Week 1: Your place on planet Earth

Question 1

Antarctica annual ice loss

Answer 1

125km^3
125 gigatons

Question 2

The earth systems interconnected subsystems

Answer 2

Atmosphere
Geosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere

Question 3

Processes in the earth system act on length scales of

Answer 3

Microns to thousands of kilometres

Question 4

Processes in the earth system act on time scales of

Answer 4

Milliseconds to millions of years

Question 5

The external source powering the earth system

Answer 5

The sun

Question 6

The internal sources powering the earth system

Answer 6

Radioactive decay and gravitational energy

Question 7

Constant movement of material or energy between reservoirs produces

Answer 7

Cycles

Question 8

Earth system science studies:

Answer 8

1. The whole planet as a system of innumerable interacting parts
2. Focuses on the changes within and among those parts

Question 9

The four interconnected spheres house the earth system’s:

Answer 9

Reservoirs

Question 10

We learn about the earth system by measuring how what passes between earths reservoirs

Answer 10

Mass/volume of material and exchange of energy

Question 11

Hydrosphere

Answer 11

Oceans, lakes, rivers and groundwater

Question 12

Atmosphere

Answer 12

Troposphere, stratosphere, clouds which hold gases, water vapor and aerosols

Question 13

Geosphere

Answer 13

Continents, seafloor, sediments, lava, soils

Question 14

Biosphere

Answer 14

Animals, plants, bacteria both terrestrial and marine

Question 15

The constant exchange of energy and matter between earths reservoirs is called

Answer 15

Flux

Question 16

Reservoirs that donate energy or matter are called

Answer 16

Sources

Question 17

Reservoirs that receive energy or matter are called

Answer 17

Sinks

Question 18

Natural cycles exist in a state of

Answer 18

Dynamic equilibrium

Question 19

When a system is in dynamic equilibrium

Answer 19

1. All parts of the system are in continuous motion
2. But they move in opposing directions at equal rates so that the system as a whole does not change

Question 20

Uniformitarianism

Answer 20

The theory that changes in the earths crust during geological history have resulted from continuous and uniform processes

Question 21

The geologic record

Answer 21

The memory bank of earths history

Question 22

Classification of rocks

Answer 22

Sedimentary, Igneous, Metamorphic

Question 23

Making a sedimentary rock

Answer 23

1. Weathering of existing rocks
2. Transportation of weathered products via air, water or ice
3. Sedimentary deposition
   4a. Settling 4b. Chemical precipitation
   5a. Detrital sediments 5b. Chemical sediments
4. Lithification
   7a. Detrital sedimentary rocks 7b. Chemical sedimentary rocks

Question 24

Making an igneous rock

Answer 24

1. Magma (molten rock derived from crust or mantle)
   2a. Surface effusion as lava or pyroclastics
   2b. Cool and solidify as intrusions or plutons at depth
   3a. Volcanic or extrusive (fast cooling, fine-grained)
   3b. Plutonic or intrusive (slow cooking, coarse-grained)
2. Igneous rocks

Question 25

Making a metamorphic rock

Answer 25

1. Apply pressure from deep burial
2. Apply heat from plutons or normal geothermal gradient
3. Deform old rock from directed stresses and redistribute fluid to transform material

Question 26

Lithification

Answer 26

The process in which sediments compact under pressure and gradually become solid rock

Question 27

Relationships between rock units

Answer 27

1. Superposition
2. Original horizontality
3. Faults (reverse, normal)
4. Unconformities
5. Inclusion