Geology Final Exam

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Aquifer

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geological unit capable of storing and transmitting water in sufficient quantities to supply a water well. 1,2
Is held in either pore spaces in rocks/unconsolidated sediments or in rock fractures.

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Vandose Zone

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unsaturated zone

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Confining Unit (Aquiclude)

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composed of clay. Impermeable layer. if groundwater is trapped, it's usuall under this. 1,6)

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Confined Aquifer

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Groundwater trappedin an aquifer under pressure. 1,6)

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Perched Aquifer

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A saturated zone above the main water table.Overlies confining layer. 1,6

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Permeability

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The ability of a material (aquifer) to transmit a fluid (water). Sand/sanstone- high permeability
clay/shale- low perm 1,6

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LNAPL

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Light Non- Aqueous Phase Liquid. (gasoline, many solvents and oils,ect) Floats on water table. Product hits Capillary Fringe/Water table and floats. 1,11 Spreads side to side. read more

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DNAPL

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Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (gasoline, many solvents and oils, ect) Floats on water table, but product accumulates on uppermost confining unit. 1,12

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Geophysics

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Use of quantitative observations of physical phenomena to infer structure and materials within the earth. Remote measurements. Very broad subject. 2,1

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Seismology

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Part of Geophysics. Stud of natural seismic waves (earthquakes). Study of reflection/refraction of induced seismic waves,

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Gravity

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From Geophysics, this is the study of earth's gravitational feild. 2,1
Two bodies of matter attract each other proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of distance between them. This term is also Density dependent. 2, 9

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Magnetics

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From Geophysics, this is the study of earth's magnetic field. 2,1

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Electrical Resistivity

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From Geophysics, this is the study of conductivity of the earth. 2,1

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Electromagnetics

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From Geophysics, This is the study of the electromagnetic field. 2,1

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Radioactivity

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From Geophysics, this is the study of the earth's natural radioactivity.

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Geophones

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We detect reflected/refracted waves at the surface with small seismographs called this. Detects seismic waves at different times based on distance from the source. 2,5

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Two-way travel time

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Ray paths are curved by increasing velocity (density) with depth. We detect "two way travel time" of waves. 2,6)

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Migration (as a geophysics term)

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Each geophone records a separate trace. Requires MIGRATION to adjust for fact that each geophone is progressively further from the source. Post migration-we see various density contrasts within the earth (rock layers) 2,6

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Seismic Tomography

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uses effects of heat of seismic wave velocities to create a detailed 3-D images of Earth's interior heat flow. 2,8

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Dynamo Theory

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This is under the section called Earth's Magnetic Field. Hot liquid iron in outer core is in convective motion. Magnetic field of Sun interacts with the moving iron in outer core to produce an electric current. Earth's spin induces a planetary magnetic field. 2,9

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Oil Shale

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Neither oil nor shale. More like kerogen (immature oil deposits). Marl- semi-lithified rock consisting of clay and carbonate mud. Like an immature source rock. 3,1 Distilled into oil since late 1800s. Type of fossil fuel.

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Two approaches to Oil Shale proccessing.

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1. Oil shale fractures and heated with injected steam in-situ, then gases and liquids withdrawn via wells. 2. Oil shale is mined, then transported to a processing plant-heated to 450degreesC, adding hydrogen (from water). 3,1

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Tar Sands

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Type of fossil fuel. Often called "oil sands" or "bituminous sands". Loose to partially consolidated sand, clay, saturated with Bitumen. Degraded, tar-like remnants of old oil accumulations. REMAINS OF WHAT WAS ONCE 18 TRILLION BARRELS OF OIL THAT ESCAPED OR WAS DESTROYED BY BACTERIA. 3,2

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More on Tar Sands

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Don't flow- require extensive processing to produce oil-like products. Often strip-mined using the world's largest trucks and shovels. About 2 tons of tar sand produces 1 barrel of oil. Processed sand is returned to the pits. 3,2

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Even more on Tar Sands

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these sands are 66% of the world's total oil reserves. 3/4 of the world's reserves are in Venezuela and Alberta, Canada. 50% of Canada's total oil output (10% of total North America Output)

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Hartselle Sandstone

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Tar sand. AL deposits in Mississippian-aged _____ sandstone, Crops out in 70 mile belt in north-central/northwest Alabama. 3,2

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Gas Hydrates

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Crystalline mixture of water and natural gas. Gas molecule surrounded by a cage of water molecules. Many gases suitable to form hydrate, including carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and methane. mostly methane. 3, 2

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Under Gas Hydrates Section, what are the main factors in hydrate formation/ stability?

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Pressure and temperature. 3,3

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Where are Gas Hydrates found?

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Found in cold shallow water sediments in polar regions. Also found in deep water continental slope sediments, where pressure and temperature make it stable. 3,3

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How much of the world's carbon is locked up in gas hydrates ( <--- twice the carbon held in ALL other fossil fuels)

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Half of the world's carbon

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What does it take to form coal?

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1production of large amounts of biomass. 2. preservation in low oxygen environment 3. burial and compaction. 3, 3

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Different types of coal

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peat--->lignite--->bituminous coal --->anthracite coal 3,3

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Ore

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valuable mineral resource that is economically and legally extractable. Found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, as well as unconsolidated segments. 3,4

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Economic Geology

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Geology of Ore Deposits. Bauxite

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Bauxite

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An aluminum ore 3, 4

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Lion Cave hematite mine

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(iron ore). A mine in southern Africa, dates back to 4,100BC (used as red pigment)

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Placer Gold Deposits

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washed from mountain veins into area streams.

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Hydrothermal Mineralization

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*ores from igneous intrusions *Local groundwater dissovles metal oxides and sulfides. * Later rises and re-precipitated as Hydrothermal ores. Cooling fluids (near surface)- solubility goes down and minerals with Pb, Fe, Hg, Cu, Zn, Ag, Au, ect precipitate. 3,6

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Pitchblend

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Common Uranium Ore. Very valuable as energy resource. Found in hydrothermal igneous environments and sedimentary rocks. 3,6

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Carnotite

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Common Uranium Ore. Very valuable as energy resource. Found in hydrothermal igneous environments and sedimentary rocks. 3,6

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Nuclear Fission

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Energy (E) liberated from a mass of large atoms. neutron + 235U => smaller nuclei +energy + MORE NUETRONS.
Chain reaction. Most common type of uranium (238U) is not fissionable. 235U is.

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Yucca Mountain, Nevada

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Nuclear Waste stored in deep, stable geological units here. rhyolithic tuffs. 38

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Gold Cyanidation

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extracts gold from low grade ore. Converts gold into water soluble aurocyanide metallic complex ions. Most common process for Gold extraction. Produces highly poisonous wastes. 3,9

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Mercury Amalgamation

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concentrating process in which metallic gold or silver, or an alloy of the two, is mixed with mercury. The metal bonds with mercury and separates from waste (barren) ore pulp. Hg is distilled off and metal is recovered. Results in mercury-contaminated wastes. 3, 9

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Fossil Fuels

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Naturally-occurring, hydrocarbon-based energy resources that form as organic material is buried and subsequently transformed
Our primary method for generating electricity