Midterm 1 Flashcards
What is the crust composed of?
Igneous Rocks, Sedimentary Rocks and Metamorphic Rocks
Oxygen (O 46%) and Silicon (Si 28%) are the two most abundant elements in Earth’s crust.
What are the building blocks of minerals?
Naturally occuring
Solid crystalline substance
Inorganic
Specific chemical composition
What are minerals composed of?
Elements,such as carbon (C), oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg)
What are elements?
Substances which cannot be separated or subdivided into simpler substances by chemical means
Minerals as nutrients
a chemical element required as an essential nutrient by organisms to perform functions necessary for life.
What are the five major minerals in the human body?
Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium.
Trace elements
All of the remaining elements in a human
body are called trace elements. The
trace elements that have a specific
biochemical function in the human body
are sulfur, iron, chlorine, cobalt, copper,
zinc, manganese, molybdenum, iodine
and selenium.
Where is the Loess Plateau
Northwest China
What is the Loess Plateau
An area with dry powdery wind-blown soil.
What causes desertification?
- Overgrazing by sheep and goats, other livestock
- Cutting down trees or other vegetation
What are some methods that have been used at the loess plateau?
- Warping dams to create rich fertile fields in valleys
- Terrace side of ravines
- Fish scale terraces for single trees
- Introduce trees (fruit trees are good)
- Stabilize soil/dunes with grasses, bushes
- Feed livestock in pens rather than herding
Why is it important that the local people be involved in rehabilitating the land?
- Sense of shared responsibility, stewardship
- Get paid for rehabilitation work
- Personal achievement and pride
China has about ____% of the world’s population, but only about _____% of it’s arable land.
22% and 7%
Where does the loess come from
(1) alluvial fans in the central asia orogenic belt
(2) the alluvial fans in the north of the Qilian mountains in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau
(3)North China Craton
What are some of the Loess-forming processes and transport mechanisms?
Strong near surface winds are primarily responsible for transport as well as monsoons
Why is so much dust formed in the Loess plateau?
- Highest known uplift rates in the world in the Himalayas
- Rapid river incision and therefore sediment production
- Unstable slopes
- Glaciation
- Erosion from freeze-thaw fracturing
What is a micron?
1 *10^6 m
What minerals is the loess composed of?
quartz grains (60%), feldspar, mica, carbonate
How thick are the loess deposits?
Up to 500m
What are some physical characteristics of the loess?
low density, soft, high porosity, easily erodible, collapse when wet
Particles smaller than ___ are absorbed into the bloodstream
1um
Particles smaller than ___ will be trapped in the lungs
10um
The size of dust on the loess plateau is ____
5-15um
What is the Occupational Exposure Limit?
0.1mg/m^3
What is silicosis?
Chronic silicosis is slow to develop. Silicosis occurs when respiratory crystalline silica embeds into alveolar sacs, causing inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the lungs.
What are the symptoms of silicosis
Dyspnea (shortness of breath) exacerbated by exertion, Cough, often persistent and sometimes severe, Fatigue, Tachypnea (rapid breathing) which is often labored, Loss of appetite and weight loss, Chest pain, Fever, Gradual darkening of skin (blue skin)
What is Al Eskan disease?
A lung disorder thought to be caused by exposure to very fine sand dust, which was first diagnosed after the 1990 Gulf war. Studies have found that exposure by military personnel to the ubiquitous, fine sand of the Central and Eastern Saudi Arabian peninsula resulted in immunosuppression
that could be aggravated by opportunistic infections
What is valley fever?
A condition caused by the fungus C. immitis that lives in the desert soils of the southwestern. C. immitis is dormant during long dry spells, then develops as a mold with long filaments that break off into airborne spores when it rains. The spores are swept into the air by disruption of the soil, such as during construction, farming, or an earthquake. Windstorms may also cause epidemics.Infections usually occur due to inhalation of the spores after soil disruption. Symptoms include: profound feeling of tiredness, fever, cough, headaches, rash, muscle pain, joint pain
What gas suffocated villagers near Lake Nyos?
CO2
What was the original source of the gas near Lake Nyos?
Underground magma, gases travelled up cracks
What triggered the release of gas from lake Nyos?
A landslide, which caused CO2-rich water to rise
Why was the gas at lake Nyos white?
From water droplets formed on the surface of the gas
Was there any warning for the villagers near lake Nyos?
No the gas was silent and odorless
How many people died in the lake Nyos diaster?
About 1800 people died of suffocation.
How are future disasters at Lake Nyos being prevented?
Several pipes vent the CO2 from the bottom of the lake to the surface
Where did most of the gases in earth early atmosphere come from?
Volcanoes
Where is lake Nyos?
In the oku volcanic field. Disagreement whether this is a hotspot or rift related
What gas killed trees north of horseshoe lake?
CO2
How much gas escapes near horseshoe lake each day?
100 tons
What is the usual CO2 concentration in air?
0.035%
What concentration of CO2 causes headaches and dizziness?
1%
What is the geology of mammoth mountain
Mammoth mountain is a lava dome complex made of silica-rich. The volcano is still active
with minor eruptions
What is mazuku?
A pocket of CO2 rich air that accumulates in pockets low to the ground
Describe the gas monitoring program at Mammoth Mountain
Real time monitoring of ground movements
What is the original source of gas at mammoth mountain?
