Exam 1 Chapters I-3 Flashcards
(51 cards)
Ch I
Hypothesis
An idea or theory that is unproven
Ch I
Theory
A well-tested and widely accepted view
Ch 1
Mineral
Any naturally occurring inorganic solid that possesses an orderly crystalline structure and a definite chemical composition that allows for some variation
Ch 1
Silicates
A combination of oxygen and silicon which form the basic building blocks of the most common mineral group: silicates
Ch 1
Silicon-oxygen tetrahedron
A structure that consists of four oxygen ions that are covalently bonded to a comparatively smaller silicon ion forming a tetrahedron
Ch 1
Covalent bond
Involves the sharing of one or more electrons between two adjacent atoms
Ch 2
Magma
Forms by melting that occurs primarily within earth’s crust and upper mantle
Ch 2
Weathering
The slow disintegration and decomposition of rocks by the daily influences of the atmosphere
Ch 2
Metamorphism
“To change form”
A process that leads to changes in the mineralogy, texture (i.e. Grain size), and sometimes chemical composition of rocks subjected to high temperatures and pressures within Earth
Ch 2
Mineral Composition
Granitic, andesitic, basaltic
Ch 3
Mass wasting
The transfer of rock and soil downslope under the influence of gravity
Ch 3
Erosion
The physical removal of material by a mobile agent such as flowing water, waves, wind, or glacial ice
Ch 3
Deposition
The process by which water vapor is changed directly to a solid, without passing through the liquid state.
Ch 3
Deltas
A delta forms where a sediment-charged stream enters the relatively still waters of an ocean, lake, or inland sea. The forward motion slows and as the delta grows outward, the stream’s gradient lessens and the channel becomes choked with sediment
Ch 3
Porosity
The percentage of the total volume of rock or sediment that consists of pore spaces
Ch 3
Aquifer
Permeable rock strata or sediments that transmit groundwater freely. They are the water-bearing layers sought after by well drillers.
Ch 4
Till
Unsorted material deposited directly by the ice
Ch 4
Moraine
Layers or ridges of till
Ch 4
Drift
Sediments of glacial origin
1) materials deposited directly by a glacier (till)
2) sediments laid down by glacial meltwater (stratified drift)
Ch 4
Loess
Deposits of windblown silt that are lacking visible layers, generally buff-colored, and capable of maintaining a nearly vertical cliff. Two primary sources: deserts and glacial deposits of stratified drift
Ch 5
Continental Drift
A theory which originally proposed that the continents are rafted about. It has essentially been replaced by the plate tectonic theory
Ch 5
Divergent plate boundary
A region where the rigid plates are moving apart, typified by the mid-ocean ridges
Ch 5
Convergent plate boundaries
A boundary in which two plates move together, causing one of the slabs of lithosphere to be consumed into the mantle as it descends beneath an overriding plate
Ch 5
Transform plate boundary
A boundary in which two plates slide past one another without creating or destroying lithosphere
