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GLE: GENERAL GEOLOGY DAY 1 > GENERAL GEOLOGY > Flashcards

GENERAL GEOLOGY Flashcards

1
Q

The study of the Earth’s material, structure, and history from its past to the present.

A

GEOLOGY

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2
Q

Deals with the composition and the processes occurring on Earth

A

Physical Geology

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3
Q

It deals with the origin and evolution of Earth and life on the planet, and examines the history embedded in rocks and fossils.

A

Historical Geology

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4
Q

A concept formulated by James Ussher that believes the Earth was created in 4004 BC

A

CATASTROPHISM

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5
Q

Conceptualized by the Father of Modern Geology, James Hutton, that states physical, chemical, and biological laws that operate today, also operated in the geologic past.

A

UNIFORMITARIANISM

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6
Q

Proposed by James Hutton, is a concept that says rocks were formed by
emplacement and solidification of lava from volcanoes

A

Plutonism

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7
Q

Proposed by Abraham Werner, a concept that says rocks had settled out of a large ocean whose level gradually dropped over.

A

Neptunism

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8
Q

Similar to uniformitarianism, but events occur at different rates.

A

Actualism

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9
Q

Danish anatomist and geologist, and the Father of Stratigraphy.

A

Nicolas Steno

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10
Q

Younger strata lie on top of the older strata.

A

Law of Superposition

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11
Q

Beds were originally deposited nearly horizontally due to gravitational pull,

A

Law of Original Horizontality

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12
Q

Strata are deposited laterally until the sediment supply lasts or encounter any geologic barrier

A

Law of Lateral Continuity

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13
Q

According to Charles Lyell, structures that cut across strata are younger

A

Law of Cross-cutting Relationship -

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14
Q

According to Charles Lyell, rocks that have been included are relatively older than the host rock

A

Law of Inclusion

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15
Q

Igneous or metamorphic rock inclusions.

A

Xenoliths

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16
Q

Sedimentary rock inclusions.

A

Clasts

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17
Q

According to William Smith, ordering of strata by examining contained fossil

A

Law of Fossil Succession

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18
Q

Remains or traces of prehistoric life, were essential in the development of the geologic time scale.

A

Fossil

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19
Q

Events or strata are placed in their proper sequence or order without knowing their age in years

A

Relative dating

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20
Q

Procedure of calculating the absolute or approximate ages of rocks and minerals containing certain radioactive isotopes

A

Absolute dating

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21
Q

A chart that divides the vast 4.6-billion-year history of Earth into Eons, Eras, Periods, and epochs that utilize the absolute and relative ages of the rocks.

A

Geologic Time Scale

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22
Q

A dynamic mass of water that is continually on the move, evaporating from the oceans to the atmosphere, precipitating back to the land, and running back to the ocean.

*Covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, and has an average depth of about 3,800m or 12,500 ft.

A

HYDROSPHERE

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23
Q

Layers of gases that surround the planet Earth retained by the Earth’s gravity

A

ATMOSPHERE

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24
Q

A division of the Earth’s atmosphere, that extends from the mean sea level to about 100 km above sea level, where the mix of gases roughly constant

A

Homosphere

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25
Q

A division of the Earth’s atmosphere found above the Homosphere where the mixture of gases radically changes with altitude.

A

Heterosphere

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26
Q

The lowest and densest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere extends from the mean sea level up to an average of 10 km. above sea level, the tropopause contains roughly 80% of the mass of the Earth’s atmosphere and is where most of the weather and climate phenomena are confined.

A

TROPOSPHERE

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27
Q

Extends to approximately 9 km above sea level at the poles, and approximately about 17 km above sea level at the equator

A

TROPOSPHERE

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28
Q

Boundary between the Troposphere and the Stratosphere.

A

Tropopause

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29
Q

The second major layer in the atmosphere extends from the Tropopause up to about 50 km above sea level and contains the ozone layer.

A

STRATOSPHERE

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30
Q

Boundary between the Stratosphere and Mesosphere.

