GEOL 120 - Midterm 1

Question 1

Exponential growth

Answer 1

A type of growth where a constant percentage of the population is added each year, mathematically represented as 𝑁 = 𝑁 0𝑒 𝑘𝑡 where k is the growth rate, N is the original population, and t is the time in years. Doubling time: 70/k

Question 2

Covalent Bonds

Answer 2

shared electron pair, strongest bond (e.g diamonds)

Question 3

ionic bonds

Answer 3

opositely charged atoms, dissolve in water (e.g salt)

Question 4

Metalic Bonds

Answer 4

electrons are shared by all atoms of the solid, joins bulk of metal atoms (e.g aluminium foil)

Question 5

Van der Waals

Answer 5

weak attraction between chains of ions (e.g graphite)

Question 6

Minerals

Answer 6

inorganic, normally solid, crystaline, formed as the result of a geological process

Question 7

Isotopes

Answer 7

atoms of the same element w/ different number of neutrons

Question 8

Magnetic Stripes

Answer 8

prove the creation of new seafloor. Earth’s magnetic feild reverses every few thousand years.

Question 9

Subduction Zones

Answer 9

areas where one plate sinks under another and oceanic crust is destroyed

Question 10

Mid-oceanic ridges

Answer 10

where divergent plates move away from each other and oceanic crust is created

Question 11

Sustainability

Answer 11

The development or use of resources that are economically viable, do not harm the environment, are socially just, and ensure equal access to resources for future generations.

Question 12

Freshwater Salinization

Answer 12

The process where freshwater sources become saline due to causes like road de-icing runoff, leading to implications such as compromised drinking water and supply depletion.

Question 13

Residence Times

Answer 13

The average time a substance spends in a system, calculated as T= S/F where S is the size of the stock and F is the rate of transfer, providing insights into system dynamics.

Question 14

Earth System Science

Answer 14

The study of the entire planet as a system, considering its various components and interactions.

Question 15

Uniformitarianism

Answer 15

The concept that present processes can help interpret past geological events, suggesting that current processes operated similarly in the past.

Question 16

5 Spheres

Answer 16

Geosphere (lithosphere), atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere

Question 17

Denitrification and Water Quality

Answer 17

Nitrogen compound is released back into the atmosphere by bacteria converting nitrate into gaseous N. Occurs in wetlands! Treats water to reduce its nitrate-nitrogen.

Question 18

Nitrogen Pollution

Answer 18

causes the production of algae which consumes the oxygen, sinks to the bottom, and causes “dead zones”

Question 19

Mass Balance Approach

Answer 19

Considering the inputs, output, and distribution of a substance. Pools: the given stock of materials. Fluxes: the amount of inflow or outflow. Steady-state (inputs = outputs) no net change

Question 20

Catastrophism

Answer 20

Earth’s landscape has been changed rapidly by violent, short-lived, large-sacale events

Question 21

Nitrogen Cycle

Answer 21

The cycle altered by human activities like fertilizer use, leading to consequences such as climate change, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion.

Question 22

Organic Matter

Answer 22

help with bacterial decompostiion (so bacteria doesn’t absorb too much oxygen, killing other organisms)

Question 23

Phosphorus and Nitrogen

Answer 23

cause growth of algal blooms in lakes (fertilizer runoff)

Question 24

What happened to Kissimmee and Florida Everglades

Answer 24

floodplanes were drained to make room for infrastructure

Question 25

Stratification in lakes is caused by

Answer 25

density varaitions (heat and salinity)

Question 26

Envrionmnetal estrogens

Answer 26

synthetic chemical that may act like estrogen hormones, can cause hormone imbalances

Question 27

Ocean Acidification

Answer 27

The rising acidity level of the ocean caused by carbon dioxide dissolved into water and turning into carbonic acid. Harful to coral reefs and shelled organisms. “the other CO2 problem”

Question 28

Scientific Method

Answer 28

A logical pathway involving observation, hypothesis development, testing, and theory formation through repeated testing.

Question 29

Population Growth

Answer 29

The rapid increase in the human population causing environmental issues like overconsumption and resource depletion.

Question 30

Volcanism

Answer 30

The process of magma rising to the Earth's surface and producing igneous rocks.

Question 31

Tectonics

Answer 31

The movement and deformation of the Earth's crust leading to the formation of different types of rocks.

Question 32

Wegener's Theory

Answer 32

Pangea/Continental Drift. Rejected b/c there was no mechanism (until Hess proved seafloor spreading). Evidence: fossil, glacial, and rock

Question 33

Seafloor Spreading

Answer 33

Plate tectonic concept that new crust is continuously added to the edges of lithospheric plates at divergent plate boundaries b/c of upwelling magma along mid-oceanic ridges. Evidence: marine magnetic anomalies.

Question 34

Using seismology to learn about the internal structure of the Earth

Answer 34

S-waves can’t move through liquid —> there is a liquid (outer) core

Question 35

What moves tectonic plates

Answer 35

Mantle convection

Question 36

Internal Structure of Earth

Answer 36

Crust - continental (thickest in mountains) and oceanic (thinest) Mantle - Lithosphere: more rigid (forms continents and plates) and Asthenosphere: hotter, slow-flowing Liquid outer core Solid inner core

Question 37

Types of plate boundaries

Answer 37

Convergent (together) Transform (slide past) Divergent (away)

Question 38

Isotasy

Answer 38

Equilibrium between Earth’s crust and the mantle.

Question 39

Subduction

Answer 39

The process where one tectonic plate moves under another, leading to the recycling of rocks into the mantle.

Question 40

Sedimentary Rock

Answer 40

Rocks formed from weathered pre-existing rocks or organic materials that accumulate on the Earth's surface.

Question 41

Igenous Rock

Answer 41

Rocks formed from the cooling and solidifcation of magma

Question 42

Metamorphic Rock

Answer 42

Rocks formed from the alteration of existing rocks due to high temperatures and pressures.

Question 43

Acidic Mine Drainage

Answer 43

The formation of highly acidic water rich in heavy metals due to the oxidation of sulfide minerals in coal-bearing rocks.

Question 44

Rock Laws

Answer 44

Law of Original Horizontality: sediments are basically horizontal when deposited Law of Superposition: if not overturned, oldest on the bottom, youngest on top Law of Crosscutting Relationships: rock is younger than anything it cuts

Question 45

Halides

Answer 45

Minerals with weak ionic bonds formed from a cation and a halogen ion.

Question 46

Carbonates

Answer 46

Minerals formed from marine shells, easily weathered, and react with acids.

Question 47

Silicates

Answer 47

The most abundant group of rock-forming minerals made of oxygen and silicon.

Question 48

Oxides

Answer 48

Minerals like hematite and bauxite formed from oxygen and metal ions.

Question 49

Sulfides

Answer 49

Minerals like pyrite associated with environmental degradation and acid mine drainage.

Question 50

Types of Igneous rock

Answer 50

intrusive: crystalized beneath the surface, slow coolin, and large grain extrusive: cystalized at/near surface, rapid cooling, shiny, often black exterior

Question 51

Rock

Answer 51

an agregate of a mineral or minerals

Question 52

Kissimmee River (FL)

Answer 52

most succuesful ecosystem restoration, re-connected the floodplain of the river to replicate its natural paths.

Question 53

Ecological Niches

Answer 53

How a species makes a living

Question 54

Wetlands

Answer 54

swamps, marshes, bogs that are frequently or continously inuated by water. They filter/detoxify (nature’s kidneys). Often red or black soil, adapted vegetation, presence of water at surface/root zone

Question 55

Why and how are streams restored

Answer 55

riparian reconnection to increase denitrifiation and improve water quality

Question 56

Native elements

Answer 56

Minerals like silver, copper, and gold found in small deposits and concentrated by hydrothermal processes.

Question 57

Weathering

Answer 57

The breakdown of rocks through physical, chemical, or biological processes.

Question 58

Stable Isotopes

Answer 58

Isotopes that do not decay, used in determining ages and sources of materials.

Question 59

Radioisotopes

Answer 59

Isotopes that undergo nuclear decay, used in radiometric dating.

Question 60

Ecosystem

Answer 60

a community of organisms and their nonliving envrionment in which chemical elements cycle and energy flows

Question 61

Keystone Species

Answer 61

Species with a disproportionate impact on their ecosystem relative to their abundance.

Question 62

Climax Communities

Answer 62

Stable ecological communities in balance with their environment.

Question 63

Biodiversity

Answer 63

The variety of life forms in an ecosystem, essential for ecosystem health.

Question 64

Riparian Zone

Answer 64

Vegetated land along rivers critical for water quality and ecosystem health.

Question 65

Catastrophes

Answer 65

Damages to people, property, or society that require a long-involved recovery or rehabilitation process, caused by natural disasters in vulnerable areas.