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76 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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subsolar point
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point at which sun’s rays hit directly
*on exam 1 |
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mineral
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naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solid, with a definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties
*on exam 1 |
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igneous rocks
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rocks that solidified and crystallized from a molten state
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magma
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molten rock beneath the earth’s surface
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lava
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molten rock above the earth’s surface
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weathering
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surface process that physically disrupts and chemically changes rocks & disintegration of rock near earth’s surface
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sediment
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fine-grained mineral matter transported by air, water, and ice
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sedimentary rock
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formed through cementation, compaction, erosion, deposition, hardening of sediment, and transportation (limestone)
*on exam 1 |
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metamorphic rocks
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rocks changed by heat or pressure (marble)
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unconformity
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erosional contact
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isotopes
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protons do not equal neutrons
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half-life
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time required for half of the original parent atoms to decay to their daughter
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plate tectonics
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process of continental drift
*on exam 1 |
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orogeny
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mountain building episode
*on exam 1 |
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strain
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how rocks respond to stress
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faulting
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rocks on either side of a fracture are displaced relative to each other
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earthquakes
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fault ruptures or moves, vibration in earth, produced by shockwaves by sudden movements along faults
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focus
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underground point of rupture
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epicenter
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point directly above earthquake focus on surface
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pyroclastic flow
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highly destructive avalanche of rock material, hot ash, and gas
*on exam 1 |
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basalt
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fine grained igneous rock with low silica content (rapid cooling of lava)
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geothermal gradient
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rate of increase in temperature per unit depth of earth
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porosity
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percent of non-mineral space in a rock
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permeability
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extent to which fluids can pass through a rock.
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flood
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when discharge exceeds the bank full discharge
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groundwater
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underground water, ½ mile deep
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aquifers
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permeable rocks/materials that hold h20 (limestone)
*on exam 2 |
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aquicludes
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materials impermeable to h20 (shale)
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residence time
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average length of time a substance spends in a reservoir.
*on exam 2 |
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denudation
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wearing away of landforms
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soil
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natural, terrestrial surface matter containing minerals, organic matter, and living organisms
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estuary
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river or bay where tides flow in and there is a mixing of salt & fresh water
*on exam 2 |
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glacier
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existence of year round ice on landscape
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moraine
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linear features deposited at bottom or along sides of glaciers
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glacial erratic
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enormous boulders transported and deposited glaciers, far from source region
*on exam 2 |
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heat
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energy that flows from one object to another
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temperature
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measure of average kinetic energy of molecules in matter
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isobars
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lines of equal pressure
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humidity
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amount of water vapor in air
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lifting condensation level
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altitude at which condensation begins
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wind
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horizontal motion of air across earth’s surface, produced by differences in air pressure (high to low)
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climate
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weather over many years, including variability and extremes
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thermohaline circulation
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ocean circulation driven by density differences
-driven by upwelling and downwelling of warm surface waters and deep ocean currents. -causes global redistribution of heat because water cools as it moves north. Colder water = higher density = higher salinity = latent heat relased = downwelling, leaving void space to be filled with upwelling warm water in north. |
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front
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leading edge of advancing air mass
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albedo
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measure of the fraction of reflected incident sunlight
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anthropogenic
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human caused, CO2, CH4
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What are the four different types of air masses that affect North America?
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Continental polar, maritime polar, continental tropical, maritime tropical
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What four things can we examine to determine paleoclimate?
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Tree rings
Soil cores Ice cores Rock record |
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Why can palm trees be grown and survive in Scotland?
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Thermohaline circulation in the oceans gives off heat
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What is the Younger Dryas event and what is believed to have caused it?
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period of dramatic and rapid cooling in northern Europe. Caused by melting ice sheets, glacial outburst flood, cool fresh water enters Atlantic, lowers salinity reducing density of water, no more sinking. No sinking turns off conveyor, not more warm air pushed across land, NW Europe cools.
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What are the four major reservoirs of the carbon cycle?
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Atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, solid earth
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Growth Rate
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(P2 - P1)/P1
or P2 = P1 e^rt (given on test, know how to use it) |
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What are the first- and second-order climatic forcings?
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solar radiation, global distribution of continents and oceans
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What causes hurricanes in the Atlantic to change their path from west to east as they move towards the north?
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Trade winds blow easterlies west. At 30°N, winds shift to westerlies, change course to Atlantic.
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What three major factors control whether or not an easterly wave will eventually become a hurricane?
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1. Warm sea temps 2. Light easterly winds, no shearing apart of storms 3. Rotation or spin generated by winds coming into system
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What is an easterly wave?
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Wave in isobar structure of region formed by localized, very warm surface waters
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What two major processes control deep ocean currents?
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upwelling and downwelling
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What is the dew point temperature?
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temperature at which a given air mass becomes saturated
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Calculate lapse rates
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difference in degrees/difference in km
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What types of valleys do eroding glaciers form?
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ushaped valleys
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What are the two major types of weathering?
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physical and chemical
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Surface processes are in constant tug-of-war between processes that cover/alter/destroy bedrock and those that expose bedrock. What three factors influence this interplay?
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climate, topography, tectonic movement
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What two factors control the speed and direction of groundwater flow?
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slope of ground and permeability of ground materials
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What are the three major components of the groundwater system?
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unsaturated zone, water table, saturated zone
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Calculate recurrence interval
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(years of record + 1) / rank
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Calculate percent probability that a flood will happen in a given year
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(1/recurrence interval) x 100
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What are the temperature ranges of the oil and gas windows, respectively?
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Oil: 60-120 C
Gas: 120-150 C |
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What are the three components of the petroleum system?
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Source, reservoir, trap/seal rocks
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What are the three types of volcano morphologies and what are their characteristics?
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Strato – large, steep, alternating pyroclastics and lava
Cinder – small, steep Shield – large, gently sloping. All cone-shaped. |
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What two factors control the nature of the volcanic eruption and the type of volcano created?
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Quantity of dissolved gases and viscosity of magma
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What are the two types of rock strain?
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folding and faulting
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What is the most famous transform boundary in North America?
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San Andreas Fault
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What are the three major types of plate boundaries and their type of movement?
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Converging - plates pushing together
Diverging - plates pulling apart Transform - plates sliding past each other |
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Calculate the age of a rock or mineral if given the D/P ratio and half-life of the system and vice versa
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Time = 1/k ln (D/P + 1). K = .693/half-life
Date given = ln (D/P + 1). E^both sides, gets rid of ln. End with d/p ratio |
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What are the two types of geologic dating?
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relative and absolute
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What are the four layers of the earth?
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crust, mantle, inner core, outer core.
solid, solid, liquid, solid |
