Exam 1 Flashcards
(291 cards)
1
Q
When was the earth created
A
4.5 Ga
2
Q
When was the solar system
A
4.6 Ga
3
Q
How long did it take the sun to form?
A
10 million years
4
Q
What is the correct order of the solar system formation
A
Solar nebula (gas cloud), planetary disc, planetary accretion, planets
5
Q
Which are the rocky planets?
A
Inner planets-Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
6
Q
What are the gas planets
A
Outer planets-Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
7
Q
When objects smash together and generate heat; continues for several 100 million years
A
Planetary accretion
8
Q
Rocky planets form by ___ smashing together to create ___
A
Rocks; molten rock
9
Q
Dense heavy material sinks into the core; less dense rocks float/rise to the outside
A
Differentiation
10
Q
Differentiation differentiates the planet into ___
A
Layers
11
Q
When did the moon form?
A
After differentiation
12
Q
The moon has no ____
A
Core
13
Q
What material is the moon made of
A
Earth’s crustal material (mantle)
14
Q
What layers of the Earth are chemical
A
Crust, mantle, core
15
Q
What layers of the earth are physical
A
Lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core
16
Q
Chemical is “_____”
A
What it is made of
17
Q
Physical relates to “_____”
A
Behavior
18
Q
What is the crust made of
A
More silicate
19
Q
What is the mantle made of
A
Less silicate
20
Q
What is the core made of
A
Fe and Ni
21
Q
What is the behavior of lithosphere
A
Brittle
22
Q
What is the behavior of asthenosphere
A
Ductile; deformable
23
Q
What is the behavior of mesosphere
A
Ductile; deformable
24
Q
What is the behavior of outer core
A
Liquid
25
What is the behavior of inner core
Solid
26
Includes crust and top part of the mantle; has tectonic plates; cracks and breaks
Lithosphere
27
___ and ___ flows
Asthenosphere; mesosphere
28
_____ generates magnetic field
Outer core
29
____ fields and ____ fields interact
Magnetic; electric
30
Charged particle emitted by the sun
Solar wind
31
when the sun produces flares they can ____ the earth
Deform/reshape
32
Deflected by the magnetic field
Flares
33
What layer is responsible for magnetic field
Outer core
34
What was present when the primitive crust cooled
Liquid water
35
When did the primitive crust cool
4.3 Ga
36
After the primitive crust cooled, ___ and ___!started to convert which was important to have ___ on earth
Asthenosphere; mesosphere; life
37
Out gassed from early volcanic activity and did not contain oxygen
Early atmosphere
38
Why can our planet have life
Earth is in the habitable part of the solar system as far as distance from the sun and temperature for liquid water to exist
It's a rocky planet
It's large enough as far as atmosphere, plate tectonics, and magnetic field
39
What is the habitable zone
Where liquid water can exist
40
Without our atmosphere earth would be frozen
Greenhouse effect
41
What is the geologic time scale from oldest to youngest
Precambrian (Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic), Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic
42
When was the universe created
13.7 Ga
43
____ proposed that all continents fit together to make ____
Alfred Wegener; Pangea
44
Which type of scientists were most receptive to Wegener's hypothesis? Why?
Paleontologists because they found the same fossils on different continents
45
What was the evidence of Wegener's continental hypothesis
The continents and their shelves fit together.
The same fossils were found on different continents that don't connect.
The rock patterns connect and are the same.
Glacial evidence such as when Africa had ice sheets suggesting it was once near Antartica and not the equator
46
What is Gondwana?
The combined continent of modern day Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula
47
What is Pangea
All seven continents making a super continent
48
Wegener's proposed mechanism of tidal or rotational forces that move continents through the ocean from the pervious supercontinent, Pangea.
