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EESC 111 Midterm
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| geology | scientific study of planetary materials and processes, and the history of the planet and its life forms |
| hypothesis | a possible existence, pattern, correlation, relationship, or explanation of phenomena that has been proposed |
| scientific theory | an explanation for a set of related phenomena or observation |
| scientific law | a description of natural phenomena that always holds true |
| main theory of geology | main theory of geology |
| James Hutton | father of modern geology |
| relative time | the order in which the events occurred |
| absolute time | the exact time at which the events occurred |
| geologic time scale | describes earth history in terms of both relative and absolute time |
| physical geology | processes that interact at earth's surface and have shaped its evolution throughout geological time |
| mineral | naturally occurring substance that forms crystals and has a specific chemical formula |
| rock | aggregate of one or more minerals |
| igneous | solidification of liquid (molten) rock |
| sedimentary | precipitation of minerals or accumulation of mineral and rock fragment |
| metamorphic | heating, squeezing, and transformation of other rocks |
| two kinds of crust | continental and oceanic |
| Is the continental crust granitic or basaltic? | granitic |
| Is the oceanic crust granitic or basaltic? | basaltic |
| Is the lower mantle liquid, rigid, or solid? | rigid |
| Is the outer core liquid, rigid, or solid? | liquid |
| Is the inner core liquid, rigid, or solid? | solid |
| Is the lithosphere brittle or plastic? | Brittle |
| Is the aesthenosphere brittle or plastic? | Plastic |
| Flow of heat | thermal energy flows from a region that is hot to a region that is cold |
| Convection | flow of heat via the motion of matter, such as air, water, or rock |
| Radiation | from the sun and from a warm material |
| geosphere | solid part of earth |
| hydrosphere | water part of earth |
| biosphere | living things on earth |
| atmosphere | layer of gas on earth |
| eons | longest subdivisions of the time scale, some having lengths of billions of years |
| eras | shorter time than eons, intervals lasting hundreds of millions of years |
| periods | shorter times than eras, intervals lasting tens of millions of years |
| plate movement | driven by heat flow from Earths interior |
| Alfred Wegener | hypothesis of continental drift, continents formed a single landmass called Pangea |
| proof of continental drift | jigsaw fit of the continents, continuously of ancient mountain belts, continuity of major faults or major crustal fractures, patterns of ancient climates (as interpreted in rocks), distribution of certain fossil species |
| seafloor spreading | partial melting beneath the mid-ocean ridge causes volcanism, the seafloor moves symmetrically away from mid-ocean ridge, moving the ocean floor and continents |
| subduction | roughly the same value of ocean crust crested at mid-ocean ridges is destroyed in deep ocean trenches through the process of subduction |
| subduction zones characterized by | ocean trenches, shallow to deep earthquakes, volcanic arcs |
| recycling of ocean/continental crust | goes back into the earth and gets melted down |
| tectonic plates are made of | rocky and brittle lithosphere, crust plus uppermost mantle |
| divergent (or constructive) boundaries | plates move apart - continents split, oceans widen |
| convergent (or destructive) boundaries | plates move toward each other - subduction of oceanic lithosphere, continental collision |
| transform (or conservative) boundaries | plates slide past each other along transform faults |
| continent-continent collisions | results in significant mountain range |
| hotspots | isolated areas of long-lived volcanism, geologic activity is focused around plate boundaries |
| Hawaiian islands | movement of the pacific plate over fixed Hawaiian hotspot has led to the formation of the Hawaiian island chain |
| elements | building block of atom |
| compound | two or more elements bonded together |
| atom | smallest piece of one element, consists of protons, neutrons and electrons |
| structure of atoms | an atom consists of a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons. surrounding the nucleus are electrons |
| chemical bonding | atoms that form minerals are held together by chemical bonds and intermolecular forces |
| ionic bonding | Atoms gain or lose outermost (valence) electrons to form ions |
| covalent bonding | Atoms share electrons to achieve electrical neutrality |
| metallic bonds | electrons move freely from atom to atom |
| why are minerals inorganic? | do not include hydrocarbons, generally do not include compounds that make up living organisms, do include some substances that are produced by living things but are not hydrocarbons |
| why do minerals have a specific chemical composition? | can be described by a specific chemical formula |
| why do minerals have a specific structure? | atoms and molecules are arranged in a specific way |
| why are minerals crystalline solids? | External expression of the orderly internal arrangement of atoms, forming crystals, crystals reflect internal structure |
| polymorphs | Two or more minerals with the same chemical composition but different crystalline structures |
| silicates | contain Si and O |
| non silicates | do not contain Si and O |
| high-pressure minerals | have a dense, tightly packed structure - generally form deep in the crust or mantle |
| low-pressure minerals | have more open structure, generally form in the shallow crust |
| what do minerals in rock do? | provide insight into the plate tectonic environment |
