Geology 131 Study Guide Ch1

Front 1

What is the term for the concept that the Earth is made of moving and interacting plates?

Back 1

Plate Tectonics

Front 2

What is the term for the concept that processes active today have occurred throughout time?

Back 2

Uniformitarianism

Front 3

What is the term for the concept that Earth's life has changed throughout its history?

Back 3

Organic evolution

Front 4

What is the term for the concept that balance human needs with environment maintenance?

Back 4

Sustainable development

Front 5

What is the term for the concept that is the scientific explanation of the origin of the universe?

Back 5

The Big Bang Theory

Front 6

What is the term for the concept that organisms best adapted to survive have offspring?

Back 6

Natural Selection

Front 7

What is the term for the concept that the Earth has existed for billions ?of years

Back 7

Geologic time

Front 8

What is the term for the dense innermost layer of EArth, which mostly iron and nickel?

Back 8

Core

Front 9

What is the term for the layer of the Earth that is the largest layer of the Earth, mostly made of peridotite?

Back 9

Mantle

Front 10

What is the term for the layer of the Earth that is in the outer mantle that behaves plastically or like jello?

Back 10

Asthenosphere

Front 11

What is the term for the layer of the Earth that is includes the crust and the uppermost mantle?

Back 11

Lithosphere

Front 12

What is the term for the outermost layer of Earth?

Back 12

Crust

Front 13

What is the term for the concept that the explanation of nature is based on evidence and data?

Back 13

Theory

Front 14

What is the term for the collection and analysis of data in logical way?

Back 14

Scientific method

Front 15

What is the term for the preliminary explanation of observations?

Back 15

Hypothesis

Front 16

What happens to sea levels as there is an increase in global temperatures?

Back 16

Sea levels rise

Front 17

What happens to weather patterns as there is an increase in global temperatures?

Back 17

Weather patterns shift and change

Front 18

What activity on Earth directly affects our food supplies

Back 18

Changes to weather patterns such as droughts and heavy rains that produce floods

Front 19

What is the term for the Earth's outer layers that appear to be broken pieces?

Back 19

Plates

Front 20

Plates on the Earth's outer layers interact to form what 3 physical features and/or activities?

Back 20

1. Mountains
2. Volcanoes
3. Earthquakes

Front 21

What is most of the Earth made of?

Back 21

Periodotite

Front 22

What is most of the Earth's mantle made of?

Back 22

Periodotite

Front 23

List the 2 concepts that physical geology studies about the Earth?

Back 23

1. Materials
2. Processes

Front 24

What are the 2 terms that best describes the Earth as a planet with a long history?

Back 24

1. EArth is DYNAMIC
2. Earth is COMPLEX

Front 25

Name the 4 principal subsystems of the Earth:

Back 25

1. Atmosphere
2. Biosphere
3. Hydrosphere
4. Layers of the Interior

Front 26

What is the greatest environment problem today according to most scientists?

Back 26

Overpopulation

Front 27

What is the approximate population of the Earth today?

Back 27

Over 6 BILLION people

Front 28

How much has carbon dioxide increased since 1880?

Back 28

CO2 has increased 30%

Front 29

List the 2 main reasons for CO2 (carbon dioxide) increasing since 1880?

Back 29

1. Deforestation
2. burning fossil fuels

Front 30

What 2 gases produce the greenhouse effect?

Back 30

1. carbon dioxide
2. water vapor

Front 31

How does carbon dioxide and water vapor cause the greenhouse effect?

Back 31

They trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and surface

Front 32

Where does carbon dioxide and water vapor trap heat?

Back 32

1. atmosphere
2. oceans
3. surface

Front 33

Name 5 elements that in a homogenous mixture that went on to become the Early Earth?

Back 33

1. Iron
2. Silicon
3. Magnesium
4. Oxygen
5. Aluminum

Front 34

What do geologists do?

Back 34

1. study the Earth
2. explore for mineral resources
3. help solve environmental problems
4. find groundwater

Front 35

Which of the following does NOT depend on geology?
A. your car and house
B. your food and water
C. your electricity
D. your heat or air conditioning
E. all depend on geology

Back 35

E. All depend on geology

Front 36

T or F
Increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is due in part to the burning of fossil fuels partly a result of deforestation.

Back 36

True

Front 37

T or F
Increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide will continue.

Back 37

True

Front 38

T or f
Increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is probably causing global temperature to increase and climate to change.

Back 38

True

Front 39

Why is the asthenosphere separated from the rest of the mantle?

Back 39

Because it flows slowly and plastically, like jello

Front 40

What is the basis for dividing the Earth being subdivided into 3 main layers?

Back 40

Based on the Earth's composition

Front 41

T or F
Theories in science are only useful to explain past behavior.

Back 41

FALSE

Front 42

What are the 2 main concepts necessary to formulate a theory?

