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121 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Phanerozoic Eon
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last 542 million years and the time before Precambrian Period
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Cenozoic
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the youngest interval in the Phanerozoic Eon
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Earth System
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chemical elements cycle between different rock types, rock and sea, sea and air, and all entities and life
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geologist
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scientist who studies the Earth
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hypothesis
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a possible explanation involving only naturally occurring processes that can explain a set of observation
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Mesozoic Era
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one interval, before the Cenozoic Era, that is part of the Phanerozoic Eon
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Paleozoic Era
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one interval in the Phanerazoic Eon that is before the Mesozoic Era
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Archean Eon
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the eon lasting from 2.5-4.5 billion years ago
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geologic time scale
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used to define intervals of time
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Geology
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the study of Earth
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Hadean
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First eon on Earth, first section of Precambrian Eon
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Precambrian
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the time period from the birth of Earth to Phanerazoic Eon, including intervals of Hadean, Archean, and Proterozoic
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**Plates
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large cracks in the crust; discrete pieces that move slowly relative to each other
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Science
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the use of observation, experiment, and calcultion to explain how nature operates
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Scientific Law
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scientific ideas that must be considered absolutely correct, for if they were violated the natural universe if we knew it would not be correct
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Scientific Method
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sequence of steps for systematically analyzing scientific problems in a way that leads to verifiable results
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Scientists
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people who study and try to understand natural phenomena
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Shatter cones
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small cone shaped cracks that are the result of meteorite impacts
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** Theory
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Scientific ideas supported by an abundance of evidence. They have passed many tests and failed none.
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Theory of Plate Tectonics
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theory that describes the movement of plates and its consequences. Foundation for understanding most geological phenomena
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Accretion Disk
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because of rotation, the condensing portion of a nebula evolved into a spinning disk-shaped mass of gas
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Asteroid
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small bodies of solid rock or metal that orbit around the sun and reside mostly in the Asteroid Belt between Mars & Jupiter
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Big Bang Theory
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cataclysmic explosion that started the universe through expansion
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Expanding Universe Theory
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theory that the universe is expanding
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Comet
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icy planetesmal whose highly elliptical orbit brings it sufficiently close to the sun that emits a glowing tail of gas and dust as it melts
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Cosmology
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study of the overall structure and evolution of the universe
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Differentiation
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the process by which protoplanets and large planetesimals developed internal layering early in their history
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Doppler Effect
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change in a frequency of light or sound that is relative the sedentary observer
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Galaxies
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groups of stars that gravity pulls together to form immense systems or groups
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Gas Giant Planets
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Jovian planets (jupiter-like), Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune composed mostly of He and H
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Terrestrial Planets
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Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, the planets that are closest to the sun because they consist of a shell of rocks surrounding a core of iron alloy
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Geocentric Model
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Earth sits motionaless at the center of the universe while all planets revolve around it. Proposed by Ptolemy*
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Heliocentric Model
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proposed by Copernicus saying that all the planets orbit the Sun. Supported by Galileo and Kepler
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Lightyear
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distance light travels in one Earth year; 9.5 trillion km*
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Meteorite
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Solid objects falling from space that land on a planet
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Moon
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an object locked in orbit round a planet
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Nebula
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patchy clouds of gas that come to being as universe expands and cools
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Nebular theory
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stars and planets form when stars pull gas, dust, and ice together to form a swirling disk. The center of a disk becomes a star. Rings around the star condense into planetesimals that combine to form planets
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Planetesimals
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bodies whose diameter exceed about 1 km. Because of their mass, they exert enough gravity to pull/attract nearby objects
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Planet
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large solid spherical object orbiting a star
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Precession
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*wobble of the Earth's axis. It takes 23,000 years and may effect climate
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Proto-planetary Disk
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planetismals that continue to suck in the dust and ice into their own mass, becoming bodies almost the size of planets
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Protostar
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central ball of an accretion disk that pulled in enough atoms to become hot enough to grow
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Stellar Wind
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Stream of atoms emitted from stars in its lifetime
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Supernova
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red giant that violently explodes
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Universe
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our surroundings, galaxy of stars and planets that we are part of
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Alloy
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mixture containing more than 1 type of metal atom
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Asthenosphere
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layer under the Lithosphere where rock can flow
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Atmosphere
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envelope of gas consisting of 78% N, 21% O, minor amounts of Ar, CO2, Ne, Ch4, Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, and SO2
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Basalt
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mafic rock of small grains, very dense
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Organic Chemicals
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Carbon containing compounds that resemble living organisms or characteristics that resemble molecules
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Glass
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solid which aroms are arrange in an orderly pattern
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Rocks
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aggregates of mineral crystals or grains and masses of natural glass
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sediment
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accumulation of loose mineral grains
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metals
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solids composed of metal atoms
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melts
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form when solid materials melt and transform into liquid
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volatiles
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materials that easily ttransform into gas at the relatively low temp on Earth's surface
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granite
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felsic rock with large grains, least dense of silicates