| hydrological cycle | describes the motion of water at or near earth's surface |
| igneous rocks | form through the solidification of molten or partially molten rock (lava on the surface, magma underground) |
| partial melting of source rock | increase in temperature, decreases in pressure, addition of volatiles |
| transport of magma | magma less dense than surrounding rock, rises through fractures, may "digest" wall rock, may cause collapse of surrounding rock |
| vesicles | can be filled later on with minerals |
| texture | size, shape, arrangement of crystals |
| geologists study igneous rock formations to better understand | relative ages of formations, partial melting and the source of igneous rocks, magma transport, crystallization history, volcanic processes |
| continental slopes | separate areas of land and shallow seas from the deep ocean basins, mark the edge of the continents themselves and so are far more enduring features of Earth's surface |
| igneous rock classification | composition and texture |
| mafic lava | more fluid, less explosive eruptions, low shield volcanoes and smaller cinder cones |
| intermediate and felsic lava | more viscous, more explosive eruptions, large, steep composite volcanoes |
| volcanism and plate boundaries | igneous rocks are associated with divergent and convergent boundaries |
| Physical properties of minerals | Crystal form, luster, color, streak, hardness, cleavage, fracture, specific gravity |
| Rock forming minerals | Common minerals that make up most of the rocks of Earth’s crust, only a few dozen members, composed mainly of the 8 elements that make up over 98% of the continental crust |
| Common Silicate minerals | Olivine, feldspar group |
| Two most common members of the feldspar group? | Orthoclase (potassium) and Plagioclase (sodium and calcium) |
| Two most common non-silicate minerals? | Oxides, sulfides, sulfates, native elements, carbonates, halides, and phosphates |
| Factors determining the “violence” or explosiveness of a volcanic eruption | Composition of the magma, temperature of the magma, dissolved gases in the magma |
| Viscosity | a measure of a material’s resistance to flow |
| Factors affecting viscosity | temperature and condition |
| Higher silica content means the lava has | higher viscosity |
| Lower silica content means the lava has | lower viscosity ormore fluid-like behavior |
| Fluid basaltic lavas generally produce _ eruptions | quiet |
| Highly viscous lavas produce _ eruptions | Explosive |
| Type of lava flows | Pahoehoe (twisty/ropey texture) and Aa (rough jagged texture) |
| Pyroclastic materials | “Fire fragments” |
| Types of pyroclastic debris | Ash and dust, pumice, lapilli, cinders, blocks, bombs |
| Ash and dust | Fine, glassy fragments |
| Pumice | porous rock from “frothy” lava |
| Lapilli | walnut-sized material |
| Cinders | pea-sized material |
| Particles larger than lapilli | blocks and bombs |
| General features of volcano | Crater, caldera, vent |
| Crater | Steep-walled depression at the summit, generally less than 1 km diameter |
| Caldera | a summit depression typically Greater than 1 km diameter, produced by collapse following a massive eruption |
| Vent | opening connected to the magma chamber via a pipe |
| Types of volcanoes | Shield, cinder cone, composite cone (strato), |
| Shield volcano | broad, slightly domed-shaped, composed primarily of basaltic lava, generally cover large areas, produced by mild eruptions of large volumes of lava |
| Cinder cone volcano | Built from ejected lava (mainly cinder-sized) fragments, steep slope angle, rather small size, frequently occur in groups |
| Composite cone (Stratovolcano) | Most are located adjacent to the Pacific Ocean (e.g., Fujiyama, Mt. St. Helens) Large, classic-shaped volcano, composed of interbedded lava flows and layers of pyroclastic debris, most violent type, produces lahar (volcanic mudflow) |
| Pyroclastic flows | Material is propelled from the vent at a high speed |
| Lava Domes | Bulbous mass of congealed lava, most are associated with explosive eruptions of gas-rich magma |
| Volcanic pipes and necks | Pipes are short conduits that connect a magma chamber to the surface |
| Most volcanoes are located within or near | ocean basins |
| Basaltic rocks are common in both _ settings, whereas granitic rocks are rarely found in the oceans | Oceanic and continental |
| The greatest volume of volcanic rock is produced along | The oceanic ridge system |
| Mechanism of spreading | Lithosphere pulls apart, less pressure on underlying rocks, results in partial melting of mantle, large quantities of basaltic magma are produced |
| Intraplate volcanism | Activity within a tectonic plate, associated with plumes of heat in the mantle, form localized volcanic regions in the overriding plate called a hot spot |
| Electrons | Negatively charged particles that surround the nucleus. Located in discrete energy levels called shells |
| Luster | Appearance of a mineral in reflected light |
| Two basic categories of luster | Metallic and nonmetallic |
| Color | Generally an unreliable diagnostic property to use for mineral identification |
| Streak | Color of a mineral in its powdered for, helpful in distinguishing different forms of the same mineral |
| Hardness | Resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching, Mohs scale of hardness |
| Cleavage | Tendency to break along planes of weak bonding. Produces flat, shiny surfaces |
| Fracture | Absence of cleavage when a mineral is broken |
| Specific Gravity | Ratio of the weight of a mineral to the weight of an equal volume of water (Average value is approximately 2.7) |
Created by:
KenzieMWallace105
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