Material c Flashcards
The surface of the earth is the interface between:
land air and sea
three major components of the earth
Crust, Mantle, Core
Lithosphere (3)
-crust and uppermost solid mantle
- 0 to 100km
- surface of the earth divided into a series of rigid plates which move
Crust (4)
- formed between 3.9 and 4.5 x 10^9 years ago
- Represents <1% of the earth’s total mass
- the thickness varies between 5 - 35 km thick depending on region (continent or ocean)
- crust is continually being built and eroded
endogenic
land forming process with origin underground
exogenic
weathering and erosion surface process
Asthenosphere (3)
-soft region of upper mantle, below lithosphere
-100 to 300 km
- soft and deforms
Plate boundaries (3)
- transform boundary
- divergent boundary
- convergent boundary
Transform boundary
two plates moving side to side (one past the other), without colliding or moving apart
divergent boundary (2)
- plates moving apart without colliding
- occur in mid ocean, leading to new crustal material from below.
Convergent boundary (7)
-when two plates move toward each other
Two types:
- If one plate in continental and the other is oceanic:
- subduction occurs, eg oceanic plate moves below continental plate
- this cause melting of subduction plate.
- results in mountains, volcanoes, as less dense molten material rises.
- If both plates are continental:
-plate thickening occurs with no significant subduction, eg; himalayas.
Crust composition, rocks (5)
- nonliving material that forms the crust (eg. sand and clay)
- most rocks are composed of minerals
- over 2000 minerals exist, there are 10 major mineral groups that the minerals belong to.
- minerals are called silicates, if they contain oxygen and silicon
- minerals are called alumiosilicates, if structure contains oxygen, silicon and alumium
crust composition, major rock-forming minerals average abundance (4)
-limestone: 92.8% carbonates.
-sandstone: 69.8% quartz.
-basalt: 46.2% feldspars and 36.9% pyroxenes.
-granite: 52.3% feldspars 31.3% quartz
major chemical elements of earth’s crust (8)
- oxygen 47% (most abundant)
- silicon 28%
- aluminium 8%
- iron 5%
- calcium 4%
- potassium 3%
- sodium 3%
- magnesium 2%
rock types
- igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
Igneous rocks (5)
-formed by the cooling (solidification) of molten rock (magma).
- extrusive: (volcanic) rocks formed from molten rock (lava), at earth’s surface.
- fast cooling, little crystal formation, and forms fine grained rocks. eg basalt.
- Intrusive: (plutonic) rocks formed from molten rock (magma) beneath earth’s surface.
- slow cooling, large crystal formation, and forms course grained rocks. eg granite.
Sedimentary rocks (5)
-formed as the result of moderate pressure on accumulated sediments.
-sediments result from:
-weathering and erosion (lead to clastic rocks)
-dissolved materials precipitation (lead to non-clastic rocks) eg gypsum, limestone (evaporite group)
-biological activity (lead to non-clastic rocks) eg peat and coal.
Metamorphic rocks (6)
- formed by exposing parent rocks (sedimentary and igneous) to extreme heat, pressure, and/or permeating hot gasses or liquids (processes occur deep below earth’s surface).
- Extreme heat “thermal metamorphism”: results in rocks with new minerals, as temp. causes parent rock to melt and re-crystallize.
- Pressure and heat: will favor formation of denser minerals over less denser ones in rocks
- same mineralogical composition - Permeating hot gases or liquids “metasomatic metamorphism”: changes rock’s mineralogical composition.
- as gasses or liquids act as export/transport for minerals.
categorizing metamorphism (3)
- contact metamorphism
- regional metamorphism
- dislocated metamorphism
contact metamorphism (3)
- occurs as a result of magma intrusion
- occurs over small areas
- leads to marble for example
Regional metamorphism (3)
- occurs over large areas (of mobile belts)
- leads to rocks eg; gneiss and schist
- occurs with large geological processes such as mountain building.