Exploring Creation with General Science (2nd Edition) Module 6 Flashcards
What is catastrophism?
The view that most of the earths geological features are the result of large scale catastrophes such as floods, volcanic eruptions, etc.
What is uniformitarianism?
The view that most of earths geological features are the result of slow, gradual processes that have been at work for millions or even billions of years
What are minerals?
Inorganic, crystalline/geometric substances found naturally in the earth
What is weathering?
The process by which rocks are broken down to form sediments
What is humus?
The decayed remains of once living creatures
What is erosion?
The process by which rock and soil are broken down and transported away
What is an unconformity?
A surface of erosion that separates one layer of rock from another
Which hypothesis (uniformitarianism or catastrophism) requires that the earth be billions of years old?
Uniformitarianism
What are the three basic types of rocks?
Sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic
How is sedimentary rock formed?
When sediment becomes cemented together
How is igneous rock formed?
When magma or lava cools and hardens
How is metamorphic rock formed?
When a rock undergoes heat and/or pressure
What agent is responsible for laying down most of the sedimentary rock we see today?
Water and wind
A rock in the desert is constantly bombarded by buts of sand that are carried in the wind. Sometimes the sand hits the rock so hard that tiny chips of the rock are broken off. As time goes on, the co stand. Eating is the sand inn the rock wears the rock down, and it gets much smaller. Had the rock experienced physical or chemical weathering?
Physical weathering
When limestone is exposed to weakly acidic water, it breaks down, forming a gas in the process. Is this chemical or physical weathering?
Chemical weathering
A geologist is comparing the erosion that occurs as a result of two different rivers. The first river flows quickly while the second flows slowly. Which river do you expect to cause the lost erosion?
The first river, faster water carries and erodes more
Two hillsides that are in the same community experience a very heavy rain. The first hillside is covered with grass and flowers, while the second is mostly bare. Which hillside will experience the most erosion?
The second hill, plants hold together sediments
What causes a river to form a delta?
When the river drops the sediments it carries
What kind of water is responsible for eroding underground caverns?
Groundwater
What is the difference between a stalactite and a Stalagmite?
A stalactite come from the ceiling while a Stalagmits comes from the ground
What causes stalactites and stalagmites to form?
When groundwater collects know the save and as the water drips, sediment in the water is deposited and as each deposit builds, it forms icicle-like structures in the cave
Typically, where is metamorphic rock found?
Deeper because metamorphic rock forms from heat and pressure
Where can igneous rock form?
On the ground because volcanoes can erupt and when magma squeezes through cracks in bedrock and hardens (dike/sill)
Where can sedimentary rock form?
Sedimentary rock is typically found closer to ground level because it is formed from sediments , which are loose and on the ground like sand
What is an angular unconformity?
Layer of rock below is at an angle to layer of rock above
What is an intrusion?
When magma from a deeper layer is injected into cracks and fissures in sedimentary rock
What is a nonconformity?
When sedimentary rock rests upon igneous or metamorphic rock
What is a disconformity?
Layers are parallel yet lower layer shows erosion / sedimentary rock is layered on top of sedimentary rock
What is a paraconformity?
When NO evidence of erosion is shown but scientists think there should be erosion (para means false)
What is a sill?
The vein or intrusion runs parallel to the layer of rock
What is a dike?
The intrusion runs perpendicular to the layer of rock
Name 3 unusual geologic features found in the channeled scablands.
Gorges, waterfall without any water, weird holes, strange layers of silt and ash, huge boulders, potholes, boulders made of granite
Name two ways that other scientists proposed as possible explanations for creating the channeled scablands and its unique geologic features. Also identify the problem with each explanation.
Erosion caused by rivers over millions of years, but there is no evidence of the main river nearby (Colombian) flooding and it’s too far away. Ice can carve solid rock and build mountains, but glaciers from Canada came down and formed mountains but never made it to the scablands
What was the main reason why the other scientists rejected the possibility of a mega flood?
They didn’t think that something like a huge flood could happen overnight : they were uniformitarians
Name at least 3 key observations made by Bret’s or Pardee.
Bretz observed rippled land, gravel, and levels of erosion from water. Pardee observed scrape marks on rocks and carved out pieces of land from glaciers
Discuss how the mega flood hypothesis explains how the dry falls, large boulders, and large potholes were formed.
The dry falls were formed by a rushing river because the faster the water moves, the more it erodes. The large boulders in the scablands were transported by the water from the flood and moved into the scablands by the fast-moving water. The large potholes were created by bubbles in the holes of the rocks bursting and the bubbles created a vortex.
Can uniformitarianism explain the scablands?
No because it didn’t take long for the scablands to be created.
Can catastrophism explain the scablands?
Yes, because there was an ice dam that exploded, and as the water moved, it eroded the rock, carried in boulders, and the bubbles of the water created potholes.
