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124 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What evidence did Wegner use to support the existence of Pangaea?
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Animal and plant fossils that appeared to have evolved in the same geographic locations are now on separate continents.
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The oceanic crust is _____ and _____ than continental crust.
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thinner, denser
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How do scientists calculate the approximate dimensions of the Earth’s outer core?
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The outer core is believed to be liquid, so secondary (S) waves cannot travel through it. Its thickness is deduced from the places that S waves are felt on the crust and the angles at which they would have traveled to get there, since they could not have passed through liquid during travel.
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What type of tectonic phenomena leads to the creation of oceanic volcanic islands such as the Galapagos or the Hawaiian Islands?
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The movement of Lithospheric plates over a hot spot
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Which type of plate boundary results from two or more plates coming together?
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convergent
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A _____ is a fracture in the rock in which no appreciable movement has occurred.
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Joint
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What do Egyptian pottery shards and basalt cliffs in Oregon have in common?
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Clay and basalt contain magnetic particles. As the pottery/lava cools, the particles align themselves in the direction of the magnetic field and crystallize. Scientists can then infer the direction of the magnetic field as it was during the time the rocks or pots were formed.
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If Earth's history was represented by one 24-hour day, how long has life proliferated on the planet?
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20 hours, with the first fossils found around 5:36 am.
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Along continental rifts and hot spots, vast amounts of basaltic lava can flow from fissures, forming:
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flood basalts
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Why do scientists believe Mars has no atmosphere?
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Why do scientists believe Mars has no atmosphere?
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Is the earths core liquid or solid?
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Inner core solid; outer core liquid
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What is the source of heat that drives mantle convection?
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radiogenic heat from the decay of isotopes.
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_____ are common features that develop in solid rock at the surface due to the release of pressure and can act as conduits for other weathering mechanisms.
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Joints
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Increases in the density of rock cause P waves to travel _____
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faster
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How did scientists discover that the earth's magnetic field changes direction?
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Evidence from pottery but also from Hawaii volcanic rock which measures the strength of Earth's magnetic field and its direction. This flip or reversal is called the South Atlantic Anomaly. They also used computer generated models that indicated a flip of the magnetic field.
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Name the layers of the Earth in the Asthenosphere.
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Mantle
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What is the Mohorovicic discontinuity?
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The difference between the density of the crust and the mantle
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What are the principal components of mafic rock?
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magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe)
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What are the principal components of felsic rock?
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feldspar, silica
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A strike-slip fault can also be called a _____
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Transcurrent or Transverse
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What is meant by a continental shield?
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A large, stable, low relief expanse of land
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The continents and ocean basins are located in the _____ sphere
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Lithosphere
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Describe why subsequent and consequent streams often flow in different directions.
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Consequent streams flow toward the ocean; subsequent streams flow along the boundaries between sand and clay layers toward the consequent streams.
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When mineral atoms are arranged in regular, repeating structures, they are said to be:
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crystalline
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What is a mineral?
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A naturally-occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition
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What are rocks?
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A naturally formed, firm and consolidated aggregate mass of mineral matter
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Felsic minerals tend to be:
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enriched with silica, relatively low density, light-colored
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Some of the most highly elevated and tectonically active mountain ranges in the world are the result of:
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CONVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES
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According to high-resolution GPS satellites, lithospheric plates are moving at an average rate of:
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2-3 cm (1 in) per year
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In general, landscapes of great relief experience _____ rate(s) of landform change compared with those of low relief.
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faster
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Coastal plain streams that run parallel to the shoreline and act as tributaries to larger bodies of water are described as:
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subsequent streams
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Define topographic relief.
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The vertical difference between highest and lowest elevations.
high relief (lots of variability) and low relief ( low variability between high and low altitudes) |
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Compare and contrast lithification, cementation, and compaction.
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Lithification is the process of sediments becoming rocks. There are two components of lithification: compaction and cementation. Compaction occurs when sediment particles are squeezed together by pressure from above. Cementation occurs when there is water trapped between sediment particles and the minerals in the water are deposited on the surfaces of the sediment particles, effectively gluing then together.
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Name 5 mineral properties and briefly describe each.
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1. Chemical composition: the elements that make up a mineral,
2. Hardness: Measures how hard or easily a mineral can be scratched, 3. Cleavage/Fracture: Tendancy of a mineral to break along weak bonds, 4. Color: The color of a mineral (most unreliable in identifying minerals), Streak: the color of a mineral in its powdered form, 5. Luster: A mineral's appearance when reflected in light. |
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What is the most common mineral found in rocks on Earth?
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Silicates
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What minerals produce micas and clays?
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silica (silicates) with some aluminum and other elements
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The Hawaiian Islands and Emperor Seamounts represent:
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hot spots
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What is a batholith?
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large body of cooled magma/intrusive igneous rock. For example, mount rushmore and stone mountain.
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Which is harder, Quartz or Feldspar?
