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Definition
2100 miles in radius
inner core: solid
outer core: liquid iron (sulfur + silicon) |
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Definition
1800 mile thick (4/5) of earth's volume)
-partly molten plastic structure |
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Definition
5-20 miles thick, depending on location
-continental (low density): 20m. thick
-oceanic (high density): 5-7m. thick |
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Definition
| crystallized from molten liquid magma |
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Term
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Definition
| Cemented together pieces of rock or mineral particles (clasts) |
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Term
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Definition
silt = sandstone
sand = sandstone
shells/coral = limestone (CaCO3
clay (finest particles) = shale (deep marine habitats) |
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Term
| What sediment contains the most fossils and why? |
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Definition
clay and limestone contain most fossils. It is because clay turns to shale which preserves fossils in its many layers. Essentially the clay acts as mud which turns hard to form shale.
limestone composed of shells and coral act in the same manner |
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Term
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Definition
rocks transformed by heat and or pressure.
Ex: limestone metamorposis into marble
clay turns to shale when it settles which metamorposis to slate which metamorposis into shist which metamorposis to gneiss |
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Definition
| any trace of past life that has been chemically or compositionally modified |
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Definition
general processes that act upon a piece of bone, shell, etc.. that leads to the fossilization of these past organisms
-can also be re-mineralized -additional crystallization, etc... |
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Definition
Hard things like shells bones tree trunks and diatoms are more easily preserved.
Soft parts harder to preserve but can be (archeopteryx) |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Why are main rocks/fossils based on marine habitats? |
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Definition
-marine habitats/organisms are more abundant
-more sediment forms/is fossilized in the water than on land
There are probabilities of preservation according to habitat and lifestyle |
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Term
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Definition
live IN sediment
-clams, etc... |
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Definition
live ON the sediment
-crabs, shrimp, etc... |
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Definition
Live IN the water column
fish |
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Term
| dinosaurs thrived during which era? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Approximate time that on organism died in relation to another |
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Term
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Definition
| actual age of skeleton based on radioactive decay of isotopes |
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Term
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Definition
"Law of superposition"
-unless a sequence of rocks have been overturned, the oldest series of rocks will be at the bottom while the youngest will be at the top |
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Term
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Definition
Every 5,000 years is a half life
can only date back to 50,ooo yrs
Use other isotopes (Rubidium) for longer dating |
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Term
| humans existed how long ago? |
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Definition
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Term
| Why can't sedimentary rocks be used for carbon dating? |
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Definition
| Bc it is composed of many little pieces of sediments that are of many different ages. It is too heterogeneous. If any fossils they probably do not contain necessary amounts of isotopes |
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Term
| Igneous rocks can be used for radioactive dating bc why? |
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Definition
| It is a homogeneous mixture that allows for proper preservation of fossils mas well as a uniform area for isotopes to be found. All same age |
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Term
| How can igneous rock be used to date sedimentary rock? |
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Definition
| We can date the layers of igneous rock above and below sedimentary rock and get some kind of range of age. Must use several comparable sites to get a better estimate of age |
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Term
| Biological Species Concept |
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Definition
Answers the question: what makes a species its own species?
How to see evolution/determine if it has caused speciation
-genetics
-reproductive isolation
-anatomy/morphology |
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Term
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Definition
no remineralization, don't fossilize completely
-preserved in H2O/ice/a cave |
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Term
| evidence for continental drift |
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Definition
Correspondence for continental drift
-distribution of unique fossils and rocks
-paleomagnetism
-sea floor spreading
-same organisms, diff continents -Biological evidence |
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Term
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Definition
Alfred Wegener (1880-1930)
Pangaea-supercontinent |
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Term
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Definition
-Magnetic crystals are found in igneous rocks
-When they form, their molecules are electrically aligned with the magnetic field of the time. We can determine direction and distance to nearest magnetic pole.
-Maps of past magnetic pole locations can be created-Magnetic flux lines |
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Term
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Definition
-Idealistic Phase -Aristotle
-Pre-Darwinian Phase -Buffon, Goeth, Lamarck, etc...)
-Darwinian
-Post Darwinian
-The "Modern Synthesis"
-Phylogenetic Systematics
-Comparative biology and integration of micro and macro evolution |
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Term
| What two main processes go on throughout history? |
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Definition
Evolution (speciation)
Extinction |
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Term
| Permotriasic and Cretaceous Eras |
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Definition
| -2 major biological event times in terms of mass extinction events |
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Term
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Definition
| simultaneous extinction of numerous groups of organisms (frequently from terrestrial + marine environments) |
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Term
| Causes of Mass Extinction |
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Definition
-Asteroid impact
-climatic change (glaciation events)
-sea level change |
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Term
| Cretaceous-Tertiary "Boundary" |
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Definition
Alvarez 1980
-found high concentrations of iridium on the boundary at the K-T boundary of the soil.
-possible site is in Mexico, a crater 200 km. in diameter.
-Iridium is only found in space/asteroids |
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Term
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Definition
-possible site is in Mexico, a crater 200 km. in diameter.
-Iridum found here in K-T layer
-The collision caused an explosion which caused a huge layer of dust throughout the atmosphere
-This blocks out the sunlight which causes climate change |
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Term
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Definition
-extremes of hot and cold, average out to norm
-most common cause of extinction
-easily detectable in fossil record b/c glaciation events carve out the land
-The rate of ice accumulation is greater than the melting of the ice so the ice spreads to terrestrial environments
-Habitats change, species go extinct
Ex: Wisconsin to New York
3,000-5,000 yrs for glaciation event to occur. Ice, tundra, forests spread throughout continent and boreal forests are left behind. |
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Term
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Definition
As sea level lowers, continental shelf area decreases. This means shallow water habitats are being destroyed.
-extinction rates rise becuase the continental slope become closer to the beach and the continental shelf shrinks. |
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Term
| Continental Drift -speciation |
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Definition
Has an effect on how species evolve, extinction rates, species diversity, etc... Marine environments become terrestrial, huge decrease in niches, habitats
affects duration of a species' ecological niche |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| -Many thinkers believed this, no species change over time |
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Definition
384-322 BC
-Each species created as an ideal in anticipation of its future use
Scale of Nature: each form a link in the progression from most imperfect to most perfect. |
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Definition
| the idea of believing one organism is better than another |
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Term
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Definition
1749-1832
-Further developed idealistic concept of biological forms
-creation of each level of organisms based on a fundamental primitive plan, blueprint
The archetype or bauplan (bone structures same, etc..) |
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