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Geology 109 > Geology Midterm > Flashcards

Geology Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

Stratigraphy

A

Geological time record

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2
Q

Stratigraphic Unit

A
  • Includes strata that are distinguishable by physical, chemical or paleontological properties
  • Units of time based on age of strata can make up a unit
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3
Q

Strata

A
  • Layer of igneous or sedimentary rocks formed on the surface
  • Characteristics distinguish it from other strata
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4
Q

Correlation

A

Relationship between seperate parts of a stratigraphic unit

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5
Q

Lithologic Correlation

A

Correlation based on rock type

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6
Q

Temporal Correlation

A

Correlation based on age

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7
Q

Time-Rock Unit

A
  • All strata deposited at a certain time

- Geological system = time-rock unit (Chronostratigraphic Unit)

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8
Q

Time Unit

A

Interval where a time-rock unit is formed (Geochronologic Time Unit)

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9
Q

Geologic System

A

Section of the geologic time scale

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10
Q

Erathem

A
  • Groups of eras (time units)

- Erathems subdivided into series, then further subdivided into stages

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11
Q

Epochs / Ages

A

Corresponding time units for subdivided time-rock units

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12
Q

Boundary Stratotype

A

Boundary between two systems, series or stages

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13
Q

Biostratigraphic Unit

A
  • Defined by fossil content

- Based on stratigraphic range of fossil taxa

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14
Q

Stratigraphic Range

A

Vertical range in which species show up in a stratigraphic unit

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15
Q

Biozone

A
  • Fundamental biostratigraphic unit

- Lower and upper boundaries of the biozone are determined by the ranges of taxa

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16
Q

Taxa

A

Group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms that form a unit

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17
Q

Index / Guide Fossil

A
  • Taxa that provide a reliable source for defining biostratigraphic zones
  • Exhibits some or all characteristics:
    1. Found easily in stratigraphic record
    2. Easily distinguishable
    3. Widespread and can be used to correlate rocks over a wide area
    4. Narrow stratigraphic range
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18
Q

Magnetic Stratigraphy

A

Correlation based on magnetic properties of rocks

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19
Q

Polarity Time-Rock Unit

A

Time-rock unit where the Earth’s polarity is either the same as it is now (Normal Interval) or the opposite as it is now (Reverse Interval)

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20
Q

Chron

A

Polarity time-rock unit

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21
Q

Rock Unit

A
  • Groups, supergroups, formations and members
  • Lithostratigraphic units
  • Groups > Formations > Members
  • Supergroups are made of multiple groups
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22
Q

Lithology

A

Physical or chemical characteristics of a rock

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23
Q

Stratigraphic Segement

A
  • Vertical section of a rock unit

- May contain more than one rock unit

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24
Q

Type Section

A
  • Well-preserved section of a stratigraphic segment

- Defines the unit

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25
Q

Regression

A

Shoreline migrates seaward

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26
Q

Transgression

A

Sealine migrates shoreward

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27
Q

Facies

A

Characteristics of a body of rock that represents a depositional enivronment

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28
Q

Depositional Environment

A

Sediments, soils and rocks added to an environment

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29
Q

Nicolaus Steno

A
  • Discovered how to relatively age rocks

- His method only worked within stratigraphic segments

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30
Q

William Smith

A

Discovered that fossils can be used to determine relative ages of unrelated rocks

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31
Q

Baron George Cuvier

A
  • First to discover species go extinct

- Did not make the hypothesis that new species come

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32
Q

Geologic Systems

A
  • Bodies of rock that contain specific fossils of flora or fauna
  • Each geologic system corresponds to a geologic period
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33
Q

Relative Age Dating

A

Age of rocks in relation to other rocks

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34
Q

Absolute Dating

A

Actual numeric age of rocks

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35
Q

Fossil Succession

A
  • Helps determine relative age of rocks

- Vertical order of fossils in a stratigraphic segment

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36
Q

Fossil Record

A

Key to determining Geological Time Scale

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37
Q

Catastrophism

A

Belief that global floods were caused by supernatural forces

38
Q

Actualism

A
  • Events explained in terms of fact and physical processes

- Replaced catastrophism in the nineteenth century

39
Q

Abraham Gottlob Werner

A
  • Supported catastrophism

- Believed rocks formed from minerals that precipitated in a sea that occasionally flooded Earth

40
Q

James hutton

A
  • Promoted actualism
  • Believed scientific processes created / destroyed rocks
  • Theory focused on geologic time
41
Q

Charles Lyell

A
  • Popularized actualism with publication of ‘Principles of Geology’
  • What we see in the present is the key to the past
  • Uniformitarianism
  • Theory focused around geologic time
42
Q

Plate Tectonics

A

-Used to be called continental drift

  • Unifying theory of geology
  • -Connects all current theories
  • Predicts and explains geological phenomena
  • Helps explain natural disasters, mountain formation, geography etc.
43
Q

Lithospheric Plates

A
  • Sections of the lithosphere that move
  • Some carry oceanic crust, others carry continental crust
  • Plate tectonics
44
Q

Spreading Zones

A
  • Plates move away from mid-oceanic ridges
  • Forms new oceanic crust
  • Plates move along the edges
  • Also called Mid-Oceanic Rift
45
Q

Mid-Ocean Ridge

A

Heat from asthenosphere causes spreading zone to swell and separate

46
Q

Transform Faults

A

Surfaces where plates slide against one another

47
Q

Mantle Convection

A
  • Hot material rises from asthenosphere
  • Cools as it rises
  • Denser material drifts closer to the crust
48
Q

Subduction Zones

A
  • Places where plates descend (oceanic trenches)
  • Caused by partial melting of upper mantle
  • Subducted oceanic crust recycled
  • Forms new sediment (accretionary prism)
49
Q

