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ESSHP: Section 1 > Exam Questions > Flashcards

Exam Questions Flashcards

1
Q

What are three volatile elements and a non-volatile element?

A

Volatile: Hydrogen, Carbon Chlorine,

Non-volatile: silicone

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2
Q

What are volatile and non-volatile elements?

A

Volatile ones are highly reacted and evaporate quickly whereas non-volatile are not that reactive

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3
Q

Think why silicon is a non-volatile element?

A

Because it has to react many many times in order to form iron otherwise it just stays the same

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4
Q

What did James Lovelock/Gaia hypothesis propose as a genetic signature of life?

A

Disequilibrium in the mixture of atmospheric gases

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5
Q

How long will our sun spend on the main sequence?

A

10 billion years

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6
Q

What is the equation for silicate weathering and think why?

A

CaSiO3 (Calcium Silicate) + CO2 = CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate) + SiO2 (Silicone dioxide). the key thing is to look for calcium silicate going in and then calcium carbonate coming out

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7
Q

What is the equation for silicate weathering and think why?

A

CaSiO3 (Calcium Silicate) + CO2 = CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate) + SiO2 (Silicone dioxide). the key thing is to look for calcium silicate going in and then calcium carbonate coming out

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8
Q

How long does a carbon atom spend in the ocean/atmosphere before being transported down in to sedimentary rocks? i.e. how long does the silicate weathering process take?

A

100,000 years

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9
Q

What best describes the immediate aftermath of a snowball earth?

A

Hot and wet climate caused by high CO2 (carbon dioxide has been allowed to build up) and low albedo )because all the ice has melted)

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10
Q

When did bryophytes appear?

A

Ordovician

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11
Q

What is the upper limit on oxygen concentration that is consistent with the continuous presence of forests in the fossil record?

A

25-30%

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12
Q

What amplified climate warming at the end cretaceous?

A

Shutting down of the biological pump meant that a lot of carbon dioxide collected at the ocean surface where it can better diffuse in to the atmosphere and cause concentrations of the carbon dioxide to increase 2-3X

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13
Q

How much carbon is released to the atmosphere during the PETM?

A

2000GtC

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14
Q

What is the perihelion and aphelion? what is the best way to remember it?

A

Perihelion = earth is closest
Aphelion = earth is farthest
Best way to remember is that P in perihelion relates to Proximity and A relates to Away

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15
Q

What cycles does the precession cycle run on?

A

19, 22, 24kyr

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16
Q

What is palynology?

A

The study of pollen

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17
Q

What are colepotera/beetles commonly used for to construct?

A

Mean annual temperatures

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18
Q

Why is the definition of an interglacial a “negative shify in oxygen isotope ratios and typically match periods of high insolation”?

A

Negative shift in ratios means that there is a reduced difference/ratio of one isotope to another. This happens in interglacial periods because it is warm enough to evaporate both whereas in glacial periods there is a more positive/bigger ratio of the two oxygen isotopes in ice and foraminifera shells etc. because there is less energy to evaporate the heavier 18O.

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19
Q

What are Loess deposits in China typically composed of?

A

Fluvial clays and silts

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20
Q

When do Homo Erectus fossil remains span between?

A

1.9-0.14mya

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21
Q

When do Acheulian stone tools date back to?

A

1.2 but correct answer is 1.7mya

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22
Q

What did global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reach/average in the last glacial and interglacial and what are they today?

A

Ipswichian (interglacial) = 270ppmv
Devensian (glacial) = 190ppmv
Today = ~400ppmv

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23
Q

List Tundra, coniferous forest, deciduous forest in order of high to low latitude?

A

Tundra, Coniferous, Deciduous

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24
Q

What was global sea level in relation to today during the last glacial maximum and interglacial?

A

last interglacial = 6-9 (8)m above today

Glacial = 120m below

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25
Q

How long do dansgaard-oeschger events last for?`

A

500-2500 years

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26
Q

What is the exams definition of an interstadial and stadial period?

A

Interstadial: A period of high temperatures characterised by low global ice volume
Stadial: A period of low temperatures characterised by high global ice volume

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27
Q

How much did temperatures over Greenland increase by during the Bolling Allerod interstadial?

A

12 degrees celsius

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28
Q

What was the cause for the 8.2 kyr event?

A

Meltwater pulse

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29
Q

What has been attributed as the cause of the decline in Ullmus during the Neolithic?

A

Disease

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30
Q

When was the cultural revolution?

A

35-40kya

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31
Q

What is the study of beetles?

A

coleopterology

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32
Q

What does are Acheulian, Mousterian and Uluzzian stone tools?

A 
Acheulian = homo erectus tools
Mousterian = Neanderthal tools
Uluzzian = AMH tools
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33
Q

List oceanic crust, continental crust, iron and mantle in order of density most to least

A

Iron, mantle, oceanic crust, continental crust

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34
Q

What does immiscible mean?

A

They do not mix because of density e.g. silicone and iron

35
Q

How much carbon is stored in the long-term carbon cycle as carbonates and as organic form?

A 
Carbonates = 5.0x10^21
Oceans = 1.25x10^21
36
Q

How long can carbon be stored as carbonates and at the surface?

A

Carbonates/sedimentary layers = 2.5x10^8

Atmosphere = 1.28x10^5

37
Q

What is the study of palaeolimnology?

A

Study of lake sediments

38
Q

What are chironomids and what are they used to reconstruct and think why?

