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Catastrophes1
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the difference between absolute and relative time? | comparing two or more events without numerical reference and absolute time is measured in units |
| Who is considered to be the founder of modern geology? | James hutton, he developed the principle of relative time |
| What is an unconformity? | Unconformity is a gap in geologic times caused by erosion and non deposition of sediment/rock |
| Atom | smallest possible particle of an element that retains the properties of that element |
| proton | principle particle of an atomic nucleus with a positive charge |
| electron | a stable, subatomic particle with a negative charge |
| neutron | a subatomic particle that contributes to the mass to a nucleus and is electronically neutral |
| Neutron | a subatomic particle that contributes to the mass to a nucleus and is electronically neutral |
| Atomic number | number of protons in an element |
| Mass number | the mass of an element |
| Isotope | atom with the same number of protons and different number of neutrons |
| What is radioactive decay? | A parent atom breaking down to daughter creating an isotope |
| What does half-life refer to? | Time it takes for the parent to decay into daughter |
| How was the geologic timescale developed? | The timescale was developed by using fossils or by noting the absence of fossils. Numeric ages were applied to the timescale by using isotopic ages. |
| Describe early methods for determining the age of Earth and why they proved to be inaccurate. | calc how fast salt had accumulated in oceans, because the estimate did not consider salt lost from oceans to salt beds Calc how long a molten earth should take to cool to its present temp, but didnt consider radioactive decay adds internal heat |
| Describe how meteorites and Moon rocks are used to interpret the age of Earth. | used rocks from the moon to find the earths age because the 2 were developed at the same time with the same materials. meteorites were used to interpret earth's because they found salt grains that contained water which was as old as the earth |
| Be familiar with the 3 categories of rocks and how they form | Sedimentary-made of shells and other rocks by wind, water and ice Igneous-made from volcanic substances Metamorphic-pre-existing rocks change into another (heat and pressure) |
| What are the key processes of the rock cycle? The important thing here is to know what the rock cycle is and what it describes. | Mountains, lakes, rivers = sediment volcanic=igneous hot temperatures and high pressure = metamorphic |
| Describe the stages of formation of our solar system. | from a nebula (shapeless cloud of dust) particles of dust clung together into larger pieces; eventually formed planets; sun became massive, atomic fusion began creating solar wind that blew away lighter elements, leaving heavier elements |
| How and why are the outer planets different from the inner planets? | a.The inner planets have solid rocky surfaces and the outer are large in size and have gas-rich character b.Solar wind pushed the lighter elements, such as helium and hydrogen, away leaving the inner planets to be made up of heavier material. |
| What are the Asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt? | c.Kuiper belt: frozen gases, source of comets d.Asteroid belt: area between mars and Jupiter, ruminants after the planets formed |
| Describe how Earth became a zoned planet. Include in your answer an explanation of how Earth became hot enough to form a magma ocean and why Earth’s layers are composed of different materials and have different densities. | e.By radioactive decay and collisional heating the earth became a molten planet. f.Planetary differentiation-metallic compounds began to sink and the lighter stayed towards the top that also allowed gases to be released into the atmosphere. |
| Describe the evidence that suggests a catastrophic origin for the moon. | Because there are sediments similar to the earth’s mantle that make up the moon, and the mass of the moon is smaller than the earth and is depleted in iron. |
| How did the impact that formed the moon help Earth? | the Giant Impact Hypothesis: caused axial tilt giving the earth seasons, caused tidal activity, gave earth a larger core: creating magnetic field, the magnetic field blocks solar wind making the earth habitable |
| What can explain the heavy cratering of the moon? Discuss the events associated with this. | Occurred about 8.5 billion years ago called the heavy bombardment period, mars and mercury also show evidence of this |
| Describe observations Wegner used to support continental drift. Discuss why the hypothesis was not widely accepted. | Thought continents were all together one larger landmass because they fit together like a jig saw and have similar geology on different continents (on coast) b. Was not accepted because he didn’t have a theory for how or why the continents drifted apart |
| Know the four key points of plate tectonic theory. | c.Lithosphere is broken up to 12 major plates d.Edges&boundaries of plates = large scale geologic activity(earthquakes&volcanoes) e.Plates can collide, pull apart, slide past each other f.Interior of plates are “quiet” in relation to geologic activity |
| What is seafloor spreading? | Seafloor spreading, also known as mid-ocean ridges are divergent plate boundaries where new oceanic lithosphere forms as two oceanic plates move apart |
| What is a Subduction? | the process of one plate sliding beneath another |
| How is the Earth’s magnetic field generated? | The magnetic field is generated from the movement of the earth’s outer core that contains iron. |
| What is a magnetic reversal? | Magnetic reversal is when magnetic North is aligned with geologic south. |
| How is the record of magnetic reversals over time preserved in rocks on the seafloor? | The record of magnetic reversals is preserved over time from the convection in the oceanic crust because the mineral basalt holds its polarity from the time it was formed. |
| What is the difference between an active and a passive margin? | g. Active margin is where ever continent coincides with a plate boundary h. Passive margin is where continent does not coincide with a plate boundary |
| What are hotspots? How can they explain the Hawaiian island chain and Yellowstone? | i. Hotspots are stationary upwelling of mantle material, persists for millions of years, the lithosphere plate moves over the hotspot. j. They explain the Hawaiian island chain and Yellowstone because they aren’t on a plate boundary but are volcanic. |
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