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GOL 105 FA17 (E81N) > Unit 1 > Flashcards

Unit 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Resources

A

Water, soil, metallic and non-metallic minerals, and energy; Geologists deal with not only how and where these resources form but in maintaining supplies and with the environmental impact of how they are extracted and used.

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2
Q

Name and distinguish the two broad subdivisions of Geology.

A

Physical Geology deals with the composition of Earth and the processes on and below it.
Historical Geology deals with the chronological arrangement of the physical and biological events in the geologic past.

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3
Q

List three Natural Hazards

A

Earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis

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4
Q

Aside from natural hazards, describe another important connection between people and Geology.

A

Humans require natural resources such as water and minerals to survive. Geology studies these resources and how supplies are maintained as well as used and extracted.

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5
Q

Catastrophism

A

A belief system in the 17th and 18th centuries that the Earth’s landscapes were brought about by major catastrophes.

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6
Q

Uniformitarianism

A

The belief first presented in James Hutton’s “Theory of the Earth” that stated “the physical, chemical, and biological processes that operate today also operated in the geologic past.” Or simply, “the present is the key to the past.”

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7
Q

Give two examples of how rapids in the Grand Canyon are formed.

A
  1. Rocks fall into the river from canyon walls
  2. Boulders are flushed into the river from side canyons
  3. Rivers flow over a fault
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8
Q

What were Aristotle’s influences on Geology?

A

His observations were not backed by scientific method or theory, and his suppositions such as a fossilized fish was really one of many immobile fish below the surface of the Earth remained unchallenged until after the Renaissance when others began to question his ideas and seek scientific explanations.

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9
Q

Compare Catastrophism to Uniformitarianism and how each viewed the age of the Earth.

A

Catastrophism is the belief that the landscapes of Earth were brought about by catastrophic events and that the Earth began in approximately 4000 b.c.e. Uniformitarianism is the belief that what processes happened in the past continue to happen in the present.

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10
Q

How old is Earth?

A

4.6 billion years

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11
Q

What eon, era, period, and epoch are we in?

A

Phanerozoic, Cenozoic, Quaternary, Holocene

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12
Q

Why is understanding the magnitude of time so important to geologists?

A

Many processes are so gradual that vast spans of time are needed for significant changes to occur.

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13
Q

CORE

A

The innermost layer of the Earth believed to consist mainly of iron-nickel alloy.

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14
Q

Nebular Theory

A

A model for the origin of the solar system that a rotating nebula of dust and gases compacted to form the planets and the Sun.

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15
Q

Where in the ocean basin would we find the continental shelf?

A

Between the continent and the continental slope

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16
Q

hypothesis

A

A tentative or untested explanation of how or why things work in the manner observed.

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17
Q

scientific theory

A

A well-tested and widely accepted view that the scientific community agrees best explains observable facts.

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18
Q

continental drift

A

The theory that the continents move about the face of the planet

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19
Q

How is a scientific hypothesis different from a scientific theory?

A

A hypothesis is an untested explanation based on observations and scientific theory is a well-tested and widely accepted view by members of the scientific community.

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20
Q

What are the basic steps

A
  1. Conduct background research 2. Construct hypothesis 3.Develop questions and/or experiments that test the hypothesis 4.Analyze data 5. If the results support or only partially the hypothesis, share with scientific community for critical evaluation and further testing 6. If the results only partially support the hypothesis repeat steps 1 &2 in concurrence with step 5
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21
Q

