Geology and the Environment - Unit 1 Flashcards
1
Q
4.6 Billion Years Ago
A
Planet formed from cloud of gases
2
Q
3 Billion Years Ago
A
Earliest life forms preserved in rocks
3
Q
570 million Years Ago
A
First abundant organisms with hard skeletal parts appeared in rock record
4
Q
430 million Years Ago
A
First land plants appeared
5
Q
190 million Years Ago
A
First Mammals Appeared
6
Q
63 million Years Ago
A
First primates
7
Q
2 million Years Ago
A
First human species
8
Q
35 Thousand to 50 thousand years ago
A
Apperance of Homo Sapiens
9
Q
18th Century
A
Begining of industrial revolution
10
Q
20th Century
A
Advent of the Automobile
11
Q
1950s
A
Thermonuclear Weapons were tested frequently
Pesticides became widely used
12
Q
1960s to present
A
Increased usage of aerosol sprays
13
Q
1970s to present
A
Increased amounts of radioactive wastes
-Require 1/4 million years before they decay to safe levels (More than the lifespan of Humans)
14
Q
Core
A
The innermost zone of the earth; composed largely of iron
15
Q
Crust
A
The outermost compositional zone of the earth; composed predominantly of relatively low-density silicate materials
16
Q
Doubling Time
A
The length of time required for a population to double in size
17
Q
Environmental Geology
A
The study of the interactions between humans and their geologic environment
18
Q
Hypothesis
A
A conceptual model or explanation for a set of data, mneasurments or observations
19
Q
Mantle
A
The zone of the earth’s interior between crust and core; rich in ferromagnesian silicates
20
Q
Exponential Growth
A
Growth Characterized by a constant percentage increase per unit time
21
Q
Scientific Method
A
Means of discovering scientific principles by formulating hypotheses, making predictions from them and testing the predictions
22
Q
Theory
A
A generally accepted explanation for a set of data or observations; its validity has usually been tested by the scientific method
23
Q
Renewable Resources
A
Agiculture
Forestry
Horticulture
24
Q
Non-Renewable Resources
A
Mineral Resources
(Subject to depletion)
25
Water
Cyclic resource
Can undergo degredation
26
Anion
An ion with a net negative charge
27
Atom
The smallest particle into which a chemical element can be subdivided
28
Atomic Mass Number
The sume of the number of protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus
29
Atomic Number
Number of protons in an atomic nucleus; characteristic of a particular element
30
Carbonate
Nonsilicate mineral containing carbonate groups (CO3), carbon, and oxygen in the proportions of one atoms of carbon to three atoms of oxygen
31
Cation
An ion with a net positive charge
32
Chemical Sedimentary Rock
A rock formed from sediments at low temperature
33
Clastic Sedimentary Rock
Broken or fragmented; describes sediments or sedimentary rocks that are formed from fragments of pre-existing rocks or minerals
34
Cleavage
The tendancy of a mineral to break preferentially along planes in certain directions in the crystal structure
35
Compound
A chemical combination of two or more elements, in specific proportions, having a distinctive set of resultant physical properties
36
Contact Metamorphism
Local metamorphism adjacent to a cooling magma body
37
Covalent Bonding
Bonding involving sharing of electrons between atoms
38
Crystalline
Describes materials possessing a regular, repeating internal arrangement of atoms
39
Electron
A subatomic particle with an electrical cahrge or -1; generally found orbiting the nucleus
40
Ferromagnesian
A termdescribing silicates containing significant amounts of iron and/or magnesium; these minerals are usually dark-colored
41
Foliation
Parallel alignment of linear or platy minerals in a rock
42
Glass
Solid (especially silicate)lacking a regular internal crystal structure
43
Igneous
A rock formed or crystallized from a magma
44
Ion
Atom that has gained or lost electrons, so it has a net electrical charge
45
Ionic Bonding
Bonding due to attraction between oppositely charged ions
46
Isotope
Atoms ofa given chemical elements having the same atomic number but different atomic mass numbers
47
Lava
Magma that flows out at the earth's surface
48
Lithification
Conversion of unconsolidated sediment into cohesive rock
49
Magma
A naturally occuring silicate melt, which may also contain mineral crystals, dissolved water,or gases
50
Metamorphic
Rock that is changed in form (deformed and/or recrystalized) through the effects of heat and/or pressure
51
Mineral
A naturally occuring, inorganic, solid element or compound with a definite composition or range in composition, usually havign a regular crystal structure
3000 minerals known
52
Native Element
Nonsilicate mineral consisting of a single chemical element
53
Neutron
An electrically neutral subatomic particle with a mass approximately equal to one atomic mass unit; generally found within an atomic nucleus
54
Nucleus
The center of an atom, containing protons and neutrons
55
Organic Sediments
Carbon rich sediments derived from the remains of living organisms
56
Oxide
Nonsilicate mineral containing oxygen combined with one or more metals
57
Periodic table
The regular arrangement of chemcial elements in a chart that reflects patterns of chemical behavior related to the electronicstructure of atoms
58
Plutonic
Describes an igneous rock crystallized well below the earth's surface; typically coarse-grained
59
Proton
Subatomic particle with a charge of +1 and a mass of approximately one atomic mass unit; generally found within an atomic nucleus
60
Regional Metamorphism
Metamorphism on a large scale, involving increased heat and pressure; often associated with mouontain building
61
Rock
A solid, cohesive aggregate of one or more minerals
62
Rock Cycles
Teh concept thatrocks are continually subject to change and that any rock may be transformed into another type of rock through an appropriate geologic process
63
Sediment
Surface accumulation of loose, unconsolidated mineral or rock particles
64
Sedimentary
A rock formed from sediments at low temperature
65
Silicate
Mineral contianing silicon and oxygen and usually one or more additional elements
66
Sulfate
Nonsilicate mineral contianing sulfate (SO4) groups, each made up of one atom of sulfur and four atoms of oxygen
67
Sulfide
Nonsilicate mineral continingsulfur but no oxygen
68
Volcanic
describes any igneous rock formed at or near the earth's surface
69
Asthenosphere
Partially molten, weak xone within the upper mantle immediately below the lithosphere
70
Brittle
Describes materials that tend to rupture before appreciable plastic deformation has occured
71
Compressive Stress
Stress tending to compress an object
72
Continental Drift
The concept that the continents have moved about over teh earth's surface
73
Convection Cell
Circulating masses of material driven by temperature differences (hot material rises, then moves laterally,cools, sinks, and is reheated to rise again)
74
Convergent Plate Boundary
Plate boundary at whcih lithospheric plates are movingtoward each otehr; for example, a subduction zone or continental collision zone
75
Curie Temperature
Temperature above which a magnetic material loses its magnetism; different for each such material
76
Divergent Plate Boundary
A boundary along which lithospheric plates are moving apart; for example, seafloor spreading ridfges and continental rift zone
77
Ductile
Describes material that undergoes extensive plastic deformation without rupturing
78
Elastic Deformation
Deformation proportional to applied stress, from whcih the affected material will return toits original size and shape when the stress is removed
79
Elastic Limit
The stress above which a material will cease to deform elastically
80
Hot Spot
An isolated center of volcanic activity; often assocaited with a plate boundary
81
Island Arc
Chain of volcanic islands formed parallel to a subduction zone, on the overriding plate
82
Lithosphere
The solid, outermost zone of the earth, including the crust and a portion of the upper mantle; approximately 50 km thick under the oceans and commonly more than 100 km thick beneath the continents
83
Paleomagnetism
The fossil magnetism preserved inrocks formed in the past
84
Plastic Deformation
Permanent strain in material stressed beyond the elastic limit; the material will not return to its original dimensions when the stress is removed
85
Plate Tectonics
The theory that holds that the rigid lithosphere is broken up itnoa series of movable plates
86
Polar-Wander Curve
A plot of apparent magnetic pole positions atvarious times in teh past relative toa continent, assuming the continent's position to have been fixed on the earth
87
Rupture
Breakage or failure of material under stress
88
Seafloor Spreading
The process by which new lithosphere is created at spreadingridges as plates of oceanic lithosphere move apart
89
Shearing Stress
Stress that tends to cause different parts of an object to slide past each other across a plane; with respect to mass movements, stress tending to pull material downslope
90
Strain
Deformation resulting from the application of stress
91
Stress
A force applied to an object
92
Subduction Zone
A convergent plate boundary at whcih oceanic lithosphere is being pushed beneath another plate (continental or oceanic) into the asthenosphere
93
Tectonics
The study of large scale movement and deformation of the earth's crust
94
Tensile Stress
Stress tending to pull an object apart
95
Transform Fault
A fault between offset segments of a spreading ridge, along which two plates move horizontally inopposite directions
96
Chemical Elements
104 Elements
, 88 Naturally Occuring