Continental Drift
49
The idea of continental drift was rejected until ______
World War II
50
What is evidence for plate tectonics
```
Sea floor spreading
Paleomagnetism
Earth's magnetic field
Hotspot Tracks
GPS
```
51
What makes up the plates in plate tectonics
Lithosphere and its crust
52
Come up to the surface; volcanic eruptions create islands; when they move one, a new one emerges
Hotspot Tracks
53
If a hotspot is sitting on a plate boundary it spreads _____
In both directions
54
Fully oceanic plate
Pacific plate
55
Part continental plates, part oceanic plates
African plate
56
```
Thicker
Less Dense
Older
Felsic
Ex. Granite
```
Continental crust
57
The bigger the object the more out of water it is
Isostacy
58
____ occur when plates contact each other
Earthquakes
59
```
Thinner
More Dense
Younger
Mafic
Ex. Basalt
```
Oceanic
60
Geologists use earthquakes to find ___
Plate boundaries
61
___ is a recent theory
Plate tectonics
62
Why does an iceberg stick further out of the water than another
If the object is bigger, the more it will stick out of water
63
What makes isostacy possible
Ice is less dense than the water around it
Oceanic and continental crust float on the mantle
10% is above sea level; 90% is under water
64
What are the three boundary types
Divergent
Convergent
Transform
65
What is a divergent boundary
```
Two plates spreading apart
New crust formed
Creating a Rift Valley
Earthquakes are small and shallow
Plates are thin/weak
Lots of volcanism (generally not dangerous)
```
66
Heated lithosphere is pushed up breaking the crust by ductile stretching. As it pulls, large slabs of rock sink creating a valley. The more it stretches it forms a linear sea
Mid continent divergence
67
Mid continent divergence = ____
| Mid ocean divergence = ____
Valley; ridge with Rift Valley
68
What is a transform plate boundary
```
Plates moving/sliding past each other
Plates are neither created nor destroyed
Could create small mountains
Earthquakes are common, but shallow
Volcanism is rare
```
69
What is a convergent plate boundary
Two plates smashing together
Destroys plates
There are types: ocean-continent and continent-continent
70
Arc volcanism occurs in ___ and ___ boundaries
Ocean-continent; ocean-ocean
71
___ generates the uplifting of ___ cresting volcanoes
Subduction slab; magma
72
In ocean-ocean convergence, the ___, _____ crust subducts which creates an explosive volcano
Older; more dense
73
Which types are dangerous earthquakes
Ocean-ocean; ocean-continent convergence
74
What is a continent-continent collision
Generally no subduction
Earthquakes are shallow
Little to no volcanism
Big, really high mountains
75
Which of these is different between the convergent OC and CC?
A subduction occurs at OC-CC but not CC-CC
76
What pattern of earthquakes at subduction zone
Getting deeper in one direction
77
What are the steps of the Wilson cycle
Uplifting creates a Rift Valley on continental crust
It diverges to create a narrow sea with matching crusts
It diverges at the ocean basin
Convergence (is,and arcs and trenches around basin edge
Converges and uplifts to create narrow irregular seas and young mountains
Converges and uplifts to create young to mature mountain belts
78
If we still lived in a super continent, we would have ___ diversity among species
Less
79
Collision between North America and South America creating a land bridge between them
Great American Biotic Interchange
80
What does Phanerozoic mean
Visible life
81
What does Paleozoic mean
Early life
82
What does Mesozoic mean
Midlife
83
What does Cenozoic mean
Recent life
84
What is Ocean-Continent Convergence
If oceanic crust is involved it will subduct and form a trench
Earthquakes occur throughout from shallow to deep
Arc volcanism occurs (very dangerous explosive volcanoes)
85
Continent-continent convergence
Creates a plateau mountain range
Shallow earthquakes
No volcanism because there is no magma
86
Assigning actual numbers to events
Absolute dating
87
Assigning an order of events without specific numbers
Relative dating
88
How old is the Earth
4.6 Ga (billion years)
89
Who first attempted to know the age of the earth? How?
Archbishop Ussher; counted the generations in the Bible; ~6ka
90
Earth was shaped by catastrophic events that are no longer occurring
Catastrophism
91
Who first scientifically attempted to know the age of the earth? How?
George Luis de Buffon; measured cooling rates of spheres; ~75ka
92
Many attempts were made in the 1800s at estimating ____ accumulation known as _______; ~1Ma to 2Ga
Sediment; sedimentation rates
93
The present is the key to the past
Principle of Uniformitarian
94
Who is the founder of modern geology
James Hutton
95
Who wrote books on Hutton's ideas
Lyell
96
Age is unclear but around hundreds of Ma or Ga
Hutton's Unconformity
97
___ measured rates of salt accumulation in oceans in 1899 and estimated the earth was ~90 Ma
John Joly
98
Lord Kelvin used different advanced ___ in 1900 and estimated the earth was ~40 Ma years
Cooling rates
99
Lord Kelvin didn't know about ___
Radioactivity
100
___ found unstable isotopes
Marie Curie
101
___ recognized radioactivity produces heat
Rutherford
102
Different isotopes of the same element that have different numbers of ____
Neutrons
103
Radioactive decay is ___
Predictable
104
The best radioactive date is ___
1953
105
Clair Patterson dated the meteorite at ___
4.5 Ga
106
Before there were numerical ages geologist put rocks in ____
Relative order
107
Generally numerical ages only come from ____
Igneous rocks
108
What periods are part of the pre-Cambrian
Hadean, Archean, and Proterozoic
109
The study of geologic record primarily concerned with sedimentary rocks
Stratigraphy
110
Oldest rocks are on the bottom and youngest rocks are on the top
Principle of superposition
111
Sedimentary strata are originally deposited as flat lying layers
Original horizontality
112
Were originally flat but something has happened to them to make them ___ layers
Tilted
113
Sedimentary rocks continue until their deposition environment stops
Lateral continuity
114
Body of sediment with distinct physical, chemical, and biological attributes that generally indicate a depositional environment
Sedimentary facies
115
What the environment was like when the rock was deposited
Depositional environment
116
Typically grade into neighboring environment
Sedimentary facies
117
Shoreline moves inland
Transgression
118
Shoreline moves seaward
Regression
119
There is human made substance in ___ and ___
New Orleans in California
120
Associated with the sea level rising
Transgression
121
Associating with the sea level falling
Regression
122
What are the steps of tectonic sea level change
Uplift
Subsidence
Local affects
123
Ocean volume controlled by ice on a global scale
Glacio-Eustatic
124
Vertical representation of rocks in the field
Stratigraphic section
125
What is the principle of crosscutting relationships
A fault or igneous intrusion is younger than the rock it breaks or intrudes
Numerical data comes from igneous rocks
126
What is the principle of inclusion
The inclusion must be older than the surrounding rock
127
A long period of geologic time without record
Unconformity
128
Rock layers there start without interruption are…
Conformable
129
Lower beds have been deposited, tilted, eroded, then upper beds are laid down flat on top
Angular unconformity
130
Long pause in sediment deposition with some erosion before deposition begins again
Disconformity
131
Sedimentary rocks deposited on igneous or metamorphic rocks that are generally not flat
Nonconformity
132
A surface can be both a blank and blank
Non-conformity and unconformity
133
What thins the crust between continents
Divergent zones
134
A marker for plate tectonics; not dangerous in oceanic plates
Hotspot
135
____ as a hotspot under a continental plate which creates more ____ in hotspots; it will be a bigger explosion and more dangerous than ____
Yellow stone; pressure; arc volcanism
136
A subduction zone process where the oceanic crust melts as it subducts and creates magma that rises to the surface as an explosive
Arc Volcanism
137
What is the series of events in which the solar system and earth
A big cloud of gas and dust starts to spin into a Protoplanetary disk
Planetary accretion creates the planets in the solar system
Earth differentiates into layers
Post differentiation a Mars size object crashes into the earth blowing off surface and creating the moon
The atmosphere forms by outgassing but is not made up of oxygen
138
What are the three rock types
Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary
139
Cooling and solidification of molten rock
Igneous rocks
140
What's the difference between magma and lava
Magma is inside the earth; lava is on the surface of the earth
141
What does intrusive and extrusive mean
Intrusive is inside the earth and extrusive is on the surface
142
Consolidation of sediment - lithification and clastic
Sedimentary rocks
143
Precipitation out of solution creates a ______
Chemical sedimentary rock
144
Transformation of an already existing rock by heating, high pressure, or both
Metamorphic rocks
145
Igneous rocks are formed by _____
Cooling lava or magma
146
____ rock type can be transformed to ____ rock type
Any; any
147
Erosion of an existing rock will create
Sediment
148
Applying heat and pressure to a rock will create
Metamorphic rocks
149
Melting and solidifying rocks creates
Igneous rocks
150
What are the official mineral characteristic
inorganic
solid
ordered crystal structure
defined chemical composition
151
Not an official organic compound
Inorganic compound
152
____ isn't a mineral, but ____ is
Water; ice
153
Why is Quartz a mineral but glass isn't?
