Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
87 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Planetary Differentiation |
The process of separating different constituents of a planetary body as a consequence of their physical and/ or chemical behavior |
|
|
What is the three ways early earth was heated? |
1. Accretion 2. Gravitational Pressure 3. Radioactive Decay |
|
|
What are the features of Neptune? |
Blue due to methane, 13 moons, ice/ice giant, huge dark oval storm, windiest planet |
|
|
What are ophiolites? |
A section of the oceanic crust and upper mantle that has been uplifted onto the continental crust |
|
|
What is the shadow zone? |
The zone between 105 degrees and 140 degrees from an earthquake epicenter. Direct waves do not penetrate the shadow zone because of refraction |
|
|
What is the D" layer? |
A region in roughly the lowermost 200 km of the mantle where P waves experience a sharp decrease in velocity |
|
|
What is mineral phase change? |
A change that occurs when a mineral is subjected to intense pressure |
|
|
What is metamorphic rock? |
Rock formed by the alteration of preexisting rock deep within the earth(but still in the solid state) by heath, pressure, and/or chemically active fluids |
|
|
What is lithification? |
The process involving cementation and/or compaction of converting sediments to solid rock |
|
|
What is sedimentary rock? |
Rock formed from the weathered products of pre-existing rocks that have been transported, deposited and lithified |
|
|
What is sediment? |
A naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. |
|
|
What are igneous rocks? |
Rocks formed from the crystallization of magma |
|
|
What is the rock cycle? |
A model that illustrates the origin of the three basic types of rocks and the interrelatedness of Earths materials and processes |
|
|
What is the mantle? |
One of the earth's compositional layers. The solid rocky shell that extends from the base of the crust to a depth of 2900km. |
|
|
What is the crust? |
The very thin, outermost layer of Earth
|
|
|
What are mantle xenoliths? |
Rock samples brought to the surface by volcanism |
|
|
What is the boundary between crust and mantle? |
The moho |
|
|
What is the difference between seismic waves and surface waves? |
Seismic waves travel through the interior of the earth, while surface waves travel near the earth's surface |
|
|
What are the 2 types of body waves? |
p-waves and s-waves |
|
|
What are the features of uranus? |
-faint ring system -bluish color-methane gas in atmosphere |
|
|
What are the features of saturn? |
-rings composed of thousands of water ice particles and rock debris - has 61 moons - the largest is titan which has its own atmosphere |
|
|
What are the names of the 4 Galilean satellites? |
Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto |
|
|
What are some features of Jupiter? |
Largest planet, 3 main cloud layers (belts and zones), high-speed winds, great red spot= huge storm, strong magnetic field, 67 moons including the Galilean satellites |
|
|
What are the names of mars' 2 moons? |
Phobos & Deimos |
|
|
What are some features of mars? |
"Red Planet" covered in Fe oxide dust, extensive dust storms, seasons temperature variations, this atmosphere (95%CO2), concentrations of water ice in upper meter and at N&S poles |
|
|
What are some features of Venus? |
CO2 rich atmosphere, weak magnetic field, clouds of sulphuric acid, thick atmosphere limits impact, lava flows on 80% of the surface |
|
|
What are some features of mercury? |
Greatest temperature extremes, no atmosphere, has magnetic field, smooth dark plains like lunar maria, low reflective, volcanic features, heavily cratered terrain |
|
|
Name the planets in order from the sun |
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune |
|
|
What is the name of the moon that Mars and Jupiter share? |
Dactyl |
|
|
What is the giant impact hypothesis? |
The hypothesis that the mood formed by a collision of a mars-sized body approximately 4.5 billion years ago when the earth was semi-molten |
|
|
What are the names of the 2 large impact craters on the moon? |
Kepler crater and Copernicus crater |
|
|
What does the lunar maria look like? |
Dark, smooth basaltic plains |
|
|
What do the lunar highlands look like? |
Light colored anorthosite |
|
|
What are the 2 factors that explain why some solar systems have thick atmospheres, while some are airless? |
Solar heating (T) and Gravity (size) |
|
|
What is the difference in atmospheres between Jovian and Terrestrial planets? |
Jovian planets have very thick atmospheres (H + He), lesser H2O, amonia and hydrocarbons Terrestrial planets have meager atmospheres CO2, O2, N2 |
|
|
What is the internal structure of Uranus and Neptune? (Exterior to interior) |
Visible clouds --> Gaseous hydrogen --> Ices (water/ methane) --> Rocky core |
|
|
What is the interior structure of Jupiter and Saturn? (Exterior to interior) |
Visible clouds --> gaseous hydrogen --> liquid hydrogen --> metallic hydrogen --> rocky core |
|
|
What is the internal structure of the terrestrial planets? (Exterior to interior) |
Crust--> Mantle --> Core |
|
|
What is the core of terrestrial planets composed of? |
Fe & Ni |
|
|
What is the crust of terrestrial planets composed of? |
Silicates |
|
|
What is the mantle of terrestrial planets composed of? |
Silicate and light compounds |
|
|
What are the major difference between terrestrial planets and Jovian planets? |