A

these are mosquitos things which are used to reconstruct mean summer temperature because think of how mosquitos only appear in summer most of the time.

39
Q

Define the three orbital cycles

A 
Eccentricity = shape of orbit
Obliquity = axial tilt
Precession = wobble
40
Q

How long is the cycle for eccentricity, obliquity and precession?

A 
Eccentricity = 96,000 years
Obliquity = 41, 000 years
Precession = 23,000 years
41
Q

When are the Neanderthals thought to have become extinct?

A

24kya

42
Q

What sort of conditions are coniferous plants/trees associated with?

A

Glacial conditions

43
Q

Give 4 coniferous/glacial flora

A

Spruce, pine, non-arboreal pollen, tundra

44
Q

What conditions are poaceae associated with?

A

Transition periods between glacial and interglacial conditions

45
Q

What conditions are deciduous associated with?

A

Temperate/interglacial periods

46
Q

Give 6 deciduous flora/trees

A

Tilia, Ulmus, Acer, Carpinus, Corylus, Quercus, Betula

47
Q

What are Heinrich events - stadials or interstadials?

A

stadials

48
Q

What ‘periodicity’ do Heinrich events occur on?

A

Just before DO events

49
Q

How many Heinrich events have so far been recognised since the last glacial?

A

6 - but there is potential to find more

50
Q

What are Dansgaard-Oeschger events - stadials or interstadials?

A

Interstadials

51
Q

What periodicity do Dansgaard Oeschger events occur on?

A

~1470 years possibly

52
Q

How many Dansgaard Oeschger events have so far been identified since the last glacial period?

A

25

53
Q

What event marks the starting point of when DO and Heinrich events have started to be identified since?

A

The last glacial period

54
Q

What are bond events - stadials or interstadials?

A

stadials - kind of

55
Q

What periodicity do bond events occur on?

A

1470 + or - 500 years

56
Q

What Bond event did the 4.2kyr event coincide with?

A

3

57
Q

What are the possible causes of rapid climate change events?

A

Milankovitch cycles, sub-milankovitch cycles, vulcanism, or internal alterations such as to the AMOC

58
Q

What enables zircons to be dated?

A

Radioactive decay of two uranium isotopes and two lead isotopes

59
Q

How old is the oldest ocean crust in the NW Atlantic and W pacific?

A

180-200myr

60
Q

What is a reducing atmosphere and an oxygenating atmosphere?

A

Reducing atmosphere means that the atmosphere is becoming increasingly anoxic. Oxidising means that it is becoming increasingly oxidised.

61
Q

What was the oxygen state of the atmosphere after the 2.7Ga oxygenic photosynthesis start?

A

Reducing atmosphere, partly oxygenated surface ocean, anoxic deep ocean

62
Q

What was the oxygen state of the atmosphere after the Great Oxidation?

A

Oxidising atmosphere, oxygenated surface ocean, anoxic deep ocean

63
Q

What was the oxygen state of the atmosphere after the 0.6-0.4 oxidation?

A

oxidising atmosphere, oxygenated surface ocean, oxygenated deep ocean

64
Q

What is the critical evidence for the great oxidation?

A

Mass Independent Fractionation

65
Q

What common piece of evidence is mistaken as evidence for the great oxidation? Why is it not always such a good piece of evidence?

A

Banded Iron Formations - because they are found to have existed beforehand possibly in which they could have been created as a result of organisms carrying out anoxygenic photosynthesis in the rocks

66
Q

Where could ancestors of complex life have sheltered during the snowball earth events?

A

Geothermally heated oases on land

67
Q

When were the earliest non-vascular land plants uncovered?

A

Ordovician (445-45Ma - bryophytes)

68
Q

When were the earliest vascular land plants uncovered?

A

Silurian (~425Ma)

69
Q

When were the first trees uncovered?

A

385Ma (Devensian)

70
Q

When do the different periods of the Palaeozoic in the phanerozoic stretch between?

A

Cambrian (~540-505), Ordovician (~505-438), Silurian (~438-408), Devonian (~408-360), Carboniferous (~360-286Ma), Permian (~286-245Ma)

71
Q

What glaciations are thought to have been caused by the rise of non-vascular plants?

A

Ordovician (Hirnation)

72
Q

What glaciations are thought to have been caused by the rise of vascular plants? (possibly question - don’t know if there were glaciations))

A

Carboniferous-Permian?- just think when vascular plants emerged (425Ma therefore just a bit after - maybe Silurian or Devonian

73
Q

What is the importance of the Isthumus of Panama?

A

it is important in determining the build up of large ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere (amoc?)

74
Q

How many MIS are there?

A

~100

75
Q

How much lower were global mean temperatures during the last glacial maximum?

A

5 degrees Celsius

76
Q

Where have the oldest fossil remains of mammoths been found?

A

Candover, Shropshire

77
Q

What is boreal?

A

term given to describe climates with long cold winters and short less cold summers

78
Q

When is it possible that the last glacial started?

A

60-70Kya

79
Q

When is MIS 11?

A

400kya

80
Q

When is MIS 17?

A

700kya

81
Q

What proxy can be used to construct a semi-quantitative record of climate?

A

pollen and spores

82
Q

What is a key multi-decadal climate factor in the Holocene?

A

Solar variability

83
Q

When is the next glacial likely to occur?

A

50kyr in to future

ESSHP: Section 1 (18 decks)

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