Eaos weekly quizes Flashcards
Because the earth is a closed system
The mineral resources on this planet are all we have and - for the foreseeable future - all we will ever have
When vegetation washes off the landscape and settles to the floor of a Fiordland fjord carbon is transferred from the ______ to the _______
Biosphere; Geosphere
When westerly winds blow over the southern ocean, energy is transferred from the ______ to the ______
Atmosphere; hydrosphere
The situation where material has a very long residence time in a reservoir is called
Sequestration
Sedimentary rocks provide clues about
- Geologic activity at the time of deposition
- Past climates
- Surface conditions at the time of deposition
What rock type results from lithification of magma/lava
Igneous rock
What rock type results from heat and pressure
Metamorphic rock
Observations that developed into the principle of uniformitarianism led scientists to conclude that earth must be much ______ than previously thought
Older
What are geological unconformities
- They are contact surfaces between rocks of very different ages
- They represent gaps in the continuity of the geologic record
- They can form through erosion or non-deposition
You will find fossil remains in what type of rock
Sedimentary rock
What is the origin of the element hydrogen in the universe?
The big bang
What is the origin of the element oxygen in the universe?
Nuclear fusion in stars
The color of a star is mainly an indication of its
Temperature
Planets within a stars habitable zone
Receive an amount of solar energy appropriate for liquid water to be present
How did earth get its water
Accretion of meteors
What is the principle evidence for oceans having been present on earths surface throughout most of its history
Marine sedimentary rocks
In addition to earth being within the suns habitable zone, what additional factors have allowed this to be the case
- Earths composition
- Earths magnetic field
- Earths mass
How is Mars currently in ice house climate
- Uv radiation splits atmospheric H2O into H2 and O2 due to weak magnetic field
- Both these can escape easily due to weak gravitational field
- O2 also consumed by oxidization of Iron on surface, hence mars red color
- H2O frozen in the polar ice caps and beneath the surface
What factors have made it difficult for liquid water to be present on the surface of Venus for most of its history
- Venus distance from the sun
- Runaway greenhouse
- Weak magnetic field
Why does the oceanic lithosphere of the pacific plate subduct beneath continental lithosphere of the Australian plate at the Hikurangi convergent plate boundary in the eastern North island of New Zealand
The oceanic lithosphere (pacific plate) is denser than the continental lithosphere (Australian plate) it subducts beneath
What causes mid-ocean ridges to rise high above the surrounding seafloor
Upwelling of hot, buoyant asthenosphere under mid-ocean ridges
Plate motion relative to mid-ocean ridge equation
Kilometres/millions of years = millimetres per year
What kind of plate boundaries occur at mid-ocean ridges
Divergent and Transform plate boundaries
How does paleomagnetism support the theory of plate tectonics
It reveals marine magnetic anomalies which result from seafloor spreading