Hydrosphere

A

The part of the Earth that is water

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22
Q

Atmosphere

A

Gaseous envelope around the Earth

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23
Q

Geosphere

A

Solid Earth

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24
Q

Biosphere

A

All life on Earth

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25
System
A group of interacting or interdependent parts that form a complex whole
26
Hydrologic Cycle
A loop or subsystem representing the unending circulation of twater through the Earth's four spheres
27
List and describe Earth's four spheres.
Bio- Life on Earth Hydro - part of the Earth that is water Atmo - the Earth's gaseous envelope Geo- the solid part of the Earth
28
Compare the height of the geosphere to the thickness of the atmosphere.
The geosphere is much higher than the atmosphere as it is measured from the center of the planet to the highest point. Comparatively, the atmosphere is much thinner.
29
How much of the Earth's surface do the oceans cover and what percentage of the Earth's water supply do ocean's provide?
71% and 96.5%
30
List three examples of a system
A subway, central nervous system, computer system
31
What are two sources of energy for the Earth system?
The Sun and the Earth's interior
32
A closed system
A system in which energy moves freely in and out, but no matter enters or leaves?
33
Superposition
Any sedimentary deposit accumulates on top of older rock or sediment layers.
34
Which layer forms the relatively cool, brittle plates of Earth's crust?
The top of the lithosphere
35
The top portion of the asthenosphere has a temperature/pressure regime that results in a small amount of __________.
Melting
36
The lithosphere is capable of moving _______of the asthenosphere.
independently
37
Where is Earth in the asthenosphere?
In the mantle under the lithosphere
38
What popular doctrine in the 17th and early 18th centuries proposed that Earth was created through a series of profound worldwide disasters?
Catastrophism
39
Who introduced the doctrine of Catastrophism?
James Ussher in the mid-1600s
40
Where are active mountain belts most likely to be found?
Along the margins of continents
41
Planetesimals
Large asteroid bodies caused by repeated collisions of nebular debris which eventually turned into the four inner planets of Venus, Earth, Mercury, and Mars
42
Meteorites
Pieces of rocky and metallic nebular debris that survive an impact with Earth
43
The inner planets were formed___how?
By nebular debris repeatedly colliding to form larger asteroid-sized planetesimals that turned into the four inner planets, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Mercury after tens of millions of years.
44
How were the outer planets formed?
Because of their distance from the Sun, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, the temperatures are lower and the materials that formed the planets contained a high percentage of ice as well as the rocky and metallic debris, but it is the accumulation of ices that accounts for the planets sizes.
45
How did the Earth's atmosphere develop?
Large quantities of gaseous materials escaped from Earth's interior such as they do today during volcanic eruptions.
46
Name and briefly outline the theory that describes the formation of our solar system
The Nebular Theory states a rotating nebula of dust and gases compacted to form the planets and the Sun.
47
List the inner planets and outer planets
Inner: Venus Earth, Mars, Mercury Outer: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn
48
Explain why density and buoyancy were important to the development of Earth's layered structure
When the Earth began to form, it was a time of intense heat. the iron and nickel elements began to melt and sink in liquid blobs to the center of the planet forming the iron-rich core. In another process, melting occurred that formed molten rock that buoyantly rose toward the surface and solidified to form the crust.
49
What is the Earth's relatively thin, rocky outer skin and what is its two different types?
Crust and continental and oceanic
50
What is the oceanic crust composed of?
Basalt, a dark igneous (magmatic) rock
51
What is the continental crust composed of?
Many different types but the upper crust has an average composition of granitic rock called granodiorite and it varies from place to place.
52
Compare the density of the basalt rock of the oceanic crust to that of liquid water
Basalt is about 3.0 g/cm(3) and liquid water is 1g/cm (3)
53
What is the dominant rock type in the Earth's mantle?
peridotite
54
Name the three parts of the Upper Mantle in order from top to bottom
Lithosphere, asthenosphere, transition zone
55
What does the lithosphere consist of (layer-wise)?
Entire crust and the uppermost mantle forming the cool outer "shell"
56
What does the asthenosphere consist of (layer-wise)?
It is a weak layer compared to the rigid lithosphere and the top portion has a temperature/pressure regime that results in a small amount of melting and is detached from the lithosphrere allowing them to move independently of one another.
57
Explain how the transition zone is identified
By a sudden increase in density because minerals in the rock peridotite respond to the increased pressure by forming new minerals with closely packed atomic structures.
58
How do you pronounce "D" layer"?
DEE DOUBLE PRIME LAYER
59
Where is the D" layer?
At the very bottom of the mantle beneath the rocky lower mantle.
60
The mantle strengthens with depth. Why?
Because of the pressure from the rocks above
61
What generates Earth's magnetic field?
The movement of the Earth's iron-rich, liquid outer core.
62
Despite its higher temperature, why is the Earth's iron inner core solid?
Because of the immense pressures that exist in the center of the planet.
63
Name and describe the Earth's three major layers by chemical composition
The crust is a thin, rocky skin made of of basalt rock in the oceanic crust and mostly grandiodite uin the continental crust, the mantle is made up of mainly peridotite, and the liquid outer core and the solid inner core are made of an iron-rich alloy
64
Contrast the characteristics of the lithosphere and the asthenosphere
The lithosphere is rigid and cool while the asthenosphere is weak in comparison and has a temperature/pressure regime that allows some melting to occur.
65
What are minerals?
Chemicals or sometimes single elements.
66
What is a rock's texture?
The size, shape, and/or arrangement of its constituent materials
67
According to our text, understanding Earth is challenging because our planet is a _______body with many interacting parts and a complex history.
dynamic
68
Which 18th century geologist propose uniformitarianism?
James Hutton
69
What are the most prominent features on the ocean floor?
Mid-oceanic ridges
70
What are the differences between physical and historical geology?
Physical geology includes the study of how rocks form and how erosion shapes the land surface; historical geology includes the study of rock strata, fossils, and geological events
71
Two principal divisions of Earth’s surface are the ________ and _______ _______..
continents and ocean basins

GOL 105 FA17 (E81N) (2 decks)

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