TARBUCK-IPG-11TH Flashcards
the science that pursues an understanding of planet earth
geology - geo(earth) logos (discourse)
difference of historical geology and physical geology
Physical geology is the study of fossils and sequences of rock strata - processes on and in the earth, materials composing earth, whereas historical geology is the study of how rocks and minerals were used in the past- origin of the earth and its development
difference of internal process and external processes
IP - beneath the surface of the earth EP - the processes that sculpt the surface features of the earth
natural processes become geologic hazards because?
there are people living where those processes occur
one of the most influential greek philosopher whos observations about the natural world are based on arbitrary pronouncements or hinch
aristotle
he published the scholarly “Annals of the Old Testament, deduced from the first origins of the world” where he concluded that the universe, and everything in it, began at noon, October 23, 4004 BC.
James Ussher, Bishop of Amargh and Primate of all Ireland
what is catastrophism
Scientific theory following which the Earth has largely been shaped by sudden, short-lived, violent events, possibly worldwide in scope
he publish the theory of the earth in 1795
James Hutton - Scottish Physician
the present is the key to the past
uniformitarianism
age of earth
4.54 /// 4.6 by
ave depth of the global ocean
3800m (12500ft)
____% of earths freshwater is locked up in glaciers
69%
global ocean blanketing ____% of earths ssurface
71%
e rare high-altitude clouds visible only under certain conditions.
noctilucent clouds
layer of the atmosphere where radiosonde are found
stratosphere (11-50km)
a group of interacting, or interdependent, parts that form a complex whole
system
the universe began about ____ years ago with the Big Bang, an incomprehensibly large explosion
13.7 bya
nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei combine
nuclear fusion
theory that proposes that the bodies of our solar system evolved from an enormous rotating cloud called the solar nebula
nebular theory
is theorized to be a vast cloud of icy planetesimals surrounding the Sun at distances ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 AU. The concept of such a cloud was proposed in 1950 by the Dutch astronomer
Oort Cloud
circumference of the earth
40,075km
meridional circumference of earth that is from pole to pole is
40,008 km
densest planet
5.513 grams per cubic centimeter - Earth
least dense planet
Saturn is the least dense planet in our solar system. The density of Saturn is just 0.687 gm/cm 3, which is less than the density of water (1 gm/cm 3
earths volume
Earth’s volume is estimated at 1 trillion cubic kilometers
earth’s surface area
Earth’s surface area is an estimated 510 km2
composition of the Earth’s atmosphere is
78% of nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
the highest peak above sea level on earth
Mt Everest in Asia - Rising to 29,029 feet (8,848 meters)
The most distant point from the Earth’s center
Chimaborazo Mountain in Ecuador at 6, 267 meters (20,561 feet). The peak is the farthest point from the center of the Earth because of the oblate shape of Earth and its proximity to the equator.
The lowest elevation on land on earth
Dead Sea, at 1,369 feet (417.27 meters) below sea level
the lowest point in water
Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench - 11, 034 meters (36,200 feet) below sea level.
moons in the solar system have been identified.
166
how many times is suns circumference bigger than earth
109
how did we learn about the composition and structure of Earth’s interior?
the nature of earth;s interior is determined by analyzing seismic waves from earthquakes
difference of layering earths physical properties of the earth and its layering chemical composition
the layering physical properties are based on factors such as wether the layer is liquid or solid, weak or strong while the layering by chemical composition shows that there are three different layers based on differences in composition
thickness of oceanic crust
7km (5mi)
thickness of continental crust
35-70km (22-40mi)
Earth’s radius
6380km
thickness of mantle
2900km
thickness of core
3480km
how deep till you reach the inner core
5150km
ave density of continental rocks
3g/cm3
density of oceanic crust
2.7 g/cm3
mantle is ___% of earths volume
more than 82%
the dominant rock type in the uppermost mantle is ____
peridotite
the bottom part of the lower mantle is called the ___ zone
transition zone
sphere of rock
lithosphere
consist of the entire crust plus the uppermost mantle and forms Earth’s relatively cool, rigid outer shell
lithosphere
weak sphere
asthenosphere
why is there a sudden increase in density at the top of the transition zone?
minerals in the rock peridotite respond to the increase in pressure by forming new minerals with closely packed atomic structures
density in transition zone
3.5 to 3.7 g/cm3
D” layer
highly variable and unusual layer
composed of nickel-iron alloy with minor amounts of O, Si, Sulfur
core
cores density
11g/cm3
thickness of outer core
2270km - which is liquid
radius of inner core
1216km - solid
Process by which a solid with a highly organised atomic or molecular structure forms
crystalization
“conversion into rock”
lithification
what are the 5 major ocean basins
arctic ocean, pacific ocean, atlantic ocean, indian ocean,
ave elevation of continents
0.8km (0.5mi)
ave depth of ocean floor
4km