A

Stratopause

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31
Q

Part of the atmosphere that contains a relatively high concentration of ozone, which also protects the Earth from UV rays, but traps the rays that enter

A

Ozone Layer

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32
Q

Penetrates glass & deep into the skin, causing skin damage and aging.

A

UV-A

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33
Q

Dangerous between 10:00AM to 4:00PM, with its rays able to cause skin cancer, but can be easily blocked by glass & clothes

A

UV-B

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34
Q

Deadliest of the three UV rays, but mostly absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere.

A

UV-C

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35
Q

The third layer of the Earth’s atmosphere extends from the Stratopause to about 85 km above sea level, with the temperature within this layer dropping with increasing altitude, having an average temperature of about -85°C.

A

MESOSPHERE

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36
Q

The boundary between the Mesosphere and Thermosphere

A

Mesopause

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37
Q

Also called night clouds, are tenuous cloud-like phenomena appearing in the Mesosphere.

A

Noctilucent clouds

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38
Q

The layer in the atmosphere that extends from the Mesopause to about 600 km above sea level, and is completely cloudless and water vapor-free. Auroras also occur within the Thermosphere.

A

THERMOSPHERE

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39
Q

A natural phenomenon that is the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere, caused by solar winds, and is found in high latitude regions.

A

Auroras

40
Q

A dynamic comet-shaped region around the planet created by the interaction of solar wind with Earth’s magnetic field, that acts as a barrier of Earth from space weather.

A

Magnetosphere

41
Q

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits within the ________________, between 350 and 420 km above sea level

A

Thermosphere

42
Q

The outermost layer of the Earth’s atmosphere extends up to 10,000 km above sea level and contains most of the satellites orbiting the planet.

A

EXOSPHERE

43
Q

The boundary between the Thermosphere and Exosphere

A

Exobase

44
Q

border the Earth’s Atmosphere and the beginning of space

A

Karman line

45
Q

Encompasses the solid Earth that extends from the surface to the center of the planet, about __________ deep.

A

GEOSPHERE
6,400 km

46
Q

The process of transforming original pieces of matter into ordered, concentric layers that are separated by physical and chemical properties

A

Differentiation

47
Q

The process of gradual accumulation of additional layers of material, causing a growth or increase in body mass

A

Accretion

48
Q

Homogeneous Accretion (Ringwood, 1979) 2-step process:

A

Accretion of a homogenous or undifferentiated proto-Earth B. Subsequent differentiation into a metallic core and silicate mantle

49
Q

Core and mantle material simultaneously formed, but accreted and differentiated at a separate time

A

Heterogeneous Accretion (Turkenia and Clark, 1969)

50
Q

The Earth experienced a large-scale melting, that may have been due to continuous collisions of planetesimals the radioactive decay of short-lived nuclides, or the effects of the excess greenhouse gases, and formed one or more magma oceans during the late stage of its accretion

A

Magma Ocean Model

51
Q

The outermost layer of the Earth by chemical composition

A

Crust

52
Q

The boundary between Upper and Lower Crust.

A

Conrad Discontinuity

53
Q

Continental crust average density of ____________

A

2.7 g/cm³

54
Q

Generally granitic in composition, but dioritic and/or gabbroic in the lower portion

A

Generally granitic in composition, but dioritic and/or gabbroic in the lower portion

55
Q

The continental crust is About ____ to ____ thick, sometimes reaching _____

A

30 to 80 km
100 km

56
Q

The oldest continental rocks reach up to ___________________

A

4.28 Ga in Greenstone Belts

57
Q

Oceanic crust average density of ____________

A

3.0 g/cm³

58
Q

Generally basaltic in composition

A

oceanic crust

59
Q

Oceanic crust is About ________ thick, the older or cooler it is, the thicker it is

A

3 to 10 km

60
Q

The oldest oceanic crust is ______ along the Western Pacific Ocean and Eastern Atlantic Ocean

A

180 Ma

61
Q

A solid, rocky shell that constitutes the great bulk of the Earth.

A

Mantle

62
Q

The mantle is ___ by volume and ___ by mass

A

83%
62%

63
Q

The mantle extends to a depth of________ deep.

