(MODULE 1) INTRO TO PHYSICAL GEOLOGY Flashcards
___ deals with the physical forces and processes that bring about changes in the earth’s crust or to the surface of the earth on account of their prolonged existence and action.
Physical Geology
___ deals with the internal dynamics of the earth. It is concerned with the movement of earth’s crust, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions form the preview of this branch.
Endogenous Geology
___ deals with external dynamics. It is focused on the formation and development of seas, rivers, streams, landforms (underground water), erosion, weathering, and all sedimentary and allied processes.
Exogenous Geology
The ___ refers to the solid parts of the Earth between atmosphere and oceans - rocks and soil and other inorganic earth material.
Geosphere
___ is a mixture of decomposed and disintegrated rock, (from geosphere) and organic matter (from biosphere), through its exposure to air (atmosphere) and water (hydrosphere).
Soil
Altitude of continents above ocean floor.
15,250 feet
The outer layer of rock, which forms a thin skin on Earth’s surface.
crust
Lies below the crust, which is a thick shell of rock that separates the crust above from the core below.
Mantle
The central zone of Earth. It is metallic and is the source of Earth’s magnetic field.
core
the outer shell of Earth that is relatively strong and brittle.
lithosphere
the bottom portion of the mantle, soft and therefore flows more readily than the underlying mantle.
asthenosphere
the lower mantle. Very hot, with gradual flow of convection currents, a circulation pattern in which low-density material rises and high-density material sinks.
mesosphere
the innermost layer of the earth. It has different mechanical strengths. Outer - liquid, generates Earth’s magnetic field and Inner - solid, behaves as solid due to pressure.
core
the idea that continents move freely over Earth’s surface, changing their positions relative to one another.
continental drift
The forces generated inside the Earth as the effect of internal heat are called ___.
tectonic forces
the study of the origin and arrangement of the broad structural features of Earth’s surface, including not only folds and faults but also mountain belts, continents, and earthquake belts.
tectonics
What do tectonic forces cause?
- deformation of rock
- vertical and horizontal movement of the portion of the earth’s crust
When was the theory of plate tectonics published?
1915
a boundary between plates that are moving apart
it can occur in the middle of the ocean or in the middle of a continent. This results in upwelling of material from the mantle to create new seafloor and can cause moderate earthquake.
divergent plate boundary
this boundary lies between plates that are moving toward each other
resulting to destruction of ocean floor, creation and growth of mountain range with volcanoes. This results to Earth’s greatest earthquakes and tsunamis.
convergent plate boundary
a boundary at which two plates move horizontally past each other.
No creation or destruction of lithosphere and results to small to large earthquake.
transform plate boundary
