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22 Cards in this Set

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  • Back
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Earth's 4 Spheres

Atmosphere - clouds, weather patterns



Lithosphere - mountains, volcanoes, fault lines



Hydrosphere - bodies of water



Biosphere - vegetation

Terrestrial planets v. Gaseous planets

Rocky planets - closer to sun, made up of Fe, Si, O, and Mg



Gas planets - further from sun, made up of H, He, CH4, and NH3

How do we know the age of our solar system?

Radiometric dating of the Allende meteorite

How much of our solar system's mass is from the Sun?

99.9%

Planets mostly revolve and rotate in the same direction



T/F

True

Which plane are most planets found on?

Plane of elliptic

Nebula Hypothesis

1. Cloud of gas and dust compressed by shockwave from a nearby supernova



2. Compression accelerates by gravity as cloud gets denser



3. Temperature variations cause heavy elements to condense the nebula nearer to the proto-Sun forcing the lighter elements further out. Small solid chunks begin to form.



4. proto-Sun gets dense enough for nuclear fusion. Sun turns on and sweeps remaining gas and light into solar system.



5. Planets form through accretion - collision off proto-planets with planetismals

Consequences for Earth formation

Composition - elements of Earth (see Rocky planets)



Chemical differentiation - difference in crust vs. rest of Earth



Early atmosphere - volcanic outgassing CO2, CH4, etc



Orbital characteristics - irregular tilt, wobble, elliptical

What shape is the Earth?

Oblate spheroid

Endogenous energy v. Exogenous energy

Endogenous - from within the Earth



Exogenous - from the sun

Igneous Rocks

Volcanic



Small crystals - quickly cools, extrusive


Large crystals - cools slowly, intrusive



Felsic - contains feldspar + silica, lighter in weight and color



Mafic - contains magnesium + iron, heavier and darker

Sedimentary Rocks

Layers



Clastic - composed of fragments (clasts) of pre-existing rocks broken by erosion



Chemical - formed by precipitation of minerals from water

Metamorphic Rocks

Heat/pressure



Foliated - repetitive layering


No foliated - without layers

What are plate tectonics?

The science of the bending and breaking of the Earth's crust

Continental Drift

Alfred Wegener



Fossil evidence

Ocean floor

Mid-ocean ridges, volcanic and earthquake activity, seafloor spreading

Earth's interior

Seismic waves identified crust + mantle

The location of earthquake activity in particular places on Earth correspond to plate boundaries



T/F

True

Divergent plate boundaries

Plates move apart. Mafic rock, effusive volcanic activity



Mid-Atlantic ridge, East African rift valley

Convergent plate boundaries

Oceanic crust meeting continental crust results in subduction and volcanic island arcs. Felsic and metamorphic rocks



Himalayas

Transform plate boundaries

Plates slide past each other resulting in earthquakes and right angles in valleys



Mid-ocean ridges, San Andreas fault

Felsic magma is less sticky/runny than mafic magma



T/F

False

Silica is what makes it sticky!