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Quartz
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What term best describes the rocky outer layer of the Earth?
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Crust
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Explosive or voluminous eruptions may cause the volcano to collapse into the floor of the empty magma chamber below, producing a very large depression called a:
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caldera
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_____ divides most ocean basins roughly in half.
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Divergent Boundary (mid-oceanic ridge)
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Describe the process that leads to exfoliation.
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A release of confining pressure causes the outer shells to peel away progressively, leaving the lower layers exposed
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A fracture in rock along which movement has occurred parallel to the surface is known as a:
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fault
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Peat, coal, lignite, and natural gas are all examples of:
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FOSSIL FUELS
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What rock type is famous for hexagonal jointing?
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basalt, extrusive igneous rocks
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Marble forms as a metamorphic product of what original rock?
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Limestone
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What is the finest-grained clastic sedimentary rock type?
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SHALE
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What is schist?
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A common metamorphic rock that is fine grained and unevenly breaks along roughly parallel planes.
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What does contact metamorphism describe?
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metamorphism that occurs because rock is in contact with hot magma
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Define an unconformity.
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Unconformity is a change or break in the rock record. It involves the contact between two beds of different rock types or of different ages.
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Sandstone pillars are features that can be found in the southwestern US, but are unusual in the southeastern US. What explanations best account for this?
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more water in the southeastern U.S.
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What is ropy basaltic lava called?
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pahoehoe
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Order the following eras in terms of their relative age:
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Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Paleozoic
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The smallest particle that retains all of the chemical properties of an element is called a(n):
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atom
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Name two types of common evaporites.
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Halites (salt) and Gypsum
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Basaltic lavas differ from felsic lavas in that they:
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are darker in color, are lower in silica, are less viscous, flow faster, allow gasses to escape more easily
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Order the following epochs in terms of their relative age:
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eocene, plieocene, pliestocene, holocene
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What fundamental force is responsible for the layering most distinctive of sedimentary rock deposits?
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gravity
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Order the following periods in terms of their relative age:
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Cretaceous, Quaternary, Jurassic, Triassic, Tertiary
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What is a common metamorphic rock derived from granite?
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gneiss
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On what plate would you find Bermuda?
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North American
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Are continental crusts thicker or thinner under mountain blocks? Explain how why this is so.
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thicker due to isostasy
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Why is the sea level rising faster in Annapolis, Maryland than in Newport Rhode Island?
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Annapolis land is sinking; Newport RI is rising due to isostatic rebound
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When considering the destructive potential of a tsunami, it is important to consider the speed of the wave and that a cubic meter of water weighs approximately:
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1000 kg or 2200 lbs
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What is a terrane?
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Fault Bounded area or region with distinct (unique) stratigraphy, structure, and geological history.
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What was required to induce massive damage in Oakland, California during the most recent Bay Area earthquake?
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Soft ground (mud and weak sediments)
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What results from the accretion of continental chunks from faraway locales to an existing continental margin?
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exotic terranes
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Is it safe to build near a dormant volcano?
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Not really even though a dormant volcano has no signs of eruption, but it still has evidence of recent volcano activity
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How can flood basalts be identified in a vertical rock cross-section?
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horizontal layers of basalt over a large area
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Where would one look for a feeder pipe?
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inside a composite volcano
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What is the term for solidified fragments of lava that are often violently ejected from composite volcanos?
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pyroclastic flow
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Compare and contrast a lahar with paheohoe.
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A lahar can bury everything in its path; the flow that will form a pahoehoe can burn everything in its path. Both are from an erupting volcano and are very dangerous. A lahar comes from hot ash from an erupting volcano the ash then melts snow or ice surrounding the volcano creating water that flows down and picks up dirt and more ash creating a mud flow. A paheohoe is fluid lava that cools slightly as it travels downward creating a skin on the lava.
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A subduction zone is often created when:
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a plate carrying a continental landmass at the leading edge meets with an oceanic plate, the denser oceanic plate is forced downward by the less dense continental plate when it overrides the oceanic plate.
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Mafic lava is composed mostly of:
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Magnesium and Iron
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The small spaces between mineral grains are called:
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pores
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Continental rifting generates _____ faults.
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Tensional
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Deep oceanic trenches are associated with:
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boundaries and subduction, hydrothermal vents
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The process responsible for changing sediments into sedimentary rock, are compaction and:
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cementation (both forms of lithification)
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Folding is the result of _____ plate tectonic processes.
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convergent
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Which elements are abundant in the crust?
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SILICON AND OXYGEN
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Which geologic era are we currently living in?
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Quaternary
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Geothermal energy is typically collected using:
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Steam to power turbines, pipes that go fairly deep into the crust
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A rock that is dark-colored and heavy is most likely composed of:
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iron
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Compare stratovolcanos and shield volcanos.
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Stratovolcanos, or Composite volcanoes, have very violent eruptions involving basaltic and pyroclastic magma, while shield volcanoes have relatively quiet eruptions involving fluid basaltic, low-silica magma.
