Geomorphology Flashcards
terrestrial plants are (4)
- Mercury
- Venus
- Mars
- Earth
Jovian (AKA gas giants) are
- Jupiter
- Saturns
- Uranus
- Neptune
Uniformitarianism
processes that are happening today occurred in the same way in the past.
is this uniformitarianism or catastrophism
Key to the past is the present
uniformitarianism
is this uniformitarianism or catastrophism
earth is young
Catastrophism
is this uniformitarianism or catastrophism
Earth is old
uniformitarianism
catastrophism
earth is formed through unique supernatural means and affected by a series of catastrophes
earth is _____ years old
4.6 billion
periods of time from greatest to smallest
- eons
- eras
- periods
- epochs
- ages
eons
hundreds of millions to billions of years
eras
many millions of years
periods
millions of years
epochs
few million years
ages
thousands of years
what’s period are we in
Holocene
periods are divided by
mass extinction events
endogenic vs exogenic
endogenic
builds things up
exogenic
breaks things down to SEA LEVEL
where does exogenic process break things down to
SEAL LEVEL
examples of exogenic
- weathering
- mass movements
- erosions
examples of endogenic
- rock formations
- plate tectonics
- isostatic adjustments
what would earth look like with ONLY endogenic processes
very high and flat
what would earth look like with ONLY exogenic processes
very low with lots of bumps
what creates our topology
both endogenic and exogenic
a planet is a _______ body
celestial
what defines a planet
- an orbit around a sun
- has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape)
- has “cleared the neighbourhood” around its orbit
the three dwarf planets are
Ceres
Pluto
2003 UB313
what separates terrestrial and jovian planets
asteroid belt
terrestrial or jovian planets
smaller
terrestrial
terrestrial or jovian planets
larger
jovian
jovian or terrestrial planets
closest to sun
terrestrial
jovian or terrestrial planets
farthest from sun
jovian
parts of Earth’s interior
- Solid inner core
- Liquid outer core
- Solid lower mantle
- partially molten upper mantle
- crust
what layer of the earth’s interior has the LARGEST radius
Solid inner core
what element makes up the solid inner core and the liquid outer core
iron
what makes up the mantle
solid lower mantle and the partially molten upper mantle
A
Inner core
B
outer core
C
mantle
D
crust
have natural catastrophes played some role in the formation of landforms
YES
how is Earth formed
through gradual processes, punctuated by dramatic events (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides…)
uniformitarianism vs catastrophism
processes take time to form earth
uniformitarianism
uniformitarianism vs catastrophism
catastrophic events form earth
catastrophism
who supported uniformitarianism
- Darwin
- Lyell
- Hutton
who supported catastrophism
Cuvier
what period of time is associated with distinct fossil records
eras
what period of time is associated with distinct rock units
periods
why do we use such large periods like eons
because there are long stretches in earth’s history where nothing really happened
what produces distinct fossilis
evolution
did the oceans, continents and atmosphere form slow or fast
very slow and over long time
is earth’s crust (surface) constantly changing or is it static
ongoing state of change
two types of processes
- endogenic process
- exogenic process
endogenic or exogenic
internal system
endogenic
endogenic or exogenic
external system
exogenic
what powers endogenic processes
radioactive decay deep within earth
what powers exogenic processes
solar energy
endogenic or exogenic
flows of heat and material from below earth’s crust
endogenic
endogenic or exogenic
motion of air, water and ice to modify surfaces
exogenic
radiative decay
turns one unstable element into another more stable element
where does heat migrate in endogenic systems
from the center by conduction and convection
what creates the magnetic field
convection and conduction currents deep within core of earth
outermost layer of earth
crust
describe the crust
- outermost rigid layer
- has varying thickness (but relatively thin)
two types of the crust
- continental crust
- oceanic crust
what type of crust has the highest density and why
ocean (3.0 g per cm3) - water has more pressure then air does (forces the same amount of particles into a smaller density)
what type of crust has a lower density
continental (2.7 g per cm3)
what stone makes up the continental crust
granite
what stone makes up the oceanic crust
basalt
the mantle is mostly ______ (liquid or solid)
solid
where do temp and pressure increase in the mantle and why
towards the center - the deeper you go into the earth the more temp there is and the more mass above your
where does energy transfer move in the mantle
towards surface - energy is lower near the surface
asthenosphere
partial melting zone which allows the continents to move
where is the asthenosphere zone located
in the mantle
why is the mantle MOSTLY solid
because the outer portion holds the continents which can floaontop
the interior (core) is _____
layered
what are the layers of the core
- inner core
- outer core
the inner core is _____
solid iron
why does the inner core remain solid
because of the high pressure, it won’t melt despite the high temp
outer core is _____
molten iron
is the inner core solid or liquid
solid
is the outer core solid or liquid
liquid
outer core
- molten iron
- lighter density
why is the outer core molten and not solid
because it has a lower pressure which causes it to melt under the high temps
what does earth’s magnetism make
magnetic field
what generates the magnetic field and magnetosphere
fluid outer core
what produces magnetic energy
- thermal energy
- gravitational energy
true or false
the north magnetic pole does not move
false - it does move
what is a geomagnetic reversal
when the polarity of the magnetic field reverses
importance of the geomagnetic reversal
allows us to date rocks because we have a time scale for these events
average period of geomagnetic reversal
500 000 years but it VARIES
the geological cycle includes both
endogenic and exogenic systems
what system ERODES LANDFORMS
exogenic
what system BUILDS landforms
endogenic
what is the geological cycle tied to
- hydrological cycle
- rock cycle
- tectonic cycle
what is involved in the tectonic cycle
- heat, energy and material cycling
what are exogenic and endogenic processes
uniformitarianism
