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Geology ! > Exam I > Flashcards

Exam I Flashcards

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1
Q

Describe the differences between the inner and outer planets of the solar system.

A

The inner planets are smaller, closer to the sun, and made up of rock. The outer planets are mostly larger and made up of gas.

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2
Q

What makes Earth unique in comparison with other planets?

A
  1. It can support life
  2. Has an ocean
  3. Very big moon for such a small planet
  4. Earth has a very strong magnetic field
  5. Oxygen rich atmosphere
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3
Q

Five major exteriors of Earth’s surface?

A

Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere

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4
Q

Describe the age of the Earth.

A

Scientists have found rocks that are 3.5 billion years old, indicating the Earth’s age to be around that old.

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5
Q

Describe the steps in the scientific method.

A

Make an observation.
Ask a question.
Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
Test the prediction.
Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.

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6
Q

Explain how a scientific hypothesis differs from a theory.

A

A hypothesis is a question based on an observation, whereas a theory is the best guess based on evidence.

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7
Q

Describe the principle of uniformitarianism and the limits of using this principle.

A

Asserts that all the geological processes that occurred in the past are happening today at the same rate they were. It technically can’t be proven?

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8
Q

Explain the nebular process for the formation of our solar system and the formation of our planets.

A
  1. slowly rotating nebula contracted under the force of gravity, rotating faster flattened the cloud into a disk.
  2. gravity pulls matter to the center of the nebula, creating a protostar. Pressed under it’s own weight, sun becomes dense and hot, nuclear fusion begins.
  3. Gravitational attraction caused dust in the disk to cool and become compact, creating the planets in their solid or gas forms.
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9
Q

Describe how the chemical composition of the Earth’s crust is different from the composition of the whole Earth.

A

oxygen (46.6%), silicon (27.7), aluminum (8.1), iron (5.0), calcium (3.6), potassium (2.8), sodium (2.6), and magnesium (2.1)

The inner parts are liquid, other than the core.

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10
Q

Explain how the process of differentiation affected the interior of the Earth.

A

A Mars sized celestial object impacted with Earth’s surface, causing the inner parts of the Earth to heat up into a liquid state.

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11
Q

Describe the sources of heat for exterior and interior Earth.

A

There are three main sources of heat in the deep earth: (1) heat from when the planet formed and accreted, which has not yet been lost; (2) frictional heating, caused by denser core material sinking to the center of the planet; and (3) heat from the decay of radioactive elements.

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12
Q

Describe how the moon is thought to have formed.

A

Giant celestial body crashes into earth, causing debris to shoot up into Earth’s gravitational orbit. The impact also increased the Earth’s spin. Eventually, the moon formed into a sphere during rotation and orbit.

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13
Q

asthenosphere

A

the upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.

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14
Q

Biosphere

A

The Earth’s life

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15
Q

convection

A

the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.

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16
Q

core

A

Earth’s most center part, consisting mostly of iron-nickel alloy

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17
Q

crust

A

The Earth’s outer layer.

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18
Q

Cryosphere

A

Frozen water part of the Earth’s system

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19
Q

differentiation

A

processes by which magmas undergo bulk chemical change during the partial melting process, cooling, emplacement, or eruption.

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20
Q

fossil

A

the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.

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21
Q

Hydrosphere

A

Water part of the Earth

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22
Q

Hypothesis

A

A question to be tested in the scientific method

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23
Q

impact crater

A

Caused when a celestial object makes its way through the atmosphere and hits the Earth hard enough to leave a crater.

