Exam 1 Flashcards
Sketch and explain the Rock Cycle
Sedimentary goes up and around too sedimentary rock(Erosion), which then goes to metamorphic rocks, then that too magma, then lastly is igneous rock which is right under sedimentary!
Identify the continents on a world map
Asia, South America, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia
What significant driving force required Catastrophists to believe the
earth was only about 6000 years old?
The church
Why are fossils not found in igneous rocks
The heat and pressure would destroy fossil evidence
What are the basic differences (size, location & density) between the
Terrestrial and the Jovian Planets?
Terrestrial are smaller, closer to the sun and more dense
Jovian are more massive, further from the sun and more gaseous
How and when did our atmosphere form?
A result of volcanic outgassing from 4.6 - 3.6 bya
What is happening to Sea-Level around the world? Why is it
happening?
Climate change is casing the ice caps to melt and raise sea level
Physical Geology
The branch of geologic study focusing on Earth materials
and Earth processes
Nebular Theory
The generally accepted theory for the formation of the solar
system.
Mantle
The largest interior layer of the Earth. This layer contains the
convection cells
Uniformitarianism
The geologic thought processes acting on the Earth now,
are the same as the processes in the past
Biosphere
The portion of the Earth system where life exists
Asthenosphere
The “Silly Putty” like layer of the Earth, located
immediately below the lithosphere. This layer facilitates the movement of
the Earth’s plates.
List and explain the evidence Alfred Wegener presented to support his
Continental Drift Hypothesis
Fossil and rock correlation
Paleoclimatic evidence
Puzzle pieces
What type of movement occurs at a Diverging Boundary? Identify a
diverging boundary on a world map
Plates are moving away from one another.
The middle of the Atlantic Ocean
What type of movement occurs at a Diverging Boundary? Identify a
diverging boundary on a world map
Plates are moving away from one another.
The middle of the Atlantic Ocean
What type of movement occurs at a Converging Boundary? Identify a
converging boundary on a world map.
Plates are moving towards each other. The Himalaya Mountains
What type of movement occurs at a Transform Boundary? Identify a
transform boundary on a world map
Plates are sliding past one another
The San Andreas Fault System
What evidence exists to support Plate Tectonics?
Fossil and rock correlation
Hot Spots and Mantle Plumes
Thickness of sediment on the ocean floor
Are oceanic floors comprised mostly of granitic rock or basaltic rock
Basaltic rock
Are the continents comprised mostly of granitic rock or basaltic rock
Granitic rock
What is the average densities of continental & oceanic lithosphere?
Continental is 2,7g/cm3
Oceanic - 3.0g/cm3
How can Plate Tectonics cause climate change
It can cause climate change because the plates move closer to the poles so the temperatures decrease.
As the plates move closer to equator, the temperature will increase
How can Plate Tectonics cause evolution
Life forms largely depend on climate, and so as the climate changes, life forms will become extinct and will be replaced
What is the approximate age & location of the oldest Atlantic Ocean
Floor?
The oldest is 200 mya and is along the east coast of North America and South America as well as along the west coast of Africa
What is the approximate age & location of the youngest Atlantic Ocean
Floor?
The youngest is 0 myo in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
List 4 physical properties helpful in identifying the name of a mineral
Streak, color, hardness and breakage
If you can scratch a mineral with your fingernail, what is the approximate
hardness of the mineral?
it would be 2.5
Why do some minerals leave a streak, and some minerals do not leave a
streak?
Some do and don’t because only minerals softer then the streak plate 6.5 will leave a streak.
List the eight most abundant elements in the continental crust
Silicon, Oxygen, Iron, Aluminum, Calcium, Sodium
Magnesium & Potassium
Why are caves, caverns and sinkholes associated with carbonate
formations?
Because carbonates are water soluble