Exam 1 Flashcards
5 Characteristics of Minerals
naturally occurring, homogenous, solid, definite chemical composition, crystaline structure
T/F Quartz is hard and doesn’t weather easily
True
Which Mica is light colored?
Muscovite
Which feldspar is Pink
Orthoclase
Which feldspar is white?
plagioclase
Dark, Hard mineral
Amphibole/hornblend
Two main parts of Lithification
compaction and cementation
What is lithification
how sediments become sed rocks
3 types of Sed rocks
clastic, biogenic, chemical
High or Low energy: deep marine
low
High or Low energy: shoreline
high
High or Low energy: lagoon
low
High or Low energy: river
high
High or Low energy: shallow marine
high
High or Low energy:eolian
high
3 main depositional environments?
marine, shoreline, continental
Cross beds H or L energy?
high
What depositional environment makes large cross beds?
Eolian
What depositional environment makes small cross beds?
fluvial (stream)
WhatDepositional environment makes ripple marks?
shallow water
3 causes of metamorphism?
heat, pressure, chemical
What must be present for chemical metamorphism?
water, temperature
What happens to heat as you go deeper into earth’s surface?
increases
3 types of metamorphism
Burial(regional), contact, hydrothermal
Alignment of minerals in meta rocks
foliation
Foliated or Non-foliated: slate
foliated
Foliated or Non-foliated: phyllite
foliated
Foliated or Non-foliated: schist
foliated
Foliated or Non-foliated: gneiss
foliated
Foliated or Non-foliated: marble
non-foliated
Foliated or Non-foliated: quartzite
non-foliated
Foliated or Non-foliated: metaconglomerate
non-foliated
protolith of slate
shale
protolith of phyllite
slate
protolith of schist
phyllite
protolith of gneiss
schist
protolith of marble
limestone
protolith of quartzite
sandstone
protolith of metaconglomerate
conglomerate
What does texture refer to in Igneous rocks?
crystal size
What does composition refer to in igneous rocks?
color
dark igneous composition
mafic
light igneous composition
felsic
aphanitic texture
no visible crystals
phaneritic texture
visible mineral crystals
porphyritic texture
mix of phaneritic and aphanitic
pegmatitic texture
huge mineral crystals
glassy texture
no crystals
vesicular texture
holes through rock
Why would a rock be vesicular?
gas bubbles in magma
felsic phaneritic rock
granite
4 composition categories
felsic, intermediate, mafic, ultra mafic
felsic aphanitic rock
rhyolite
intermediate phaneritic rock
diorite
intermediate aphanitic rock
andesite
Mafic phaneritic rock
gabbro
mafic aphanitic rock
basalt
granite metamorphoses to?
granite gneiss
basalt metamorphoses to?
green/blue schist
loose, mixed material covering solid rock
regolith
two types of weathering
mechanincal, chemical
5 types of mechanical weathering
pressure release fracturing, frost wedging, abrasion, organic activity, thermal expansion and contraction
3 types of chemical weathering
dissolution, hydrolysis, oxidation
the dissolving of rocks and minerals
dissolution
alteration of one mineral into another in the presence of water
hydrolysis
Soil level order (top to bottom)
O, A, E, B, C, R
soil level with mostly organic material
O horizon
Soil level containing both organic and mineral material
A horizon
soil level containing almost all mineral material
E horizon
A and E horizons make this zone
zone of leeching
Zone of Accumulation
B horizon
soil level containing the leeched components like clay, iron oxides, silica and carbonates
B horizon
soil level containing partially weathered parent material
C horizon
Soil level containing unweathered parent material
R horizon
6 major agents of erosion
surface water, underground water, glaciers, wind, waves, gravity
2 slow-moving mass wasting types
creep, solifluction
creep cause mass wasting
freezing thawing/ wetting drying
solifluction cause mass wasting
soggy mass oozing downhill
mass wasting where rock falls
rock fall
mass wasting where rock slides
rock slide
mass wasting where debris falls
debris fall
mass wasting where debris slides
slump
mass wasting where debris flows
debris flow
debris
rocks and regolith
how long ago was the big bang?
13.8 Ba
how long ago did the solar system form?
4.6 Ba
4 steps of history of the universe
big bang(13.8Ba), galaxies stars planets formed and sometimes destroyed, a particular red giant exploded (7Ba), solar system forms from the debris from the red giant (4.6Ba)
superclusters are made of?
clusters
clusters are made of?
galaxies
galaxies are made of?
stars
is our solar system positioned uniquely?
no
What arm of the milky way are we on?
Orion arm
what elements were created in the big bang?
hydrogen and helium
what elements form in stars
elements lighter than iron
what elements are formed in supernova
elements heavier than iron
what is the nebular hypothesis?
hypothesis for how our solar system formed
order of planets
mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn uranus, neptune
why rocky inner and gassy outer planets?
solar winds pushed lighter(gas) elements further from sun
why is pluto not a planet
it’s too small, its orbit is too elliptical, and it isn’t on the correct orbital plane
5 steps of earth’s formation
Step 1: Accretion of cm-sized
particles via small-scale electrostatic
processes (static electricity)
Step 2: Accretion on the km scale via
physical collision
Step 3: Accretion on 10-100 km scale
via gravitational attraction
Step 4: Molten protoplanet from the
heat of accretion
Step 5: Differentiation of Earth (Light Elements Float)
what is the “Iron Catastrophe”
differentiation of the earth
Thickness of crust
7-70 km
Thickness of mantle
2900 km
radius of core
3500 km
main elements in crust
O, Si, Al
main elements in mantle
Fe, Mg
main elements in core
Fe, Ni
Two types of crust
continental, oceanic
elevation of continental crust
about sea level
elevation of oceanic crust
4000 meters below sea level
