Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

GEO1220 > Sedimentary Rock Record > Flashcards

Sedimentary Rock Record Flashcards

(71 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

5 tectonic settings of the continents

A
  1. craton
  2. orogenic belt
  3. shield
  4. platform
  5. shelf/coastal plain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Define: Craton

A

Ancient part of a continent; no tectonic movement; composed of the shield and the platform.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Define: Shield

A

Exposed area of ancient crystalline rock. (exposed craton)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Define: Orogenic Belt

A

Elongated regions that border the craton and have been deformed by compressional forces. ie mountain building zones. Young orogenic belts = frequent earthquakes + volcanoes. Old orogenic belts display crustal displacement, deformed strata, metamorphism, and exposed intrusive igneous rock.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Define: Platform

A

Surrounds the shield; areas where ancient shield rocks are covered by “gently warped” sedimentary rocks.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Define: Shelf/Coastal Plain

A

Submerged edges of continents.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Light colored sedimentary rock indicates:

A

lack of preserved organic matter.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Black colored sedimentary rock indicates:

A

lots of chemically reduced organic matter.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Red/Brown/Green colored sedimentary rock indicates;

A

oxidized/reduced iron.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Explain the relationship between grain size & depositional environments.

A

Coarser nearshore to finer offshore deposits

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Name the 6 types of sedimentary structures.

A
  1. Bedding planes
  2. Laminations
  3. Cross-Bedding
  4. Ripple Marks
  5. Mud Cracks
  6. Graded Beds
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Explain: Cross Bedding Sedimentary Structures

A

(AKA Cross Stratification) arrangement of beds/laminations in which one set of layers is inclined relative to others. Formed when wind or water transports and deposits clastic particles. Direction of slope indicates direction of ancient current.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Explain: Mud Cracks

A

Indicate drying after deposition and exposure to air.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Explain: Graded-Bedding

A

Results when flowing water sorts particles by size. Characteristic of deposition by turbidity currents.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Explain: Ripple Marks

A

Develop in sand and are common along bedding planes. (Symmetric or Asymmetric ripple marks)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

4 Types of Marine Depositional Environments:

A
  1. Shallow Marine or Continental Shelf
  2. Continental Slope Environment
  3. Turbidity Currents and Turbidites
  4. Deep Marine Environments
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

5 Types of Continental Depositional Environments:

A
  1. Stream Deposits
  2. Alluvial Fans
  3. Lake Deposits (lacustrine)
  4. Glacial Deposits
  5. Wind Deposits
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

5 Types of Transitional Depositional Environments:

A
  1. Deltas
  2. Lagoons
  3. Tidal Flats
  4. Estuaries
  5. Barrier Islands
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Explain variables in stream deposits:

A

discharge; velocity; nature of sediment transported; shape of the stream channel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Explain formation of alluvial fans:

A

abrupt deposition of stream-transported materials flowing from a mountainous area onto a flat plain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Explain formation of Deltas

A

Formed when a stream flows into “quiet” water such as a lake.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

List 7 factors of sedimentary rock formation:

A
  1. Tectonic Setting (active, slowly rising, sinking, or stable)
  2. Sediment Source (source rock)
  3. Sediment Transport Medium (water, wind, gravity)
  4. Active processes in depositional environment (physical, chemical, and biological.)
  5. Climate at time of deposition
  6. Agents available to change sediment into solid rock (pressure, cements)
  7. Time
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

A conglomerate would be ___ the source rock because…

A
  1. closer to 2. conglomerate composition is course which indicates close formation to source area.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