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24
Q

inner core

A

Earth’s most center part, consisting mostly of iron-nickel alloy

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25
lithosphere
The rock parts of the Earth
26
Mantle
made up of rock containing silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum, oxygen and other minerals
27
Nebula
Celestial gases where stars form.
28
scientific theory
An educated guess based on the best evidence available
29
Tectonic plates
Giant plates below the crust the are always moving. They cause Earth quakes, spread land masses, form mountains, etc.
30
Topography
Topography is the study of the shape and features of land surfaces.
31
uniformitarianism
the theory that changes in the earth's crust during geological history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform processes.
32
Describe the three basic types of seismic waves and how they differ in velocity and behavior.
Primary waves- fastest in velocity. 5km a second, can pass through solids, liquids and gases, Secondary waves- half the speed of primary waves. Cannot travel through liquids or gases Surface waves- causes the most damage. They occur on the surface.
33
Difference between body waves and surface waves?
Body waves travel through the interior of the Earth. On the other hand, surface waves propagate only at the interface between two different media, like the interface between Earth and atmosphere (i.e. the surface of the Earth).
34
How does a seismograph work?
Uses a ground motion detector to detect waves occurring in all directions.
35
Difference between focus and epicenter
Focus is where the earthquake occurred, epicenter is the area above the focus.
36
How do seismographs locate the Earthquake epicenter?
The distance between the beginning of the first P wave and the first S wave tells you how many seconds the waves are apart.
37
Describe Earthquake magnitude and how it is measured.
Measured on the Richter scale of intensity. Magnitude determined with a seismograph.
38
Describe the nature and significance of aftershocks.
Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes following the main shock. They typically occur on or near the rupture plane of the main shock, resulting from changes of stress and frictional properties of the fault zone caused by the main shock.
39
Explain elastic rebound theory.
In geology, the elastic-rebound theory is an explanation for how energy is released during an earthquake. As the Earth's crust deforms, the rocks which span the opposing sides of a fault are subjected to shear stress. Slowly they deform, until their internal rigidity is exceeded.
40
Explain how tsunamis form, what causes them, and where they most often occur.
They are caused by earthquakes in ocean crust, and occur mostly in the Pacific and Indonesia.
41
Describe the nature of tsunamis in the ocean and on shore.
In the ocean they are hardly noticeable, but when they reach shore, the waves pile up and become extremely destructive.
42
Aftershock
a smaller shock following the main shock of an earthquake
43
amplitude
maximum points of displacement in a wave
44
body wave
seismic wave that moves through the Earth's interior
45
epicenter
The area on the Earth's surface above where the Earthquake occurred
46
fault scarp
A fault scarp is a small step or offset on the ground surface where one side of a fault has moved vertically with respect to the other
47
isoseismal map
an isoseismal map is used to show lines of equal felt seismic intensity, generally measured on the Modified Mercalli scal
48
liquefaction
the process of something being turned into a gas or liquid
49
material amplification
intensity of Earthquakes
50
Modified Mercalli Scale
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM or MMI), descended from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake.
51
moment magnitude
The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with Mw or Mw, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment (a measure of the work done by the earthquake).
52
p-wave
Primary wave
53
recurrence interval
average time or an estimated average time between events such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, or a river discharge flows to occur.
54
seismology
study of Earthquakes or seismic activity
55
Silent earthquake
Earthquakes that sneak up on you
56
slip
Slip is defined as the relative movement of geological features present on either side of a fault plane.
57
Strain
change in shape or size resulting from applied forces (deformation).
58
Tectonic creep
slight apparently continuous movement along a fault.
59
Explain shadow zoned and how they develop
The shadow zone is the area of the earth from angular distances of 104 to 140 degrees from a given earthquake that does not receive any direct P waves. The shadow zone results from S waves being stopped entirely by the liquid core and P waves being bent (refracted) by the liquid core.
60
Explain the difference between reflection and refraction
Reflection is when light bounces off an object, while refraction is when light bends while passing through an object.
61
Describe the three most abundant states of matter
Solid, liquid, gas
62
Basic structure of an atom
Atoms consist of three basic particles: protons, electrons, and neutrons. The nucleus (center) of the atom contains the protons (positively charged) and the neutrons (no charge).
63
Subatomic particles significance in Geology
The discovery could help geologists understand how reactions taking place in the planet's interior affect events on the surface such as earthquakes and volcanoes.
64
covalent bond
bond between elements, share pairs between electrons
65
explain why many isotopes are unstable
unstable ratio of protons and electrons
66
Isotope
element with different number of neutrons
67
Ion
an atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.
68
Ionic bond
Ionic bonding is the complete transfer of valence electron(s) between atoms.
69
How do crystals form?
Nucleation, the initial process that occurs in the formation of a crystal from a solution, a liquid, or a vapour, in which a small number of ions, atoms, or molecules become arranged in a pattern characteristic of a crystalline solid, forming a site upon which additional particles are deposited as the crystal grows
70
Most common types of minerals and their building blocks
Silicate minerals silica tetrahedron
71
Why do seismic waves change in velocity in the mantle
Seismic velocities tend to gradually increase with depth in the mantle due to the increasing pressure, and therefore density, with depth.
72
Origin of Earth's magnetic field
The magnetic field is generated by electric currents due to the motion of convection currents of molten iron in the Earth's outer core

Geology ! (2 decks)

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