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36 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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3 most important theories of technology: |
-plate tectonics -rock formation -evolution
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What is geology? |
the study of earth, it's origin, its history and dynamics, and the changes it goes through time |
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How old is Earth? |
4.6 billion years old |
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What are the oldest thins on Earth? |
meterorites |
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How long have humans been around? |
2 million years |
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What 4 subsystems is Earth made up of? |
-Biosphere -Lithosphere -Hydrosphere -Atmosphere |
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What is physical geology? |
understanding the materials composing the Earth |
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what is historical geology? |
understanding the origin of eath |
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How do we know the earth is round? |
images from space |
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Name our 9 planets. |
Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, UB313 |
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what is Earth's core made of? |
iron and nickel |
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What are the two types of crust? |
-continent -ocean crust |
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What are the 3 layers that make up the earth? |
core, mantle, crust |
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how do we know the age of the earth? |
radiometric ages of rocks |
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What causes earthquakes? |
plate techtonics |
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what is the difference between a rock and a mineral? |
a rock is a solid aggregate of one or more minerals a mineral is naturally occurring, inorganic, and a crystalline solid |
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What are the 3 major types of rocks? |
igneous (crystalized from melting; volcanic) sedimentary (pre-existing pieces of older rocks) metamorphic (high temp, but don't melt down) |
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What is Pangaea and Panthalassa? |
the idea of one single landmass and a single ocean before the continental drift |
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What are glacial striations? |
direction of ice movement |
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What is a glossopteris fossil of? |
ferns and other land plants |
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What part does the mesosaurus play in proving the theory of the continental drift? |
-freshwater reptile the can't swim, found in Brazil and South Africa |
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What are the most important factors in creating magma? |
pressure, heat, and water |
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What causes rocks to melt at spreading ridges? |
pressure decrease and presence of water |
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What is a batholith? |
an intrusive igneous rock structure; dike, sill, stock, volcanic rock |
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what is a dike? |
a vertical tabular pluton; discordant |
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what is a sill? |
a horizontal tabular pluton; cordant |
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what is a volcano neck? |
used to be a volcano, now its only the middle; Devil's Tower, Wyoming |
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what is a volcano? |
landform created by eruption of lava |
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what are two types of volcanoes? |
quiet (Hawaii) explosive (Mount St. Helens) |
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what is volcanism? |
geologic processes involved in eruptions |
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Where are 80% of the world's volcanoes? |
around the Pacific |
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what is viscosity? |
resistant of lava to flow determined by silica content |
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Which magma is explosive? |
mafic magma (low viscosity, hot, gases escape easily |
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What are two types of lava? |
pahoehoe and aa |
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What is the difference between pahoehoe and aa lava? |
pahoehoe is fast, fluid, ropy, and basalt aa is slow, blocky, chunky, low gas |
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What is a pyroclastic flow and what is the most famous of them? |
a cloud of hot ash that has high gas content, and is as fast as 100 mph; Vesuvius, Pompeii |