Magma (molten rock) beneath the volcano
What is volcanic ash?
Finely ground volcanic rock, volcanic glass
What is the most widespread volcanic hazard?
Volcanic ash
What happens to ash in jet engines?
It melts, coats the turbine blades, and may shut down engines
What is one indicator that a dormant volcano might be “reawakening”?
Earthquakes
What happened to a KLM flight in 1989?
Flew into ash cloud over Mt. Redoubt, all 4 engines stalled, managed to restart and landed safely in Anchorage
What kind of plate boundary exists at the Aleutian Islands?
Subduction zone
What does an active subduction zone usually entail?
Volcanoes and earthquakes
What are the health impacts on citizens of Anchorage?
Ash fall causes air quality issues, ash clouds may reduce sunlight, heavy ash fall can clog watercourses, sewage plants, and various
machinery, can cause structural damage to
buildings, ash is extremely slippery, hampering both driving and walking
How do you protect yourself during ashfall?
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, Use goggles to protect your eyes, Wear eyeglasses instead of contact lenses, Use a dust mask or hold a damp cloth over your face to assist in breathing
What is a caldera? How are they formed?
A caldera is a large crater that forms as a result of a supervolcano eruption. They are formed from by collapse following draining of the magma chamber.
What is the diameter of Katla’s caldera?
10 km
When did Katla last erupt? How much bigger was this eruption than Eyjafjallajokull’s 2010 eruption?
1918, about 3x bigger. High potential for much larger eruptions
What is a potential sign of pressure building in Katla’s magma chamber? How is this being monitored?
Uplift on the surface, monitored by GPS
What is Vog?
A hazy mixture of SO2 gas and aerosols
When are aerosols created?
Aerosols are created when SO2 and other volcanic gases combine in the atmosphere and interact chemically with oxygen, moisture, dust, and sunlight over periods of minutes to days. A health hazard without an eruption.
How big is vog?
Particles are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter but can grow by absorbing water vapor and other gases
Symptoms caused by vog
- eye, nose, throat, and/or skin irritation
- coughing and/or phlegm
- chest tightness and/or shortness of breath
- increased susceptibility to respiratory ailments
- some people also report fatigue and/or dizziness
What is the plate tectonic setting of iceland?
Mid-Atlantic ridge and a mantle plume
What element was found in the drinking water of Ancient Romans?
Lead
Who were the Byzantines?
Members of the Eastern Roman Empire
What was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire?
Constantinople
When did the Eastern Roman Empire fall?
1453
Who was responsible for the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire?
The Ottoman Empire (from Turkey)
What did they do at the mining site near Phaino
Major mining and smelting centers
of the Roman world. Phaino was an important supplier of copper to the middle east
Why did the Byzantines have an interest in
mining copper?
- to make coins – pay the military
- it is malleable – can be formed into tools or ornaments
- can be made into a sharp weapon
- Bronze = alloy of copper with arsenic or tin
What is the host rock for copper?
Sedimentary rock (sandstone and limestone)
What were the results of the Ancient Rome study?
1) Cu content of the bones ranged from 2x to 18x the normal concentration for vertebrate bone.
2) All the studied skeletons showed joint damage, possibly from working in hard labour jobs.
3) Males commonly had higher Cu contents in their bones. This may be related to occupation.
How does Cu get into the bones?
- inhalation of Cu-rich desert dust
- inhalation of by-products during smelting operations
- Cu-rich dust on hands, then eat or drink
- eating plants and animals that had high Cu levels
What are the symptoms of copper poisoning?
Chills, fever, pain, metallic taste, decreased liver function, convulsions, ashes, weakness, no urine production, vomiting, nausea, anemia, shock, jaundice
The legacy of empires that is present in Jordan is
Significant bio-accumulation of Cu in plants and animals in this part of Jordan
Where were the trade routes for copper?
Kletsan, Coppermine river, lake superior
What was copper used for by native americans and trade partners?
Jewelry, tools and weapons.
Two food sources that could contain high copper for the indigenous people are?
Wild rice and fish
describe the possible effects of the elimination of excess Cu
Many of the substances that protect us from excess copper also perform important functions in our neurological and endocrine systems. When they are used to bind copper to sulfhydryl groups, to prevent it from being absorbed in the tissues, their own function may go unfulfilled. Such symptoms often include mood swings, irritability,
depression, fatigue, excitation, difficulty focusing, and feeling out of control. These are often misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders
What mineral can conifer trees concentrate in their tissues
Up to 700 ppm of Cu
How much copper is in humans?
Adult humans contain 1.4-2.1mg Cu/Kg of body weight
What does the US EPA list copper as
A micronutrient and toxin
How is Cu excreted from the body?
- expulsion via cellular copper pumping
- binding Cu to sulfhydryl groups
What are the pathways for Cu entry into the body?
Cu toxicity can occur from eating acidic foods cooked in uncoated copper cookware, or from exposure to excess copper in drinking water or food sources.
What is Indian Childhoos Cirrhosis
Chronic cirrhosis of the liver in children (North American Indian childhood cirrhosis), has been
linked to boiling milk in copper cookware in Ontario-Quebec.
Why was uranium mined in the Navajo Nation?
The federal government purchased the ore to make atomic weapons. As the Cold War threat weakened, the companies left, abandoning 521 mines.