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Geology 102 > Human and earth interaction > Flashcards

Human and earth interaction Flashcards

1
Q

What is the equation for the world population growth rate?

A

WPGR = (BR - DR) *100%

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2
Q

What was the growth rate in 1900 vs 1960 vs today?

A

1900 - 0.8%
1960 - 2.6%
Today - 1.05%

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3
Q

Define what doubling time means

A

this is the time required to double a human
population at a given growth rate.

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4
Q

What is the rule of 70?

A

Population doubling time = 70 divided by growth
rate.
At world growth rate of 1.05% 70/1.05 = 67 yrs to double the population.

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5
Q

Define non-renewable resources

A

Resources that cannot be renewed within a humans lifespan are considered to be non-renewable.

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6
Q

What are some ways we can get more use out of non-renewable resources

A

Mines for uranium, potash, and copper (take millions of years to form)
We can recycle them though to make it more reusable

Fracking to recover more oil from the ground

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7
Q

define feedback loop

A

outputs (e.g., more sewage waste)
influence the performance of the system (e.g., more
sewage waste getting into drinking water, more
disease)

Earth as a ‘closed system’ with feedback
loops as resource availability changes,
Gaia hypothesis (proposed by James
Lovelock in the 1980s)

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8
Q

Define positive feedback loop

A

increases a quality of the system

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9
Q

define negative feedback loop

A

Dampens a quality of the system, keeps the
system more stable

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10
Q

What are the 6 geological eons?

A

Beginning: Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic.
The first 3 are contained in the Precambrian eon and the last three are contained in the Phanerozoic eon.

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11
Q

How are the boundaries between the eons, eras, periods determined?

A

Events such as new fossils, disappearance of fossils and major events like meteor impacts

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12
Q

How do geologist reconstruct earths geological history?

A

They study the rock record: stratigraphic record and fossil record

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13
Q

Define Stratigraphic record

A

the layers of
rock and their relationships to one
another

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14
Q

Define formation

A

A formation is a rock layer of the same rock type * or group of associated rock layers that occur over a larger
area and have a specific geologic age

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15
Q

Define contact

A

The surface/ boundary between 2 formations

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16
Q

Define strata

A

Layers of sedimentary rock

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17
Q

Define Stratigraphic column

A

a vertical cross-section where the rock
layers are divided into stratigraphic formations.

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18
Q

In order to understand the history of a rock, geologists use several geological principles. What are the 8?

A
  1. Uniformitarianism
  2. Original horizontality
  3. Law of superposition
  4. Lateral continuity
  5. Cross-cutting relationships
  6. Fossil succession
  7. Inclusions
  8. Unconformities
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19
Q

Define uniformitarianism

A

processes operating at the present are the same processes that
have operated in the past.

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20
Q

define catastrophism

A

was an earlier theory, generally not
the way Earth’s surface has evolved but catastrophic
events have been important sometimes.
* For example, Asteroid impacts

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21
Q

Define Original horizontality

A

beds of sediment deposited in water were formed as
horizontal or nearly horizontal layers
This implies that a horizontal attitude is normal for most sedimentary beds/rocks

22
Q

Attitude means

A

orientation

23
Q

Sedimentary rocks that are not horizontal have been subjected to some other geological process such as

A

folding or faulting

24
Q

Define superposition

A

within a sequence of undisturbed sedimentary rocks,
the layers get younger going from the bottom to top

25
Define the principle of lateral continuity
Usually, sediments are deposited as continuous sheets * Erosion can remove sediments, making them discontinuous even though they originated as one continuous unit
26
Define cross-cutting relationships
Younger features cut across older features * Faults, dikes, and erosion, must be younger than the materials that is faulted, intruded, or eroded
27
Define the principle of fossil succession
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of organisms from the past * A geological time span can be identified by its suite of fossils since different organisms lived during certain time periods, and follow one another in an accepted and recognized order based on decades of research * E.g., Trilobites lived only in the early Paleozoic time & Ammonoids Late Paleozoic & Mesozoic.
28
Define inclusions
Inclusions are fragments of a rock unit that are found enclosed within another rock unit. The rock that supplied the rock pieces must be older than the rock unit within which the pieces are enclosed.
29
Define Unconformities
* Rock layers that are deposited over time mainly without interruption are said to be conformable beds. There is no gap in time in the age of the beds. * Unfortunately, there is no place on Earth where there is a continuous sequence of conformable beds of all of Earth’s history. * An unconformity represents a gap in * time between preserved beds: 1. Due to erosion and/or, 2. Lack of material resulting in no deposition.
30
What are the 3 types of unconformities
angular unconformities, non-conformities, and disconformities
31
Define angular unconformity
Where a tilted bed underlies a horizontal bed
32
Define nonconformity
where a break in time occurs between older metamorphic or igneous rocks and younger sedimentary rocks.
33
Define disconformity
where gap in time is not readily apparent with horizontal sedimentary beds on either side of the unconformity
34
Stratigraphic column
a vertical cross-section where the rock layers are divided into stratigraphic formations.
35
The rate of radioactive decay is measured in?
Half life
36
Each radioactive element has a ____ half-life – this is how we can get _______ dates for absolute dating measurements!
set accurate
37
When radioative minerals crystallize the radioactive elements begin to decay and form ____ ________
New elements
38
When uranium undergoes radioactive decays it becomes which element
lead/Pb
39
What type of eleemtn would be used to determine the age of a rock that came from a long time ago vs more recently
Uranium for long periods or time, carbon 14 for shorter periods of time
40
Why is zircon useful for uranium/lead dating?
When zircons form igneous rocks they do not incorporate lead, only uranium. We can tell the age of the roc by the quantity of lead that decayed from the uranium, which would be stuck in the zircon rock.
41
Absolute ages vs relative ages
Absolte is exact numbers like 65 million years ago Relative ages is saying this unit is older than that unit
42
What does chronological time scale refer to? what does hierarchical time scale refer to?
Chronological - absolute time Hierarchical - relative time
43
The hadean, Archean and Proterozoic is often grouped together with what term?
Precambrian
44
The phanerozoic consists of which 3 eras?
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic
45
How many billions or years ago did the big bang occur
13.6 Ga
46
How many billions of years ago did earth and other planets begin to form?
4.6 Ga
47
Describe the hadean eon
Volcanic eruptions releasing gases Layers of Earth began to form, core formed by gravity pulling Fe (iron) to the center of Earth (the iron catastrophe) First evidence of the hydrosphere
48
Describe the Archean eon
Primordial soup - hypothesis - lightening, UV react with gases to begin life meteorite impact craters - special environments with water, heat, good place for life to begin asexual reproduction Mainly methane and ammonia atmosphere Continental crust solidifies - cratons
49
Describe the Proterozoic eon
Life is aquatic Oxygen increasing in atmosphere and ozone layer formed sexual and asexual reproduction Cratons joined together to form continents and continents formed together to form supercontinent(Rodinia) formation of rich ore deposits (black smokers) Glaciation occurs leading to mass extinction
50
Describe the Paleozoic era
first hard shelled animals oxygen increased in the atmosphere Cambrian explosion(explosion of life)

Geology 102 (11 decks)

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