A

2900 km

64
Q

The uppermost part of the mantle is dominantly ___________

A

peridotite

65
Q

The boundary between Crust and Mantle

A

Mohorovicic Discontinuity

66
Q

Core Central mass that’s about ________ in radius, making up about ___ of the Earth’s volume

A

3,480 km
16%

67
Q

the core is composed of an____________

A

iron-nickel alloy

68
Q

the core with an average density of nearly _________ due to extreme pressure

A

11 g/cm

69
Q

The boundary between Mantle and Core.

A

Gutenburg Discontinuity

70
Q

The rigid outer physical layer consists of the entire crust and upper mantle, which ruptures due to stress, producing earthquakes, and breaking into large fragments called plates.

A

Lithosphere

71
Q

Boundary between Lithosphere and Asthenosphere

A

Mohorovicic Discontinuity

72
Q

Contact between the Lithosphere and the Asthenosphere where small in P-wave velocity.

A

Low Velocity Zone

73
Q

Plastic is free-flowing enough not to rupture when subjected to stress, but has more rigid solids than the Low Velocity Zone, increasing the P-wave velocity.

A

Asthenosphere

74
Q

The asthenosphere is dominantly composed of ___________________

A

Olivine, Pyroxene, and Garnet.

75
Q

Contact between the Asthenosphere and the Mesosphere, where at this layer, Oliving transforms into Wadleysite, which transforms into Ringwoodite, and together, with Garnet, transforms into Perovskite and Periclase at the depth of 660 km

A

Transition Zone

76
Q

Boundary between Asthenosphere and Mesosphere

A

Repiti Discontinuity

77
Q

The lower mantle extends from 660 km to 2900 km in depth. Dominantly composed of Perovskite, Periclase, Magnesiowustite, Stishovite, Ilmenite, and Ferrite.

A

Mesosphere

78
Q

Common site of anomalous seismic signals. Characterized by anomalously fast velocities that may have been caused by lithosphere subducted all the way down to the D” layer. It contains the Ultra-Low Velocity Zone (UVLZ) in the lowermost part

A

D” Layer

79
Q

Found in the lowermost part of the D” Layer that causes a large decrease in P-Wave velocity, and may be related to the formation of deep mantle plumes within the lower mantle

A

Ultra-Low Velocity Zone

80
Q

Boundary between Mesosphere and Outer Core.

A

Gutenburg discontinuity

81
Q

A dramatic decrease in P-Wave velocity and absence of S-Wave due to the layer being liquid. The circulation of the molten iron causes geodynamo.

A

Outer Core

82
Q

Outer Core is highly incompressible with a density of ___________

A

10-12 g/cm³

83
Q

Outer Core is Dominantly composed of ______________

A

liquid iron and nickel alloy.

84
Q

The production of most of Earth’s magnetic field.

A

Geodynamo

85
Q

A solid inner core that is __________ in density, that has a rapid increase in P-Wave velocity and reoccurrence of S-Wave velocity.

A

13 g/cm³

86
Q

It is seismically anisotropic, which makes seismic velocity travel faster in one direction compared to the rest due to the parallel alignment of iron-rich crystals.

A

Inner core

87
Q

an Earth’s external structures are Typically located in the interior of the continents

A

Extensive, flat stable areas

88
Q

an Earth’s external structures are Long, narrow features at the margins of continents

A

Uplifted regions

89
Q

The average elevation of the continental features is about ___________

A

0.8 km.

90
Q

Sites of tectonic convergence with uplifted mountain ranges.

A

Mountain belts

91
Q

Includes the region surrounding the Pacific Ocean: the mountains of the western Americas and the island arcs in the eastern Pacific.

A

Circum-Pacific Belt

92
Q

Found along the boundary of the Indian plate and Eurasian plate

A

Alps and the Himalayas

93
Q

Found in the Eastern United States

A

Appalachians

94
Q

where are the Appalachians found in?

A

Eastern United States

95
Q

where are the Urals found in?

A

Russia

96
Q

The interiors of the continents have been relatively stable or undisturbed for at least 600 million years.

A

Stable interior

97
Q
A

GLE: GENERAL GEOLOGY DAY 1 (3 decks)

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