Size (inner planets are smaller than outer planets), Chemical composition (inner planets denser than outer planets) and orbital periods (outer planets > inner) |
|
|
What is a moon? |
A celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body and is non-artificial |
|
|
What is a planet? |
A celestial body orbiting a star, massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion and has cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals |
|
|
What is thermonuclear fusion? |
A process by which multiple, like-charges atomic nuclei join together to form a heavier nucleus |
|
|
What are stars shine due to? |
Thermonuclear fusion |
|
|
What is a star? |
A massive luminous ball of plasma held together by gravity Massive- 99.86% of our solar systems mass |
|
|
What are the 5 steps in nebular theory? |
1)Dust + gas (H, He) compressed by supernova |
|
|
What are chondrules? |
The first materials to condense out of the nebula |
|
|
What is nebular hypothesis? |
Earth and other planets formed at the same time from the same primordial material as the sun - the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approx. 5 billion years ago |
|
|
What is the big bang? |
A massive blast that occurred 13.7Ga that formed all the universe's known matter and energy - even space and time |
|
|
What is a galaxy? |
A massive gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component called dark matter |
|
|
What type of wave can only travel through solids not liquids? |
s-waves |
|
|
What type of wave travels through rocks of different densities and may reflect or refract? |
Seismic Waves |
|
|
What are the methods of investigation for the earth's core? |
Seismic waves, mantle xenoliths, meteorites, ophiolites |
|
|
What describes the large scale motion of the earth's lithosphere? |
Plate tectonics |
|
|
Where is the asthenosphere located and what are its physical properties? |
Located under the lithosphere. It is a softer, weaker layer |
|
|
Name the layers of the earth working outwards to inwards |
Crust--> Mantle --> outer core --> inner core |
|
|
Where is the lithosphere located and what are its physical properties? |
Located at the crust and upper mantle. It is a cool rigid outer shell |
|
|
What are the physical properties of the earth's outer core and inner core? |
Outer core = liquid Inner core = solid (under immense P) |
|
|
What is the chemical composition of the earths core? |
FeNi metal with small amounts of oxygen and sulfur |
|
|
What is the average composition of the oceanic crust? |
Mafic (basalt) - rich in magnesium and iron |
|
|
How is the crust/ mantle boundary marked? |
By the chemical composition (crust = mafic or felsic, Mantle = ultra mafic) |
|
|
What is the average chemical composition of continental crust? |
Felsic (granite) - rich ins feldspar and silica |
|
|
What are the 2 types of earths crust? |
Oceanic and continental |
|
|
What are asteroids and meteoroids? |
Fragments of rock and metal with compositions |
|
|
What are planetesimals? |
Material left over during the process of planet formation |
|
|
What is a dwarf planet? |
Celestial body orbiting the sun that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity but has not cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite |
|
|
What does relative dating determine? |
The sequential order of prehistoric events but not exactly when they occur |
|
|
What does absolute time determine? |
An exact age using radiometric dating (natural occurrence of radioactive elements in nature) |
|
|
What is the law of superposition? |
In an undeformed sequence of sedimentary rocks, the youngest rocks are on the top and the oldest rocks are at the bottom |
|
|
What is the law of original horizontality? |
Sediment layers deposited in a horizontal position, flat rocks retain their original horizontality while folded or inclined rocks were moved after deposition |
|
|
What is the principle of lateral continuity? |
Sediment layers spread out until they reach an obstacle that keeps them from spreading further |
|
|
What is the principle of crosscutting relationships? |
Rock fragments enclosed within another (xenoliths); the inclusion must be older Igneous rock cutting across sedimentary layering |
|
|
What are the types of unconformities? |
Angular, disconformity, nonconformity |
|
|
What are index fossils? |
Geographically wide-spread fossils that existed for a geologically short period of time (approx 100,000 years or less) |
|
|
What are 3 common mechanisms of radioactive decay? |
Alpha emission, Beta Emssion, Electron capture |
|
|
What is alpha emission? |
A parent nucleus emits an alpha particle which is 2 protons and 2 neutrons |
|
|
What is Beta Emission? |
A parent nucleus emits a beta particle which is an electron that was park of a neutron |
|
|
What is electron capture? |
Proton captures an electron to become a neutron |
|
|
What is half life? |
The time required for exactly one half of the nuclei in the parent isotope to decay |
|
|
What is the ratio of parent : daughter in one half-life? |
1:1 |
|
|
What is the ratio of parent : daughter in two half-lifes? |
1:3 |
|
|
What is the ratio of parent : daughter in three half-lives? |
1:7 |
|
|
What are the limitations of radiometric dating? |
Sedimentary rocks can seldom be dated, crystals in an igneous rock form at the same time, minerals need to contain radioactive isotopes, open vs closed system |
|
|
What are the 3 classifications of meteorites? |
Stones, stony-irons and irons |
|
|
Which 2 regions are most comets found? |
Kuiper belt and Oort Cloud |
