Miscellaneous/Things Unmentioned Flashcards
Misc.
What is a Hot Spot?
A Hot Spot is a location on the Earth’s SURFACE where HOT PLUMES rises from deep within the MANTLE to the CRUST. It creates VOLCANIC ACTIVITY. This can create VOLCANIC ISLANDS, like the Hawai’ian Islands.
What is Lava and Magma?
Lava and Magma are similar things, except one is above the Earth’s SURFACE and the other is under the Earth’s SURFACE. Think of MAGMA as cookie dough, and LAVA as the finished product; cookies!
What does Transect mean?
Transecting is a method where you study and analyze patterns along a straight line, usually across a SPECIFIC AREA. Geologists analyze the patterns along the line occasionally. Geologists collect DATA, based on HUMAN ACTIVITIES, GEOLOGICAL EVENTS and WILDLIFE.
What is a Fault?
A Fault in Geology refers to a FRACTURE or zone of FRACTURES in the Earth’s CRUST. Faults are the result of TECTONIC FORCES which cause the Earth’s CRUST to deform, which leads to the DISPLACEMENTS of rocks.
What is a Rift?
A rift refers to a moving apart of TECTONIC PLATES. The process can lead to the formation of RIFT VALLEYS. It usually occurs at DIVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES.
What is an Epicenter and Hypocenter?
The Epicenter is the point on the Earth’s SURFACE directly above where an EARTHQUAKE originated. The Hypocenter is the FOCUS of the EARTHQUAKE. It would be located BENEATH the Earth’s SURFACE.
What is the Longitude and Latitude?
Longitude and Latitude are used to graph a point on the Earth’s SURFACE using a COORDINATES system precisely. They are measured in DEGREES. For example, Ewa Beach , is at approximately 21.3°N Latitude, 158.0°W Longitude.
What is a Radius in Geology?
In Geology, the Radius would refer to how far the Earth’s CENTER is to the Earth’s SURFACE. It’s approximately 3,959 miles.
What is a Richter Scale?
A Richter Scale is a numerical scale that measures the MAGNITUDE of an EARTHQUAKE. The MAGNITUDE increases by TENFOLD each time the number increases. For example, a MAGNITUDE 5 EARTHQUAKE would be ten times more POWERFUL than a MAGNITUDE 4 EARTHQUAKE.