Quartz is ordered, and glass is not ordered
154
What is the symbol for Quartz
SiO2
155
T/F: A mineral has a fixed composition with no variation
False
156
Number of protons
Atomic number
157
Number of protons and neutrons
Atomic mass
158
What defines an element
The number of protons
159
What are the three parts of an atom
Protons, neutrons, and electrons
160
Same element with a different number of neutrons
Isotope
161
Charged particle because of gain or loss of electrons
Ion
162
What makes up the Earth's crust
Oxygen, silicon, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and others
163
How are minerals formed
Crystallization of molten rock
Precipitation from a fluid
Biological controlled (organism precipitating minerals out of fluids)
Recrystallized in metamorphism
164
Different minerals crystallize at different ___ and ___
Times; temperatures
165
Crystallization of ____ can occur at surface and depth
Water
166
The minerals first to crystallize are ___ and ___; the last are ___ and ___
Bigger; more defined; smaller; less defined
167
The element in its atomic mass change if you remove a ___ from an ago
Proton
168
What are the six mineral properties
```
Color
Diaphaneity
Luster
Streak
Hardness
Fracture
```
169
How shiny the rock is
Luster
170
Can be very distinctive but also deceptive
Color
171
Ability to transmit light
Diaphaneity
172
The color of the powder after scratching it against something
Streak
173
```
Earthy = ___
Metallic = ___
```
Dull; shiny
174
What are the three types of diaphaneity
Opaque
Transparent
Translucent
175
Related to the crystal structure; the more complex, the ____
Hardness (harder)
176
What mineral is the hardest and softest
Diamond; Talc
177
Which mineral property is least useful and identification
Color
178
Relates to the crystal structure
| There are three types: irregular, conchoidal, and cleavage
Fracture
179
No pattern
Irregular fracture
180
Scalloped, like broken glass or Quartz
Conchoidal fracture
181
Straight, smooth break; plane of weakness in a rock at the atomic level
Cleavage fracture
182
Cleavage breaks don't form perfect Smooth surfaces but reflect light ____
All over one surface
183
Given example of cleavage in one direction
Muscovite
184
Given example of cleavage in two directions at 90 degrees
Feldspar
185
Given example of cleavage in two directions NOT at 90 degrees
Hornblende
186
Given example of cleavage in 3 directions at 90 degrees
Halite
187
Given example of cleavage in 3 directions NOT at 90 degrees
Calcite
188
Given example of cleavage in 4 directions
Fluorite
189
What is the symbol for calcite
CaCO3
190
What are three mineral groups
Silicates
Non-silicates
Native elements
191
What is the most common mineral type and what are they made of
Silicates; many silicon – oxygen tetrahedron
192
Give examples of silicates
Quartz , crust and mantle
193
What are the five non-silicates
```
Sulfides
Oxides
Carbonates
Sulfates
Halides
```
194
```
Elements bonded to oxide = _______
Elements bonded to carbonate = _______
Elements bonded to sulfide = _______
Minerals containing a halogen element = _______
Minerals containing sulfate = _______
```
```
Oxides
Carbonates
Sulfides
Halides
Sulfates
```
195
The most important non-silicate
Carbonates
196
Give an example of sulfides
Galena and pyrite
197
Give an example of oxides
Magnetite and Corundum
198
Give an example of carbonates
Malachite and calcite
199
Give an example of sulfates
Barite and gypsum
200
Give an example of halides
Halite-NaCl, fluorite
201
What is halite symbol
NaCl
202
What are the native elements
```
Gold
Silver
Carbon
Sulfur
Copper
```
203
Negative elements have ___ bonds
Zero
204
Which mineral group is the most common in earths crust
Silicate
205
Crystallization of molten rock
Igneous rocks
206
How do you classify igneous rocks
Composition and texture
207
Chemistry or make up of a rock
Composition
208
Crystal structure and shape
Texture
209
Light colored rocks with more silica and less magnesium and iron
Felsic rocks
210
Dark colored rocks with less silica and more iron and magnesium
Mafic rocks
211
Light colored rocked = ______
Dark colored rocked = ______
Middle colored rocked = ______
White, pink, red
Greens and blacks
Grey
212
___ Mafic = more Mafic
Ultra
213
Which composition type has the lowest silica content
Ultramafic
214
Igneous texture is related to...