Back 42

1. They are explanations of nature that are based on evidence, and
2. They are useful predictors of future phenomena.

Front 43

T or F
Features developed at divergent plate boundaries include the chains of volcanoes like the Andes?

Back 43

FALSE

Front 44

List 4 features developed at divergent plat boundaries?

Back 44

1. linear rift valleys
2. igneous rocks formed from magma
3. mid-ocean ridges
4. the Mid Atlantic Ridge

Front 45

What are 4 results of plate movements:

Back 45

1. created mountains like the Andes
2. formed volcanoes
3. altered the distribution of life on Earth
4. Caused Earthquakes

Front 46

T or F
The universe is shrinking due to powerful gravitational forces.

Back 46

False

Front 47

T or F
The universe is @ 20 times older than the EArth

Back 47

FALSE

Front 48

What holds together the Universe?

Back 48

Nuclear forces

Front 49

T or F
Life has caused the differentiation of the early Earth

Back 49

FALSE

Front 50

Name the 2 main consequences of life on Earth:

Back 50

1. altered the chemistry of the atmosphere
2. changed throughout geologic time

Front 51

What process best describes how rocks form?

Back 51

The Rock Cycle

Front 52

How many years ago did our solar system form?

Back 52

4,600 million years ago OR

4.6 Billion years ago

Front 53

What phenomenon resulted from solar system turbulence that later coalesced into planets and moons?

Back 53

Eddies

Front 54

T or F
The solar system started out as a rotating cloud of matter.

Back 54

True

Front 55

T or F
Gravitational forces almost caused the solar system to spin apart.

Back 55

FALSE

Front 56

Name the theory that explains that geologic features and events are interconnected?

Back 56

Plate tectonics

Front 57

Which is answer is correct to:
A knowledge of geology will help you
A. invest in land
B. vote on environmental issues
C. understand global warming
D. prepare for geologic hazards
E. All of these answers

Back 57

E. All of these answers

Front 58

T or F
Mountains can last for billions of years.

Back 58

FALSE

Front 59

T or F
Mountains represent the effects of pressure on the liquid inner core.

Back 59

FALSE

Front 60

T or F
Mountains only formed in the recent geologic past.

Back 60

FALSE

Front 61

T or F
Mountains can form when continents collide.

Back 61

TRUE

Front 62

List the 4 main reasons humans risk their own survival:

Back 62

1. allow soil to erode
2. cause pollution and overuse of resources
3. change global climate
4. do not prepare for geologic hazards like floods, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions

Front 63

What is meant when scientists call the Earth "dynamic"?

Back 63

They are saying that the Earth is constantly changing.

Front 64

What are the first 2 elements formed in the universe?

Back 64

1. Hydrogen
2. Helium

Front 65

What layer of the Earth is also the densest layer in the Earth?

Back 65

The innermost layer in the Earth

Front 66

List the 3 major groups of rocks:

Back 66

1. Igneous
2. Sedimentary
3. Metamorphic

Front 67

What caused the EArth to melt AFTER it accreted?

Back 67

Internal heat

Front 68

What caused the Earth's internal heat to melt the Earth after it accreted?

Back 68

1. gravitational compression
2. radioactivity
3. impacts

Front 69

Name the 4 major changes that has occurred during the Earth's history?

Back 69

1. size of continents
2. location/heights of mountains
3. the seafloor
4. composition of air

Front 70

What caused the plates to move?

Back 70

Convection

Front 71

T or F
Geologic time means cycles lasting millions of years can cause major changes.

Back 71

True

Front 72

T or F
Geologic time means even large, rare events like large impacts, have no lasting effects on Earth's history.

Back 72

FALSE

Front 73

T or F
Geologic time means Earth's systems have radically changed behavior over and over in Earth's past.

Back 73

FALSE

Front 74

T or F
Geologic time means only gradual processes can have profound effects.

Back 74

FALSE

Front 75

What does uniformitarianism explain?

Back 75

Nature's laws stay the same throughout Earth's history.

Front 76

T or F
Dinosaurs and humans lived together on Pangaea.

Back 76

FALSE

Front 77

Once a hypothesis achieves theory status it is inviolate.

Back 77

FALSE

Front 78

Scientists are constantly collecting information and testing the power of theories to explain that information.

Back 78

TRUE

Front 79

The Earth's crust is mostly made of less than 20 kinds of minerals.

Back 79

TRUE

Front 80

Plate tectonics drives the rock cycle.

Back 80

TRUE

Front 81

The Earth's interior heat drives convection cells that in turn cause the plates to move.

Back 81

TRUE

Front 82

Organic evolution recognizes that organisms living today are descendents of those alive in the past.

Back 82

TRUE

Front 83

Geologic time is so long that events that occurred one billion years ago are considered "recent".

Back 83

FALSE

Front 84

The asthenosphere is the only layer of the Earth that is liquid.

Back 84

FALSE

Front 85

According to the principle of Uniformitarianism the laws of nature have been constant through time.

Back 85

TRUE