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Earth 201 > Ch 5 Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards > Flashcards

Ch 5 Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards Flashcards

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1
Q

Aa flow

A

A type of lava flow that has a jagged, blocky surface.

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2
Q

Aerosols

A

Tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere.

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3
Q

Andesite

A

A gray, fine-grained igneous rock, primarily of volcanic origin and commonly exhibiting a porphyritic texture.

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4
Q

Atmosphere

A

The gaseous portion of a planet, the planet’s envelope of air. One of the traditional subdivisions of Earth’s physical environment.

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5
Q

Basalt

A

A fine-grained igneous rock of mafic composition.

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6
Q

Bed

A

Strata

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7
Q

Caldera

A

A large depression typically caused by collapse or ejection of the summit area of a volcano.

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8
Q

Cinder cone

A

A rather small volcano built primarily of ejected lava fragments that consist mostly of pea- to walnut-size lapilli.

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9
Q

Color

A

A phenomenon of light by which otherwise identical objects may be differentiated.

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10
Q

Column

A

A feature found in caves that is formed when a stalactite and stalagmite join.

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11
Q

Composite cone

A

A volcano composed of both lava flows and pyroclastic material.

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12
Q

Composite volcano

A

Composite cone

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13
Q

Compound

A

A substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions and usually having properties different from those of its constituent elements.

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14
Q

Conduit

A

A pipelike opening through which magma moves toward Earth’s surface. It terminates at a surface opening called a vent.

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15
Q

Confining pressure

A

Stress that is applied uniformly in all directions.

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16
Q

Continental volcanic arc

A

Mountains formed in part by igneous activity associated with the subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath a continent. Examples include the Andes and the Cascades.

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17
Q

Convergent plate boundary

A

A boundary in which two plates move together, resulting in oceanic lithosphere being thrust beneath an overriding plate, eventually to be reabsorbed into the mantle. It can also involve the collision of two continental plates to create a mountain system.

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18
Q

Crater

A

The depression at the summit of a volcano or a depression that is produced by a meteorite impact.

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19
Q

Crust

A

The very thin, outermost layer of Earth.

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20
Q

Decompression melting

A

Melting that occurs as rock ascends due to a drop in confining pressure.

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21
Q

Density

A

A property of matter defined as mass per unit volume.

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22
Q

Divergent plate boundary

A

A boundary in which two plates move apart, resulting in upwelling of material from the mantle to create new seafloor.

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23
Q

Dome

A

A roughly circular upfolded structure.

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24
Q

Earthquake

A

Vibration of Earth produced by the rapid release of energy.

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25
Eruption column
Buoyant plumes of hot, ash-laden gases that can extend thousands of meters into the atmosphere.
26
Fissure
A crack in rock along which there is a distinct separation.
27
Fissure eruption
An eruption in which lava is extruded from narrow fractures or cracks in the crust.
28
Flood
The overflow of a stream channel that occurs when discharge exceeds the channel’s capacity. The most common and destructive geologic hazard.
29
Flood basalts
Flows of basaltic lava that issue from numerous cracks or fissures and commonly cover extensive areas to thicknesses of hundreds of meters.
30
Flow
A type of movement common to mass-wasting processes in which water-saturated material moves downslope as a viscous fluid.
31
Focus (earthquake)
The zone within Earth where rock displacement produces an earthquake.
32
Fumarole
A vent in a volcanic area from which fumes or gases escape.
33
Glass (volcanic)
Natural glass that is produced when molten lava cools too rapidly to permit recrystallization. Volcanic glass is a solid composed of unordered atoms.
34
Glassy
A term used to describe the texture of certain igneous rocks, such as obsidian, that contain no crystals.
35
Head (stream)
The beginning or source area for a stream. Also called the headwaters.
36
Hot spot
A concentration of heat in the mantle, capable of producing magma that, in turn, extrudes onto Earth’s surface. The intraplate volcanism that produced the Hawaiian Islands is one example.
37
Intensity (earthquake)
A measure of the degree of earthquake shaking at a given locale, based on the amount of damage.
38
Intraplate volcanism
Igneous activity that occurs within a tectonic plate, away from plate boundaries.
39
Island arc
Volcanic island arc.
40
Lahar
A debris flow on the slopes of a volcano that results when unstable layers of ash and debris become saturated and flow downslope, usually following stream channels.
41
Large igneous province
Voluminous accumulations of lava extruded along fissures that produce broad, flat features that are also referred to as basalt plateaus.
42
Lava
Magma that reaches Earth’s surface.
43
Lava dome
A bulbous mass associated with an old-age volcano, produced when thick lava is slowly squeezed from the vent. Lava domes may act as plugs to deflect subsequent gaseous eruptions.
44
Lava tube
A tunnel in hardened lava that acts as a horizontal conduit for lava flowing from a volcanic vent. Lava tubes allow fluid lavas to advance great distances.
45
Lithosphere
The rigid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and upper mantle.
46
Magma
A body of molten rock found at depth, including any dissolved gases and crystals.
47
Magmatic differentiation
The process of generating more than one rock type from a single magma.
48
Magnitude (earthquake)
An estimate of the total amount of energy released during an earthquake, based on seismic records.
49
Mantle
One of Earth’s compositional layers. The solid rocky shell that extends from the base of the crust to a depth of 2900 kilometers (1800 miles).
50
Mantle plume
A mass of hotter-than-typical mantle material that ascends toward the surface, where it may lead to igneous activity. These plumes of solid yet mobile material may originate as deep as the core– mantle boundary.
51
Melt
The liquid portion of magma excluding the solid crystals.
52
Mid-ocean ridge
A continuous mountainous ridge on the floor of all the major ocean basins and varying in width from 500 to 5000 kilometers (300 to 3000 miles). The rifts at the crests of these ridges represent divergent plate boundaries.
53
Mudflow
Debris flow
54
Nuée ardente
Incandescent volcanic debris buoyed up by hot gases that moves downslope in an avalanche fashion.
55
Pahoehoe flow
A lava flow with a smooth to ropy surface.
56
Parasitic cone
A volcanic cone that forms on the flank of a larger volcano.
57
Partial melting
The process by which most igneous rocks melt. Since individual minerals have different melting points, most igneous rocks melt over a temperature range of a few hundred degrees. If the liquid is squeezed out after some melting has occurred, a melt with a higher silica content results.
58
Pipe
A vertical conduit through which magmatic materials have passed.
59
Plate
Lithospheric plate
60
Plate tectonics
A theory which proposes that Earth’s outer shell consists of individual plates that interact in various ways and thereby produce earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and the crust itself.
61
Pumice
A light-colored, glassy vesicular rock commonly having a granitic composition. People use this to smooth the bottom of their feet.
62
Pyroclastic flow
A highly heated mixture, largely of ash and pumice fragments, that travels down the flanks of a volcano or along the surface of the ground.
63
Pyroclastic material
The volcanic rock ejected during an eruption. Pyroclastics include ash, bombs, and blocks.
64
Reflection (seismic)
The redirection of some waves back to the surface when seismic waves hit a boundary between different Earth materials.
65
Rhyolite
The fine-grained equivalent of the igneous rock granite, composed primarily of the light-colored silicates.
66
Rift valley
A long, narrow trough bounded by normal faults. It represents a region where divergence is taking place.
67
Ring of Fire
The zone of active volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
68
River
A general term for a stream that carries a substantial amount of water and has numerous tributaries.
69
Rock
A consolidated mixture of minerals.
70
Scoria
Vesicular ejecta that is the product of basaltic magma.
71
Scoria cone
Cinder cone
72
Shield
A large, relatively flat expanse of ancient igneous and metamorphic rocks within the craton.
73
Shield volcano
A broad, gently sloping volcano built from fluid basaltic lavas.
74
Spreading center
Divergent plate boundary.
75
Stratovolcano
Composite cone
76
Subduction
The process by which oceanic lithosphere plunges into the mantle along a convergent zone.
77
Subduction zone
A long, narrow zone where one lithospheric plate descends beneath another.
78
Sulfur dioxide
A gas with the chemical formula SO2 , that is associated naturally with volcanic activity, and as a waste gas (air pollutant) with the burning of fossil fuels and various industrial processes.
79
Surge
A period of rapid glacial advance. Surges are typically sporadic and short-lived.
80
Swells
Wind-generated waves that have moved into an area of weaker winds or calm.
81
Tectonics
The study of the large-scale processes that collectively deform Earth’s crust.
82
Tephra
Pyroclastic materials
83
Texture
The size, shape, and distribution of the particles that collectively constitute a rock.
84
Trench
Deep-ocean trench
85
Tsunami
The Japanese word for a seismic sea wave.
86
Vent
The surface opening of a conduit or pipe.
87
Vesicles
Spherical or elongated openings on the outer portion of a lava flow that were created by escaping gases.
88
Viscosity
A measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow.
89
Volcanic
Pertaining to the activities, structures, or rock types of a volcano.
90
Volcanic cone
A cone-shaped structure built by successive eruptions of lava and/or pyroclastic materials.
91
Volcanic island
A seamount that has grown large enough to rise above sea level.
92
Volcanic island arc
A chain of volcanic islands generally located a few hundred kilometers from a trench where there is active subduction of one oceanic plate beneath another.
93
Volcanic neck
An isolated, steep-sided, erosional remnant consisting of lava that once occupied the vent of a volcano.
94
Volcano
A mountain formed from lava and/or pyroclastics.
95
Welded tuff
A pyroclastic deposit composed of particles fused together by the combination of heat still contained in the deposit after it has come to rest and the weight of overlying material.

Earth 201 (9 decks)

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