lecture 5 Flashcards
What is geology?
branch of science dealing with Earth (our planet)
What does geology deal with?
➢ rocky body
➢ 4.55 billion year history
➢ environmental changes
What is geo and logos in greek?
GEO = Earth
LOGOS = discourse
What do geologists do?
✓ examine, characterize and classify Earth’s materials
✓ study Earth’s processes of change
✓ identify key relationships of cause (process) and effect (product)
✓ design, develop and test models explaining
processes/observation’s
✓ publish inferences about Earth and how it functions
What is a geologic record?
history of Earth as recorded in the
rocks/rock layers that make up its crust.
Each of the layers is equivalent to a page in Earth’s history
book/GEOLOGIC RECORD.
Individual layers correspond to specific times and events.
Layers can range from millimeters to meters in thickness.
Layers have distinguishing features ranging from sand
grains/microscopic fossils to fossilized trees, dinosaurs and
even ancient riverbeds.
BOTTOM layer is the OLDEST, whereas TOP layer is the
YOUNGEST
What are spatial scales?
SPATIAL SCALES OF OBSERVATION are the different
levels at which we can make observations.
SPATIAL SCALE OF OBSERVATION selected depends on
what it is we are trying to examine/understand.
What are different spatial scales of observation?
Macroscopic: Global (entire planet), regional (portion of oceans, continents, …), local (specific location), hand sample (sample of a mineral, rock, air, water)
Microscopic: microscopic (hand sample that can only be seen with a magnifying glass), atomic/molecular (arrangement of atoms, ions or molecules)
What is a geologic time scale?
➢ a calendar of events in Earth’s history
➢ a representation of time based on Earth’s GEOLOGIC RECORD/ROCK LAYERS
➢ a tool breaking up/dividing history/time into usable, understandable segments/intervals
Within GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE, GEOLOGISTS divide history/time into EONS, ERAS, PERIODS and
EPOCHS.