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Gabbro
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mafic rock with large grains
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Peridotite
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ultramafic rock with large grains, densest of silicates
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Crust
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not very sense; two types known as Oceanic and Continental
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Mantle
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denser solid, 2nd layer of Earth
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Core
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very dense center of earth, 13 g/cm3
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earthquake
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ground shaking of sudden breaks in the center of the Earth
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fault
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fracture on which sliding ocurs
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geothermal gradient
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rate of change in temperature in depth
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Moho boundary
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Mohoravic boundary between crust and mantle where earthquake velocity changes after this point because of density change
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Meteor
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any object that enters Earth's atmosphere from space; a glowing streak
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Meteorite
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meteors that strike Earth
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Upper Mantle
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660 km deep,
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Lower Mantle
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660-2900 km deep,
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Transition Zone
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400-660 km deep where mantle undergoes abrupt changes
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Outer Core
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convective flow generates magnetic field, liquid iron alloy, 10-12 g/cm3
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Inner Core
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solid metal ball in center of Earth
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Cryosphere
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hydrosphere + ice that covers earth
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Hydrosphere
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The surface water + ground water (fills cracks and sediments)
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Topography
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physical features of land surfaces represented by changes in elevation
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Dipole
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magnet with north and south pole; this is Earth's magnetic field
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Magnetic Field
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region affected by force of magnet
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Pangea
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Supercontinent that later fragmented into continents, drifting to present-day positions; proposed by Wegner
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Continental Drift Hypothesis
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Pangea supercontinent that fragmented into continents, drifting to present-day positions
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Sea-floor spreading
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proposed by Hess; one reason for continental drift; new ocean floor forms meaning older sea floor is subducted
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Subduction
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cause two continents to move towards each other; needs this to keep Earth's circumference constant
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Plate Tectonics (2)
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model for how continental drift, sea floor spreading, and subduciton al take place
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plates
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distinct pieces of earth's crust that move relative to each other
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paleomagnetism
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record of earth's magnetic field that is kept in rocks
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apparent polar-wanderer path
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each continent has a different pole-wanderer path, showing that earth's poles stay consistent but continents move
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bathometry
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shape of sea floor surface
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Mid Ocean Ridges
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submarine mountain ranges 2-2.5 km below sea level
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Abyssall plains
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broad flat regions 4-5km below sea level
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Deep ocean trenches
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occur along perimeter of Pacific Oceans and other, 8-12km deep, border volcanic arcs
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volcanic arc
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curving chain of active volcanoes
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seamount
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underwater volcano that has stopped erupting and underwent erosion
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fracture zone
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vertical fracture that lie at right angles to MORs and segments ridges into small pieces
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Magnetic Anamoly
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Difference between expected measured strength and actual strength of earth Earth's magnetc fields
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positive/negative anomoly
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positive/negative difference between expected and measured
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Magnetic reversals
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time when earths field flips form normal to reverse polarity
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Active Margins
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plate boundaries
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Continental Margins
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Boundaries between continent and crusts/ocean
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Passive Boundaries
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not plate boundaries
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Plate Boundary
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breaks in the pieces of lithospheric plates
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Buoyancy
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Upward force active upon an object immersed or floating in fluid
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Continental Shelf
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sediment layer on edge of continent
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Divergent Boundary
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two plates move apart from one another; mid ocean ridges form here
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Convergent Boundary
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two plates move towards each other
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Transform Boundary
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two plates slip on each other
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Black Smoker
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little chimney that spew hot mineralized water because they are heated by magma below the surface
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Convergent Margin
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Subduction zone where one plate subducts another; where deep ocean trenches happen
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Volcanic Arc
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chain of volcanoes that develop behind an accretionary prism
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Accretionary Prism
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sediment is squashed and contorted in process of making prism; like snow in snow plow
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Triple Junction
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places where three plate boundaries intersect
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Hot Spots
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Volcanoes that exist at a point where there is no intersection of plates
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Mantle Plume
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Column of hot rick that flows upwards to form a hot spot; stays fixed in one place while plates move over it
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Hot Spot Track
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track of active/extinct volcanoes that form over a mantle plume and plate moves over them; example: Hawaii
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Rifting
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splitting of 2 continents because of a divergent boundary
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collision
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when a convergent boundary ceases to exist because a buoyant piece of lithosphere moves into subduction zone
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ridge push force
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force of top of ridge will push things under
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slab pull force
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will pull things being subducted because so dense
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velocity of plate motions
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speed of one plate in relation to another plate; movement of plate relative to fixed point in mantle
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absolute plate velocity
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movement of plate relative to fixed point in mantle
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GPS
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satellites orbiting earth that provide us with our position
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