Divergent Boundaries

A
  • Plates move apart

- Upwelling of magma creates new crust

50
Q

Convergent Boundaries

A
  • Plates move closer together
  • One plate moves on top of another
  • Oceanic crust descends into mantle
51
Q

Plate Boundaries

A
  • Associated with faulting
    1. Normal faults - extension (divergent)
    2. Reverse faults - compression (convergent)
    3. Strike-Slip faults - plates sliding past one another (transform)
52
Q

Continental Drift

A
  • Now called plate tectonics
  • Rotation of Earth caused Pangea to split apart and drift towards the poles
  • Created by Alfred Wegener
  • This theory was too incomplete and thus had little relevance
53
Q

Crust

A
  • Upper most layer of the Earth
  • Hard
  • Oceanic crust / mafic rock
  • -High in iron / magnesium
54
Q

Mantle

A
  • Found below the crust

- Slush-like consistency

55
Q

Core

A
  • Inner core is solid iron

- Outer core is liquid iron

56
Q

Moho Discontinuity

A

Boundary between the crust and the mantle

57
Q

Lithosphere

A

Crust and solid, uppermost mantle

58
Q

Asthenosphere

A

Upper, dutile mantle

59
Q

Big Bang

A
  • Occurred 10B years ago
  • Expansion > redshift > increase in light wavelength > galaxies move apart
  • ~ 2 Trillion galaxies
60
Q

Our Galaxy

A
  • ~ 100-400 Billion stars
  • Formed <10B years ago
  • Formed from gravitational collapse of dense gas clouds
  • Stars form by condensing in spiral arms
61
Q

Sun

A

Formed by the collapse of a star

62
Q

Supernova

A

Exploding star

63
Q

Planets

A
  • Formed from rotating dust clouds shortly after the sun formed
  • Inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
  • Asteroid Belt
  • Outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
  • Oort Cloud
64
Q

Meteorites

A

3 types:

  1. Stony meteorites
  2. Iron meteorites
  3. Stony-iron meteorites
    - Small asteroids
65
Q

Comets

A
  • Made of ice and rock

- Come from Oort cloud beyond Neptune

66
Q

Early Earth

A
  • Denser core
  • Mostly molten iron
  • Many meteorite attacks
67
Q

Earth Now

A
  • Cooler
  • Solid inner core, liquid outer core
  • Slushy mantle and crust
68
Q

Moon

A
  • Formed when a Mars sized body hit Earth and created debris
  • Formed 30-60M years after formation of Earth
  • Small, metallic core
  • No magnetic field
69
Q

Mars

A

-Polar ice caps and dust storms

  • Water in soil
  • -Used to contain a lot of water
70
Q

Atoms

A
  • Electrons
  • Nucleus (protons and neutrons)
  • Neutral charge
71
Q

Atomic Number

A

= Number of protons

72
Q

Mass Number / Atomic Weight

A

= Protons + neutrons (nucleons)

73
Q

Isotopes

A
  • The same elements with different atomic weights

- Vary in number of neutrons

74
Q

Chemical Bonds

A
  • 2 or more atoms form a molecule

- Reaction: formation of molecule

75
Q

Ion

A
  • Charged atom
  • Cation: positively charged
  • Anion: negatively charged
76
Q

Ionic Bond

A

Atom loses electron to other atom

77
Q

Covalent Bonds

A
  • Atoms share electrons

- Stronger bonds

78
Q

Crystal Lattice

A
  • 3D molecular structure of molecules
  • Configuration related to size and number of ions

Note: some minerals (such as sapphires and rubies) are chemically the same, but impurities in their lattice will make them present as different minerals!

79
Q

Mineral Properties

A

Hardness, density, crystal habit (shape), colour etc.

80
Q

Mineral Types

A
  • Over 4500 types
  • 2 dozen common types
  • Silicates
  • -Silicon, oxygen
  • -Most common

-Carbonates, Sulfates, Halides etc.

81
Q

Igneous Rocks

A
  • Defined by composition and crystal size
  • Created by cooling magma
  • Cooling rate defines crystal size
  • -Rapid: fine grain crystals
  • -Slow: coarse grain crystals
  • Composition:
  • -Mostly silicates
  • -Felsic (granite)
  • -Mafic (basalt)
82
Q

Sedimentary Rocks

A
  • Produced by weathering, erosion, depositions etc.
  • Contains skeletal and shell material
  • Siliciclastic rock
  • -composed of silicate minerals
83
Q

Conglomerate

A

Made from pebbles

84
Q

Clastic Rocks

A
  • Rocks sorted by grain size

- Poorly sorted = mixed grain sizes

85
Q

Chemical Rocks

A
  • Evaporites
  • -From seawater
  • -Halides and sulfates are common

-Chert / Silica (flint)

  • Carbonate Rocks
  • -Sediments
  • -Mostly tropical / subtropical
86
Q

Sedimentary Structures

A

-Ripples formed by wind or water

  • Cracks (synsedimentary deformation)
  • -desiccation
  • -intrastratal shrinkage
  • -sediment injection
  • -convolute bedding
87
Q

Lithification

A
  • Process of sediments becoming rocks

- Neomorphism, replacement and dissolution

88
Q

Neomorphism

A

Recrystallization of CaCO3

89
Q

Metamorphic Rocks

A

Created using high temperature and pressure

90
Q

Metamorphic Grade

A

Level of pressure / temperature at time of alteration

91
Q

Sedimentary Environments

A
  • Sediments created, deposited and recorded in oceanic or continental environments
  • Accumulate in sedimentary basins
  • Characteristics of rock provide evidence on how / when the rock formed
  • Can contain paleosols (fossil soils) and lake (lacustrine) deposits

Geology 109 (3 decks)

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