Test 3 Flashcards
Memorize by Fri 11/15
Geology
The study of dynamic processes taking place on the earth’s surface and in its interior
What are the 3 major concentric zones of the earth?
Core: innermost, hot, iron+nickel
Mantel: slightly less dense, semi-liquid magma
Crust: complex mineral composition
What are the two kinds of earth crust?
Continental = land
Oceanic = ocean, thinner, 71% of crust
Minerals
Naturally occurring chemical element or inorganic compound that exists as a crystalline solid
Rocks
Solid combination of one or more minerals
Sedimentary Rock
Made of sediments (pieces of weathered rock) that accumulates in layers
Metamorphic Rock
Rock that has been transformed by exposure to high temperatures, pressure, and/or fluid
Igneous Rock
Magma that has been put under extreme pressure and heat, then cooled and crystallized
Divergent plate boundary
Plates move away from each other
Convergent plate boundary
Plates move towards each other
Transform plate boundary
Plates move parallel to each other, but in opposite directions
Ore
A deposit of rock that contains profitable concentrations of a mineral
What makes ore high or low grade? Which one is more sustainable to mine for?
The concentration of the particular mineral in it
Mining for high = more sustainable
Mining for low = occurs when things are scarce
Rare Earth Minerals
Essential to the creation of technology like phones, batteries, and computers
What country dominates the processing of rare earth minerals? Why?
China: processing these minerals produces radioactive waste that other countries don’t want to deal with
Fossil Fuels
When an accumulation of organic matter is transformed into coal, oil, natural gas, etc. through heat and pressure over a long period of time
What are the different kinds of surface mining?
Strip mining: removing shallow deposits in horizontal beds
Open-pit mining: digging large pits
Mountaintop Removal: using explosives to remove the tops of mountains, exposing mineral deposits
Subsurface mining
Going underneath the ground to get at particular resources
Tailings
Leftovers from the mining and processing of ores
Excess rock and vegetation from digging up the ground
Chemical leftovers from processing
What are the environmental effects of mining?
Tailings can become pollutants
Heat and chemicals used in processing can lead to air and water pollution
Ivory Coast: waste going into ground; use of mercury
What are the human health effects of mining?
Air pollution = breathing problems
Dangerous for miners: accidents, blank lung
Ivory Coast: use of mercury; open shafts
What can be done about the negative effects of mining?
Recycling tech like car batteries, using less, finding substitutes, trying to do without, biomining
What is biomining?
Using living things to mine
Ex: bacteria can be used to collect salt from salt water
Volcanoes
Magma rises through the crust and erupts/seeps out of cracks in the surface
Releases lava and ash, leading to damage and air pollution
Ex: Mt. Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii
Earthquakes
The breakage and shifting of rocks at a fault line or fracture in the crust
Ex: largest recorded - Chile 1960 (rating of 9.5)
Focus vs Magnitude (earthquakes)
Origin of the quake
VS
Severity or size of the quake, measured by the amount of energy that’s released (Richter Scale)
Tsunamis
Earthquakes under the ocean cause the floor to rise and fall, leading to a series of huge waves
Ex: Indian Ocean 2004 (magnitude 9.2) killed over 200,000 people
Ex2: Japan 2011 killed 19,000 people and damaged nuclear reactors
Glaciers
Sheets of ice formed from compressed snow packs, that can leave behind distinct landforms when melted
What landforms are left behind when glaciers melt?
Moraines and Drumlins (mounded hills)
Kettle Lakes (bodies of water)
Atmosphere
Thin blanket of air surrounding the earth, composed of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen
Troposphere
Layer of the atmosphere that’s closest to the earth’s surface (the part that we breathe and where weather occurs)
Stratosphere
Layer of the atmosphere that contains the Ozone layer
Next closest to the earth besides the troposphere
Ozone layer
Protective layer of ozone that blocks 95% of harmful UV radiation
Success story: international environmental policies to stop its depletion
Greenhouse Gasses
Trap heat in the atmosphere like a blanket (exs: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor, methane)
Industrialization and burning of fossil fuels has increased the amount of these gasses in the atmosphere, leading to overheating
Carbon dioxide
Predominately emitted by industry, construction, electricity, and heating systems, which are fueled by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas
Methane
Predominantly emitted by agriculture, CAFOS, and fugitive emissions (unintentional releases of methane through the transport and processing of fossil fuels)
Albedo Effect
Light surfaces reflect more sunlight than dark surfaces
Urban heat island effect
Urbanized areas experience higher temperatures than outlying areas due to dark surfaces like pavement, roads, and rooftops (albedo effect at play)
How does ice relate to the albedo effect and global warming?
Ice reflects a lot of light
Rising temps due to climate change = melting glaciers = reduced albedo effect = more warming
What are some solutions to the urban heat island effect?
White rooftops, green roofs, planting more trees/greenery, more light surfaces
What are some ways that we measure/track climate change?
Looking at temperatures, ice cores, annual tree rings, and CO2 levels
Ice cores
Every time it snows, small amounts of air get trapped inside
When layers of snow accumulate and get compressed into ice, the air forms tiny bubbles
These bubbles serve as tiny samples of the atmosphere at the time
Annual tree rings
The number of rings on a tree tells you how old it is
The width of each ring tells you how much growth occurred that year
The amount of growth tells us what the weather/climate conditions were like
IPCC
Panel that looks at scientific evidence about climate change and reports its findings every few years
They say we need to keep our global temperature change below 1.5 to 2 degrees
What are the effects of climate change?
Increasing temps, glacier retreats, sea ice reduction, sea level rise (concerns about flooding)
Models show us that these changes are caused by humans
Paris Climate Agreement
The countries that sign on are expected to lower their greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of keeping global temp change below 2 degrees
COP 28
Agreement between nearly 200 countries to move away from fossil fuels
Established the “loss-and-damage fund”, in which countries that contribute more to climate change give money to smaller ones (that contribute less but are often affected more)
What are some potential solutions to climate change?
Clean energy tax credits, EPA regulations on power plants, auto industry regulations, carbon taxes, carbon cap and trade, geoengineering
Clean energy tax credits
Gov’t pays people to switch over to renewable/clean energy
EPA regulations on power plants + Auto industry regulations
Limits on how much carbon can be emitted from power plants and car tailpipes
Carbon tax
Taxing people based off of how much carbon they emit
Cap and Trade
Limiting the amount of carbon or other greenhouse gasses that can be emitted by the nation in a year, then distributing that time among industries and plants
Those that use less than their allotted emissions can sell it to someone else
Geoengineering
Spraying seawater to form clouds
Using mirrors in space to reflect sunlight/UV rays
Air Quality
Based off the presence of certain chemicals in the atmosphere
Low = concentration high enough to alter the ecosystem and harm flora/fauna