MIDTERM - PPT 3 Flashcards
Geology anf Non-Renewable Minerals
The Earth is a ____________ Planet
Dynamic
the science that deals with the earth’s physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it.
Geology
Earth’s Three Major Concentric Zones
Crust
Mantle
Core
The ______ is the earth’s innermost zone. It is extremely hot and has a solid inner part, surrounded by a liquid core of molten or semisolid material.
core
Most of the _________ is solid rock, but under its rigid outermost part is the asthenosphere—a zone of hot, partly melted rock that flows and can be deformed like soft plastic
Mantle
The outermost and thinnest zone of the earth is the ________.
crust
Crust consists of
Continental Crust
Oceanic Crust
it underlies the continents (including the continental shelves extending into the oceans)
Continental Crust
it underlies the ocean basins and makes up 71% of the earth’s crust
Oceanic Crust
The flows of energy and heated material in the mantle’s convection cells cause a dozen or so huge rigid plates, called ________
tectonic plates
the _________ drives seafloor spreading and moves the tectonic plates
Convection Cell
Plate Boundaries consists of
Divergent Boundary
Convergent Boundary
Transform Boundary
the continental plate usually rides up over the denser oceanic plate and pushes it down into the mantle in a process called
subduction
The area where this collision and subduction takes place is called a
subduction zone
The third type of boundary is a _________, where plates slide and grind past one another along a fracture (fault) in the lithosphere.
transform fault
it is generated by heat from the earth’s interior, typically build up the earth’s surface in the form of continental and oceanic crust, including mountains and volcanoes
Internal geologic processes
it is driven directly or indirectly by energy from the sun (mostly in the form of flowing water and wind) and influenced by gravity, tend to wear down the earth’s surface and move matter from one place to another.
external geologic processes,
One major external geologic process is __________ , the physical, chemical, and biological processes that break down rocks into smaller particles that help build soil.
weathering
An active volcano occurs where magma reaches the earth’s surface through a central vent or a long crack, called a
fissure
Magma that reaches the earth’s surface is called
lava
internal geological process is called an
earthquake
The place where an earthquake begins, often far below the earth’s surface is called the
focus
The earthquake’s ________ is found on the earth’s surface directly above the focus.
epicenter
A __________ is a series of large waves generated when part of the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops.
tsunami
A _________ is an element or inorganic compound that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust as a solid with a regular internal crystalline structure.
mineral
________ is a solid combination of one or more minerals found in the earth’s crust.
Rock
______ is made of sediments—dead plant and animal remains and existing rocks that are weathered and eroded into tiny particles.
Sedimentary rock
____________ forms below or on the earth’s surface when magma wells up from the earth’s upper mantle or deep crust and then cools and hardens.
Igneous rock
________ forms when a preexisting rock is subjected to high temperatures (which may cause it to melt partially), high pressures, chemically active fluids, or a combination of these agents.
Metamorphic rock
The interaction of physical and chemical processes that change rocks from one type to another is called the
rock cycle.
A ____________ is a concentration of naturally occurring material from the earth’s crust that can be extracted and processed into useful products and raw materials at an affordable cost.
mineral resource
An ________ is rock that contains a large enough concentration of a particular mineral—often a metal—to make it profitable for mining and processing.
ore
A __________ contains a large amount of the desired nonrenewable mineral resource
high-grade ore
A _____________ contains a smaller amount.
low-grade ore