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Where is the largest (active) volcano in the world?
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Yellowstone national park in the western US.
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What is the name given to a plume of magma that rises through the crust away from plate boundaries?
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Hot Spot
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Which element is the most abundant in Earth's crust?
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Oxygen
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What term best describes a local steepening in otherwise uniformly dipping layered rock?
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Monocline
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The term for a release of energy slowly built up during the stress of increasing rock deformation is:
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earthquake
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Explain attenuation and amplification.
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Attenuation is the weakening of the waves of the earthquake as they move farther out from the epicenter. Amplification is the opposite, the waves become slightly stronger as they move farther out due to areas of soft ground.
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Tsunamis have been known to travel at speeds of up to _______ in the open ocean.
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800 km/h (500mph)
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_____ are a major hazard arising from earthquakes in high-relief landscapes.
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Landslides, mass movements
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What term best describes the driving force behind plate tectonics?
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seafloor spreading
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Hydrocarbon deposits are classified as:
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Fossil fuels, biological sediments, nonrenewable resources
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What is a fault trace?
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The lower edge of a fault scarp. The line on the surface where it meets the fault scarp
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The surface of the Earth is divided into individual rigid plates that move independently of one another on top of the:
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Asthenosphere
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Because of the extreme heat and pressure required, metamorphic rocks are generated most often:
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at plate boundaries, in activity volcanic areas, roots of mountain ranges
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Contrast a fault and a joint.
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A fault is a fracture in the crustal rock involving displacement of one side of the fracture. A joint is also a fracture in the crust but involves no displacement.
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During mantle convection, hot, less-dense magma _____ while cooler, denser magma.
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Rises, Sinks
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Describe the difference between endogenic and exogenic processes.
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An endogenic process is an activity that shapes the Earth's landforms from within the Earth, below the crust. Exogenic processes shape the Earth from the outside of the crust and mantle.
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When small pieces of rock are weathered, transported, deposited, and cemented, what can be created?
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Sedimentary rocks
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What is the difference between a fault scarp and a fault plane?
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Fault scarp: Exposed cliff-like face of a fault plane formed by geologic action without erosion change.
Fault Plane: surface contact along which blocks on either side of a faultmove |
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Name and describe two compression fault types.
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Reverse: hanging wall moves up relative to the foot wall at an angle greater than 45 degrees.
Thrust/Overthrust: hanging wall moves up relative to the foot wall at an angle less than 45 degrees |
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The basin and range mountains of Nevada and Utah represent what kind of fault?
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A Normal Fault
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Since lithospheric plates move around, most mountain building activity occurs:
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At converging continental boundaries,
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Does the hanging or footwall form the scarp in a normal fault?
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footwall
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Using changes in seismic wave velocities, we know that the Earth's inner core is stable in what phase?
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Solid
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Faulting is the result of _____ plate tectonic processes.
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compressional, tensional
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In folded landscapes, the ridges are called ______ whereas the troughs are called _______.
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anticlines, synclines
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The process of rock metamorphism can affect what types of rock?
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Sedimentary, igneous or older metamorphic rocks
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The lithosphere is composed of:
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the crust and the upper layer of the mantle
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Which type of volcanic feature is most common around the Pacific Ocean basin?
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Stratovolcanoes
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Landforms generated in regions with no active volcanic or tectonic activity often form as a result of:
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erosion and weathering
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Globally, most active volcanoes are located along:
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Ring of Fire
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The divergence of the Arabian and African plates is the cause of which well-known landforms?
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Rift Valleys
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In regions with an arid climate, table-topped plateaus that are bordered with cliffs on all sides are referred to as:
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Large table-topped: Mesas
Small table-topped: Buttes |
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Characteristic fractures that form in bedrock when it cools and contracts are described as
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Jointing
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The idea proposed by Alfred Wegener to explain the continental shapes and positions is known as:
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Continental drift
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Magma that cools deep below the Earth's surface forms what type of rock?
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intrusive igneous rock
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Explain why the earth's tectonic processes can be thought of as a giant 'recycling system' and as essential for life?
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Earth's rocks and sediment are cycled through the rock cycle.
(Rock goes down. Rock gets mixed up. Rock comes back up.) |
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How are earths land forms both responsible for climate and a result of it?
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Volcanoes affect climate when they spew ash into the air.
Climate (including wind and precipitation) affects erosion and weathering. |
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What is the difference between P and S waves? Which causes more damage?
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P waves:primary wave: travels fast and falls fast (shakes things in the same direction as it travels.) (makes very little damage)
S waves: secondary wave: travels much slower than p waves (they are transverse wave: makes the earth to vibrate perpendicularly to the direction of the wave travel) (S waves causes more damage: it causes building to be pushed upward and the ground drops out dawnward as the wave travels.) |
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Why might an epicenter be located miles away from a fault scarp?
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'cuz yea
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