A shale would be ___ the source rock because…

A
  1. further from 2. shale composition is fine which indicates formation away from source area.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
"Well sorted" strata describes...
distribution of particles of roughly the same shape/size.
26
Shape & roundness of grains indicates...
shape = extent of rounding and sphericity. Roundness - distance, transport medium, rigor of transport.
27
Grain orientation is controlled by...
transport medium, deposition surface, flow direction and velocity.
28
List important stratographic principles:
superposition, original horizontality, lateral continuity, cross cutting relationships, unconformities, inclusions, baked contacts, fossil succession, transgressions/regressions, Walther's principle
29
Describe: Superposition
States that in any sequence of undisturbed strata, the oldest layer is at the bottom, and successively younger layers are higher.
30
Describe: original horizontality
states that sediment is deposited in layers that are originally horizontal.
31
Describe: lateral continuity
States that a rock layer extends continuously in all directions until it thins or encounters a barrier.
32
Describe: cross cutting relationsips
Penetrating rock must be younger than the rock that is being penetrated. ie the feature that is cut is older than the feature that does the cutting.
33
Describe: Unconformities and give examples of each
Time gap in the rock record due to erosion; flat-lying upper rocks do not "conform" to the tilted lower rocks. Angular unconformity: nonparallel strata are separated by an erosion surface. Disconformity: parallel strata are separated by an erosional surface. Nonconformity: stratified sedimentary rocks rest on older intrusive igneous or metamorphic rocks. Paraconformity: recognized by fossil zones that indicate part of the rock sequence is missing.
34
Describe: Inclusions
Fragments in one rock that appear in the other.
35
Describe: Fossil Succession
Stipulates that the life of each age in the Earth's history is unique for particular intervals of geologic time.
36
Describe: Trangressions vs regressions
Transgression/Onlap Sequence: as sea is advancing, boundaries of facies shift landward and develop an onlap sequence. Regression/Offlap Sequence: as sea withdrawals the boundaries of facies move in the same direction of the shoreline and deveop offlap sequenes.
37
Describe: Walthers Principle
States that vertical facies changes correspond to lateral facies changes.
38
Explain lithostratographic vs biostratographic vs chronostratographic units
Lithostratographic matches up rock bodies by their lithography (composition, texture, color) and stratographic position. Biostratographic links rock units by similarity of their fossils or fossil zonations. Chronostratographic links rock units by age equivalence, determined by fossils or radiometric dating methods.
39
Describe the predicted sequence of rock layers in Walther's Principle:
Nearshore-offshore sediment: beach sand, nearshore silt, offshore clay, offshore carbonates. (Silt - Shalte - limestones)
40
List schematic depictions of geology
columnar sections, cross-sections + maps (geologic maps, palegeographic maps, isopach maps, lithofacies maps)
41
List the modes/types of fossil preservation:
unaltered remains, carbonization, permineralization, recrystalization, replacement, casts, internal + external molds.
42
Describe: carbonization
Occurs when soft tissues are preserved as thin films of carbon.
43
Describe: permineralization
"to spread minerals without." Occurs when minerals become deposited in the organisms remains. Original composition remains, but the fossil is made harder and more durable by the minerals.
44
Describe: Recrystalization
Rearrangement of mineral crystals. Composition is not altered, only the mineral structure.
45
Define: Replacement
The exchange of the original substance with mineral matter of a different composition.
46
Define: Unaltered Fossil Preservation
Composition of fossil is "unaltered." Examples: permafrost, amber, etc.
47
Define: Casts
When an empty/vacant area is filled with a new substance, such as minerals or mud, and solidifies.
48
Define: Internal Molds
The imprint of the internal structure is left behind (the structure itself is NOT left behind)
49
Define: External molds
The imprint of the external structure is left behind.
50
Explain the major differences between mitosis and meiosis
Mitosis: New cells are generated new cells to replace worn-out or damages cells Cell division produces new diploid cells with exact replicas of the parent cell. Meiosis: takes place when gametes are formed.
51
Define: Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the naming and grouping of organisms.
52
Who was Gregor Mendel?
Moravian monk (1822-1884) who discovered the basic principles of inheritance through experiments on garden peas.
53
Who was Charles Darwin?
(1809-1882) Theory of Natural Selection
54
Who was Lamarck?
In the early 1800s Jean Baptiste de Lamarck proposed that new structures in organisms appear because of a need or "inner want" of the organism.
55
Describe Homology
shared ancestry between a pair of structures in different species.
56
Describe vestigial organs
evolutionary "leftovers" left over from an ancestor which is no longer of use to the modern organism. (examples: tailbones in humans, pelvic bones in whales)
57
Describe the "Essence of the Theory of Natural Selection:"
- limited resources + overpopulation of offspring leads to a struggle for existence - individuals are different and much of that that variation is heritable - product of natural selection is adaptation which in non random
58
Main points of the theory of evolution
1) Diverse groups of animals evolve from one or a few common ancestors 2) the mechanism by which evolution takes place is natural selection.
59
Describe the nebular theory:
A rotating nebula underwent gravitational into a star with an accretion disk, from which planets condensed/formed by coagulation of dusk particles of increasingly larger bodies.
60
Define Adaptive Radiation:
Ancestral species becomes various descendant species.
61
Supporting data of evolution:
Anatomy of living organisms DNA + protein studies Research on fossil morphology
62
Micro vs macro-evolution:
Micro-evolution: changes within the species | Macro-evolution: trends beyond species level
63
Define "Index Fossils"
Species especially helpful in identifying the age of rock strata.
64
Explain CCD
Carbonate Compensation Depth: the ocean depth below which particles of calcium carbonate from microorganisms are dissolved as fast as they descend through the water column.
65
Composition of the sun:
99.85% of mass in the solar system is the sun Hydrogen fusion produces helium and releases vast amounts of energy eventually hydrogen will be exhausted and He burning will take over and produce O.
66
Characteristics of the Terrestrial Planets:
Relatively small, rocky with very little atmosphere. Not enough mass to retain lighter lighter glasses (Mercury Venus, Earth, Mars)
67
Formation of earth:
1- growth of the planet by the accretion of particles + meteorites that bombarded the surface. 2- The earth has shrunk because of gravitational compression. Internal temp peak and differentiation has begun (layering due to density) 3- result of differentiation is evident by formation of core, mantle and crust.
68
formation of the moon:
formed as a result of a collision between a huge object and Earth shortly after formation: evidence includes: size of moon (1/4 earth's diameter); low density compared to earth (3.3 g/cm^3 vs 5.5 g/cm^3); age of oldest moon rocks (~4.5ga)
69
characteristics of the Jovian Planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Relatively large, gaseous bodies. Thick, dense atmospheres. Enough mass to retain lighter initial gases.
70
Composition of asteroids, meteoroids and comets
Asteroids: mostly between orbits of Mars + Jupiter Meteoroids: rocky/metallic composition with unusual orbits Comets: small chunks of ice with very unusual orbits.
71
Describe the Endosymbiotic Theory
Explains the origin of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotes.b

GEO1220 (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions