Glossary Flashcards

1
Q

Asthenosphere

A

A layer of mantle below the lithosphere.

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2
Q

Basalt

A

Dark fine-grained igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava, rich in magnesium and iron.

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3
Q

Borehole

A

A deep narrow hole drilled down into the ground to extract, for example, oil, gas, water, or samples of rock.

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4
Q

core (inner)

A

hot dense ball of mostly iron.

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5
Q

Core (outer)

A

Third layer of the earth and the only liquid layer, mainly made up of the metals iron and nickel.

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6
Q

Crust (continental)

A

Layer of granitic, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, which form the continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores.

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7
Q

Dolerite

A

Fine-to-medium-grained, dark grey to black intrusive igneous rock. extremely hard and tough.

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8
Q

Gabbro

A

igneous rock formed in the slow cooling of magnesium rich and iron rich magma deep beneath the earths surface.

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9
Q

Gutenberg Discon.

A

Marks the boundary between the mantle and core.

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10
Q

Granite

A

Coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase.

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11
Q

Lehmann discon.

A

In between the inner and outer core of the earth.

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12
Q

Lithosphere

A

The upper rigid layer of the crust and upper mantle.

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13
Q

Longitudinal wave

A

Waves were the displacement of the medium is in the same direction as the direction of the travelling wave.

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14
Q

Low velocity zone

A

Characterised by low seismic velocities

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15
Q

mantle

A

Mostly solid bulk of earths interior.

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16
Q

Meteorite (iron)

A

Thought to represent the core of a planet-like object, which formed early in the history of the solar system.

17
Q

Meteorite (stony)

A

Thought to represent the mantle of a planet-like object.

18
Q

Moho

A

Boundary broadly between the crust and the mantle where P and S wave velocities decrease.

19
Q

Ophiolite

A

sections of the oceanic crust that have been tectonically moved onto continental crust.

20
Q

Partial melting

A

Occurs when a small proportion of the rock melts, usually between 1 and 5%.

21
Q

peridotite

A

An ultramafic igneous rock composed of the minerals olivine and pyroxene.

22
Q

rheid

A

A non-molten solid that deforms by viscous or plastic flow, in response to an applied force.

23
Q

seismic

A

vibration generated by an earthquake, explosion, or similar energetic source.

24
Q

seismogram

A

The paper or electronic record made by a seismograph.

25
Seismograph/ seismometer
Device which receives and records seismic vibrations.
26
shadow zone
an area where earthquake waves are not recorded.
27
transverse wave
Motion in which all points on a wave oscillate along the paths at right angles to the direction of the wave's advance.
28
wave (P type)
One of the two main types of elastic body waves. Primary wave or pressure wave are the first signal from an earthquake.
29
Wave (S type)
Slower velocity and are normally the second major phase to be observed on a seismogram, secondary waves.
30
wave (surface)
Seismic wave that is trapped near the surface of the earth.
31
Xenolith
Pieces of rock within an igneous rock which have not been derived from the original magma but have been introduced from elsewhere.