Cooling rates
215
Intrusive; coarse-textured; visible crystals
Phaneritic
216
Extrusive; fine-textured; not visible crystals
Aphanitic
217
Extrusive; no ordered mineral structure; cools very, very fast
Glassy
218
Slow cooling = ____ (__)
| Fast cooling = ____ (__)
```
Large crystals (phaneritic)
Small crystals (aphanitic)
```
219
The texture of an igneous rock is related to
Cooling rate/location, surface cooled rocks have a fine grain texture
220
What do we call a phaneritic, felsic igneous rock
Granite
221
Name the three felsic igneous rocks
Granite
Rhyolite
Obsidian
222
Aphanitic texture – extrusive (volcanic); usually pink to red, tan
Rhyolite
223
Phaneritic texture – intrusive and felsic; higher silica; most common minerals are Quartz, potassium, and feldspar
Granite
224
Glassy texture; extrusive and cooled very quickly; not composed of minerals – no organized crystal structure; felsic, but dark colored; the thinner it is, the more transparent
Obsidian
225
Name the intermediate igneous rocks
Diorite and Andesite
226
What are intermediate igneous rocks
Middle of felsic and mafic rocks
227
Phaneritic structure; plutonic (intrusive); salt&pepper orientation
Diorite
228
Aphanitic texture; extrusive; grayish color
Andesite
229
Name some mafic igneous rocks
Basalt and gabbro
230
Phaneritic texture; intrusive; overall dark colored, but can have white or light colored minerals; contains large crystals
Gabbro
231
Aphanitic texture; extrusive (volcanic); dark colored
Basalt
232
A piece of rock inside of an igneous rock
Xenolith
233
Xenoliths allow us to see __________
Earth's mantle makeup
234
Name two vesicular igneous rocks
Pumic and scoria
235
```
Pumic = _____
Scoria = _____
```
Felsic/glassy
| Mafic
236
Intrusive bodies are classified by ___ and ____
Shape; interaction/concordance
237
Flat; table top
Tabular
238
Doesn't cross cut the surface layer
Concordant
239
Massive; cubic
Pluton
240
Cross cuts surface layer
Discordants
241
Discordant, tabular
Generally vertical
Usually Mafic (basalt)
Dikes
242
Concordant, tabular
| Usually Mafic - basalt
Sills
243
Very large pluton
Discordant
Usually granite
Create mtn ranges
Batholiths
244
Discordant, pluton
Smaller than batholiths
Often granite
A mountain
Stocks
245
Concordant, pluton
Smaller than batholiths
Relatively on common
Laccolith
246
If ___ rocks get to hot, they will become ___ rocks
Metamorphic; igneous
247
Changing a parent rocks mineralogy, texture, and chemical composition
Metamorphism
248
Metamorphism happens through an increase in ____ and ____
Pressure; temperature
249
Metamorphism can involve ___, but doesn't have to
Deformation
250
Changing the shape of a rock formation
Deformation
251
Original undeformed rock
Parent rock
252
Created from partial melting
Migmatite
253
Heat source came from ____ in the ____
Depth; earth
254
Heating around igneous intrusions and magma chambers
Contact metamorphism
255
Forming new mineral grains, usually larger, in metamorphic rock
Recrystallization
256
The ___ rock is important because it determines what the rock will be after metamorphism
Parent
257
Sandstone + (temp+pressure) = ______
| Limestone + (temp+pressure) = ______
Quartzite; marble
258
High temp, low pressure
| Occurs around igneous intrusions (dikes, plugins, etc.)
Contact thermal metamorphism
259
Name the two types of metamorphic rocks
Foliated and nonfoliated
260
Name the foliated rocks
Slate
Schist
Gneiss
261
Roughly planar orientation or elongated mineral
Foliated
262
Slaty cleavage
Low grade metamorphism
Lots of uses
Slate
263
Visible mica grains define foliation
| Sometimes has large garnet crystals
Schist
264
Higher grade metamorphism before melting (except migmatite)
Minerals separate into bands, either wavy or flat
Used as a building block
Gneiss
265
Name the nonfoliated rocks
Marble and quartzite
266
Originally limestone
| Recrystallized mineralogy is the same
Marble
267
Original, quartz sandstone
Grains recrystallized, no pore space remaining
Still Quartz mineralogy
Quartzite
268
rocks can be ____
Folded
269
"A-fold"
Anticline
270
"Sink" shaped
Sync line
271
Folds like a hamburger
Recumbent folds
272
Where does the force of these folds come from
Plate tectonics collision
273
Almost all numerical ages are from estimating _______ of one element to another
Radioactive decay
274
Started with a radioactivity ____ and will decay away to a ____
Parent; stable daughter
275
Time for one half of the parent nuclei to decay to the daughter product
Half-life
276
If you radiometrically date a grain of sand salt in a sandstone — what time will you get
The time the mineral was deposited
277
What can we date with radio metric techiques
Crystallization
278
How do you date crystallization/closing time
Volcanic ash
Igneous rocks
Carbon dating
Some limestone
279
Radio metric techniques rarely work in _____
sedimentary rocks
280
Correlations with ___ are generally used in sedimentary rocks
Fossils
281
Preserved impression of life
Fossil
282
Fossils are found according to their age - not random
Faunal succession
283
Certain fossils are indicative to certain time periods; important to dating and history of life
Index fossils
284
How do you decide up the geologic time scale?
Litho stratigraphy
Bio stratigraphy
Chronostratigraphy
285
Rock type; mappable body of rock with distinct characteristics and upper and lower bounds
Litho stratigraphy
286
___ are defined by fossils
Biozones
287
Zone over which one fossil group is found
Range zone
288
Zone over which several fossils are all found together
Concurrent range zone
289
Requires radio metric ages or single identifiable events; time equivalence correlation
Chronostratigraphy
290
Geologists use a combination of ____ depending on location
All three
291
Major boundaries in the geologic timescale are usually ___
Major mass extinctions
