stay warm enough to support life,been around as long as we have had an atmosphere, carbon dioxide and methane

41
Q

What is Global Warming and how does it differ from the Greenhouse Effect?

A

Global warming is the term used to show that the earth’s climate is warming up. The greenhouse effect increases the speed of global warming.

42
Q

What are some of the alleged causes of Global Warming?

A

Human activities that increase the expansion of the greenhouse effect, burning fossil fuels

43
Q

What is Paleoclimatology?

A

The study of ancient climate

44
Q

How is carbon-13 used to determine past climate?(2 ways)

A

More in water-means the climate was cold More in glaciers-means climate was warm-check carbon levels in plants
Using absolute dating-check carbon levels in rocks

45
Q

How are the Foraminifera in the oceans used to determine past climate?

A

Bigger shells mean the climate was cold

Small shells mean the climate was hot, look at isotopes in shells

46
Q

How are ice cores used to determine past climate?

A

Air bubbles show atmospheric composition-compare amount of heavy oxygen to light oxygen
High amounts of greenhouse gas mean the climate was hot
Low amounts of greenhouse gas means the climate was cold

47
Q

What is the relationship between greenhouse gas levels and atmospheric temperature?

A

It’s a direct relationship. As greenhouse gas levels rise, atmosphere of temperature rises. As greenhouse gas levels decline, atmospheric temperature declines.

48
Q

What is Relative Dating?

A

A comparison to find out the age of something in relation to something else that does not give an exact year

49
Q

Explain the Principle of Original Horizontality?

A

When sediments are deposited, it happens in horizontal layers

50
Q

Explain the Principle of Superposition?

A

Oldest layer on bottom, newest layer on top

51
Q

Explain the Principle of Cross-cutting?

A

any feature (fault, dyke, etc) that cuts across a layer is younger than the layer

52
Q

Explain the Principle of Inclusion?

A

rocks or rock fragments in a layer are older than the layer

53
Q

How are these principles used in relative dating?

A

They help to determine the order of when things occurred.

54
Q

What is an Unconformity?

A

A gap in the rock layers

55
Q

What are the three types of unconformities and how can they be separated from each other?

A

Angular:original layers are tilted and lifted, then exposed to erosion, sink back down and new layers are added
Disconformity:layers remain horizontal above and below unconformity, all layers are sedimentary
Non-conformity:layers above are horizontal, below the unconformity is bed rock (igneous or metamorphic)

56
Q

How are ages of fossils related to the layers they are found in?

A

They are the same age.

57
Q

Why are fossils only found in sedimentary rock?

A

They would be destroyed in any other rock, because of the heat/being crushed.

58
Q

What is an Index fossil and why are they useful?

A

A fossil that is widespread and only found in 1 layer
They are useful, because layers from different parts of the world can be lined up based on where an index fossil is located

59
Q

What is Absolute Dating?

A

Method to determine the actual age, in years, of a rock or other object

60
Q

What is an isotope and why do some undergo decay?

A

Isotopes are different forms of an element. Some are unstable and change to a stable element.

61
Q

What happens during radioactive decay?

A

An unstable isotope turns into a stable isotope of a different element

62
Q

Why are new elements being formed?

A

The amount of protons changes

63
Q

What are the two types of particles being produced during radioactive decay?

A

Alpha particle and beta particle

64
Q

What is a half-life? How much material remains after two half-lives have occurred?

A

amount of time required for one half of a radioactive sample to decay
1/4 of the material

65
Q

Why does Carbon-14 work well on young rocks but not on older rocks?

A

As the amount left gets smaller, it gets harder to determine the difference between how much there is, because the fraction gets so small.

66
Q

How does Radiometric dating work?

A

Compare amounts of parent material to daughter product
Ratio will determine number of half-lives that have occurred
Multiply by length of half-life to get age

67
Q

Why is hard to get an Absolute age of sedimentary rocks?

A

Sedimentary rocks are made up of igneous and metamorphic rocks that are older than the sedimentary layer itself.

68
Q

What is the Principle of Uniformitarianism?

A

Slow processes today were just as slow in the past

69
Q

Who was James Hutton and what was his contribution to geology?

A

Proposed the idea that the Earth was much older than believed

Earth Science (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions