Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Geology II > Final Exam: Ancient Climate and the Ice Age World > Flashcards

Final Exam: Ancient Climate and the Ice Age World Flashcards

1
Q

How did the global climate change over the course of the Cenozoic era?

A

Paleogene: very high temperatures
Neogene: temperature is going down (cooling off into a mild world, although still hotter than today)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

How did ocean currents help even out the temperature?

A

Currents move heat from equator to poles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

_____ ______ affects how water delivers heat from place to place

A

plate tectonics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

About Australia:
1. the position of Australia brings ____ _____ to Antarctica
2. Modern world: (far/close) to Antartica
3. Early Cenozoic: (far/close) to Antartica

A
  1. warm water
  2. far
  3. close (basically the last pair of continents from Pangea to split up)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What caused Antarctica to become colder during the Cenozoic era?

A

As Australia and Antarctica moved apart, it isolated Antarctica.
Cold currents isolate Antarctica from warming influences; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

a current that circles around the South Pole; trapped in an endless loop of cold water around the south pole.

A

Antarctic Circumpolar Current

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

how much something reflects sunlight

A

albedo

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How does albedo affect the global climate?

A
  • Ice reflects more sunlight (has a high albedo), which cools the climate
  • Trees, asphalt, etc. have a low albedo, which traps more sunlight and turns into heat instead
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Changes in ice cover change _______, which change ice cover even more.

Result: creates runaway _____ of cooling or warming:

A

temperatures; cycles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the Cooling Cycle?

A

more ice → high albedo → cooler air. (then it circles back to more ice again)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the Warming Cycle?

A

less ice → lower albedo → warmer air. (then it circles back to less ice again)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

More ice causes a (pretty stable/unstable) climate. This is how it was in what era?

A

unstable; Mid-Cenozoic era (quick climate changes; hot cold hot cold and so on)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Less ice causes a (pretty stable/unstable) climate.

A

pretty stable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How do ocean temperatures affect evaporation?

A

Warmer water means more rain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Warm climate = (more/less) rainfall, more (rainforests/grasslands)

A

more rainfall, more rainforests

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Cool climate = (more/less) rainfall, more (rainforests/grasslands)

A

less rainfall, more grasslands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What causes grasslands to become more common in the late Cenozoic?

A

Cooling in the Mid-Cenozoic causes grasslands to spread. (cooler, drier climate)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

When did grasslands begin to spread?

A

late Cenozoic era

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How did animals such as horses change to fit this new environment of grasslands? (2)

A
  1. Longer legs for running
  2. Larger teeth for eating tough grasses
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What was the perfect late Cenozoic animal (thrived in grasslands)?

A

Rodent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

_____ ______ in Neogene = grasslands

A

Great Plains

22
Q

In what period did the Ice Ages (or Ice Ages) occur?

A

Quaternary period

23
Q

What was the climate like in the Quaternary period?

A
  • repeated cycles of cooling and warming during the Ice Age
  • cycles of falling and rising sea level
24
Q

What period of the geologic time scale are we in today?

A

Quaternary

25
Q

Quaternary period includes what two things?

A
  1. Ice Age
  2. Modern World
26
Q

In the Quaternary, average temperatures are much (hotter, colder) than today.

A

colder

27
Q

T or F: The climate was cold all throughout the Quaternary period.

A

False; several times the temp spiked back up; sometimes there were short, warm times

28
Q

The warming-cooling cycles of the Quaternary are ____ _______ years long.

A

100 thousand (happens every 100 thousand years)

29
Q

Each warming-cooling cycle has a (fast/long) cooling off time. Then there is a much (slower/faster) warming time (because of ____ _____)

A

long; faster; ice melting

30
Q

What do we call the warmer and colder times during the Ice Age?

A

(Warming-cooling cycles)
- Warmer times = interglacials
- Colder times = glacials

31
Q

How are Milankovitch cycles related to these repeated cycles of climate change?

A

Changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt affect global temperature and amount of ice.

32
Q

The Last Glacial Maximum happened ________ years ago. Continents have (extremely/barely) moved since then.

A

18,000; barely

33
Q

During the Last Glacial Maximum, PARTS of what 3 places were frozen?

A

North America, Europe, and Asia

34
Q

During the Last Glacial Maximum, _______ was practically totally under ice.

A

Canada

35
Q

T or F: the whole world was frozen during the Ice Age event.

A

False; not like the Snowball Earth event

36
Q

For animals that lived in the (Southern/Northern) part of North America during the Ice Age event, there was a big climatic disruption.

A

Northern

37
Q

How much of North America was under ice during the Ice Age?

A

Around half the continent– the Northern part of North America

38
Q

What clues show how much land was under ice?

A

moraines

39
Q

hills of sediment that outline glaciers (found at the end of a glacier)

A

moraines

40
Q

Moraines are good for ______. Why?

A

farming; great soil with lots of nutrients released

41
Q

What happened to the sea level during the Ice Age?

A

sea level dropped (more ice on land = less water in the ocean)

42
Q

Sea level (rises/falls) when glaciers grow, (rises/falls) when they melt

A

falls; rises

43
Q

During the Quaternary period, there were most (high/low) sea levels.

A

low

44
Q

T or F: At the last glacial maximum,
the sea level was much lower than today; ____ feet or ____ meters lower

A

True; 400; 120

45
Q

What did the Gulf Coast of North America look like during the Ice Age?

A

Lower sea levels caused more land to be exposed; Gulf Coast shoreline extended much farther out than it does today.

46
Q

large animals (like mastodons) that went extinct by the end of the last glacial

A

megafauna (ice age time)

47
Q

Describe the features of a wooly mammoth:
1. Teeth?
2. What they ate?
3. Habitat?

A
  1. Flat teeth with ridges
  2. Plant eating (grass)
  3. Tundra
48
Q

Describe the features of a mastodon:
1. Teeth?
2. What they ate?
3. Habitat?

A
  1. Teeth with high peaks
  2. Plant eating but NOT grass
  3. Forests
49
Q

Wooly mammoths and mastodons are differentiated by their ______.

A

Teeth

50
Q

Which animal lived in Alabama? Mastodons or wooly mammoths?

A

Mastodons

Geology II (13 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions