Exam 1 Flashcards
(38 cards)
How did the moon form?
A Mars-size object collided with earth and caused part of it to break off, later becoming the moon
How did our solar system form?
The sun formed about 5 BY ago from stars & dust, particles of dust clung together until eventually forming planets (earth 4.56 BY ago)
Nebula
Low density gas & dust cloud
Accretion
Grow by addition - when rocks collide they stick together
What increases when you go from crust to core?
Density, temp, pressure
What are the layers of earth?
Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
Which layer of the earth is liquid?
Outer core
Lithosphere
Crust & uppermost mantle form rigid layer
Asthenosphere
Under the lithosphere, mostly rock but can flow under pressure
Isostacy
Thickness of the crust affects how much floats
Divergent boundaries
Move apart
Convergent boundaries
Move towards each other
Transform boundaries
Slide past each other
Alfred Wegener
Made observations about animals & rocks, came up with Pangaea
How is earths magnetic field generated?
By the liquid outer core acting like an electric generator around the metallic inner core
What discovery backed Alfred Wegener’s theory?
Sea floor spreading
Distribution of tectonic activity
Occurs along the edges of tectonic plates as they move relative to each other
What are some features of the sea floor?
Ridges, trenches, sea mounts, abyssal plains
Plates with long subduction zones move…
Faster
Minerals 5 part definition
Naturally occurring Inorganic Solid Have a specific chemical composition Are crystalline
How do minerals form?
Crystals in magma that cools
Precipitate in water that evaporates
Why is halite salty?
Because its bonds are weak
Polymorph
Different materials composed of the same chemical compounds
Ore
Concentrated deposit of minerals that can be recovered profitably
