Geology Exam #1

Question 1

What was the geocentric model of the universe?

Answer 1

A geocentric Model of a Universe thats say the earth is placed in the center of the universe

Question 2

What did it The geocentric model account for?

Answer 2

That the Earth is stationary. The plants sun and star all revolve around the earth

Question 3

what are the three rule for defining a planet

Answer 3

It must Orbit a star,It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape, It must be big enough that its gravity has cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun.

Question 4

What are the main differences between Terrestrial and Jovian planets?

Answer 4

Terrestrial Planet are rocky and large while Jovian Planets are small and are gas formed

Question 5

What are the major ways in which the Earth gets/has gotten its internal heat?

Answer 5

The heat from when the planet formed, The heat from radioactive decay, and other radioactive elemements

Question 6

What are Earth’s mechanical layers?

Answer 6

Lithosphere, asthensopshere, lower mantle, outer core, and inner core

Question 7

What are Earth’s compositional layers?

Answer 7

core mantle and crust

Question 8

How does pressure and temperature change when
moving into the Earth’s interior?

Answer 8

The temperature and the pressure both increase as we go deeper within the Earth, toward its core.

Question 9

What are the main elements that compose the earth

Answer 9

ron, oxygen, silicon, and magnesium

Question 10

Plastic vs. elastic vs. brittle deformation

Answer 10

Elastic=temporary
plastic=permanent
rupture=rock breaks while undergoing elastic strain

Question 11

Magnetic poles

Answer 11

is the point where the lines of force of the Earth’s magnetic field converge.

Question 12

Geographic poles

Answer 12

is the end of the Earth’s rotation axis and is the North on geographic maps.

Question 13

What interior portion of the
Earth is responsible for the magnetic field generation?

Answer 13

the fluid outer core by a self-exciting dynamo process

Question 14

What is the general structure/layers of our atmosphere?

Answer 14

troposhphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere

Question 15

What is the most abundant
gas in our atmosphere?

Answer 15

nitrogen

Question 16

What are Earth’s principal greenhouse gases?

Answer 16

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and various synthetic chemicals

Question 17

What does the ozone layer do for us?

Answer 17

absorbs a portion of the radiation from the sun, preventing it from reaching the planet’s surface.

Question 18

On which plate do volcanoes form at a subduction zone?

Answer 18

Oceanic Plate

Question 19

What main factors and theories does the theory of plate tectonics explain/support?

Answer 19

how major landforms are created as a result of Earth’s subterranean movements.

Question 20

What were Wegener’s lines of evidence for continental drift?

Answer 20

fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils.

Question 21

Which two layers of Earth compose tectonic plates

Answer 21

crust and upper mantle

Question 22

oceanic crust?

Answer 22

is thinner and denser,

Question 23

The continental crust

Answer 23

is thicker and less dense

Question 24

Why is there no earthquake activity below about 670 km at a subduction zone?

Answer 24

the subducting plate is not brittle anymore and has become hot enough to flow plastically.

Question 25

What class of minerals is the most abundant on Earth?

Answer 25

Feldspars

Question 26

What is the 6-part definition of a mineral?

Answer 26

1) naturally occurring, 2) inorganic, 3) solid at room temperature, 4) regular crystal structure, and 5) defined chemical composition.

Question 27

What are polymorphs?

Answer 27

a mineral with the same chemical composition but a different internal structure.

Question 28

In what 2 major ways do mineral crystals grow?

Answer 28

1. crystallization of magma (cools inside the crust) or lava (cools & hardens on the surface) 2. crystallization of materials dissolved in water. When these liquids cool to a solid state, they form crystals

Question 29

Why can we not always rely on color to help us figure out what a mineral is?

Answer 29

because color can be highly variable. Some minerals can occur in a variety of different colors due to impurities in the chemical makeup of the mineral.

Question 30

anhedral crystals?

Answer 30

refers to the lack of crystal faces on a particular mineral specimen.

Question 31

euhedral crystals

Answer 31

, where the mineral specimen shows flat, well delineated crystal surface features

Question 32

Name a couple of minerals that are soft, and a couple that are harder than glass.

Answer 32

Quartz is hard, Calcite is soft,

Question 33

fractional crystallization

Answer 33

Fractional crystallization is a geological process of crystallization and removal of different minerals from the cooling magma.

Question 34

Partial melting

Answer 34

Partial melting is a geological process in which different minerals in the rock melt in different temperatures.

Question 35

How does the cooling of a rock affect the grain size/texture

Answer 35

slow cooling allows large crystals to form, fast cooling yields small crystals.

Question 36

viscosity

Answer 36

a key property that affects how rocks deform and flow under stress,

Question 37

What are the 4 main intrusive igneous rock types, and their extrusive counterparts?

Answer 37

granite, diorite, gabbro, and peridotite.

Question 38

What is an example of a glassy igneous rock,

Answer 38

basalt, andesite, and rhyolite

Question 39

example of a pyroclastic igneous rock?

Answer 39

. Pumice, scoria, and cinders

Question 40

What are the three types of volcanoes?

Answer 40

cinder cones, composite volcanoes , and shield volcanoes.

Question 41

What factors make a volcano explosive vs. effusive?

Answer 41

he amount of gas in the magma.

Question 42

Which types of volcanoes are polygenetic?

Answer 42

Composite volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and calderas

Question 43

Which types of volcanoes are monogenetic??

Answer 43

cinder cones and fissure volcanoes

Question 44

What is a pluton?

Answer 44

a body of intrusive igneous rock.

Question 45

What is a batholith?

Answer 45

a very large igneous intrusion extending deep in the earth's crust.

Question 46

What are dike rocks

Answer 46

tabular or sheet-like bodies of magma that cut through and across the layering of adjacent rocks.

Question 47

What are still rocks

Answer 47

a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock

Question 48

What are vesicles?

Answer 48

small cellular containers