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Final Review
Earth Science
84
Science
Undergraduate 2
04/09/2013

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Term
Mineral
Definition
A naturally occurring, inorganic crystalline material with a unique chemical composition.
Term
What physical properties are used to identify minerals?
Definition
luster,ability to transmit light, color, and streak
Term
Luster
Definition
The appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral.
Term
Streak
Definition
The color of a mineral in powered form.
Term
Cleavage reflects
Definition
chemical bonding
Term
____ are the most common group of minerals on the continents and _____ is the most common mineral
Definition
Silicates
Quartz
Term
What does the rock cycle describe?
Definition
It helps us understand the origin of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and how they are connected.
Term
Attributes of igneous rocks
Definition
A rock formed by crystallization of molten magma
Term
Attributes of metamorphic rocks
Definition
Rocks formed by the alteration of preexisting rock deep within Earth (but still in the solid state) by heat, pressure, and/or chemically active fluids.
Term
Attributes of sedimentary rocks
Definition
Rock formed from the weathered products of preexisting rocks that have been transported, deposited, and lithified.
Term
Texture of igneous rocks records
Definition
cooling history
Term
Texture of metamorphic rock can record
Definition
history of stress and temeperature
Term
Most of what we understand about the Earth's history is recorded in ____ rocks.
Definition
Sedimentary
Term
Sedimentary rocks are economically very important such as
Definition
coal, crude oil, natural gas, etc.
Term
Weathering
Definition
The disintegration and decomposition of rock at or near the Earth's surface.
Term
Erosion
Definition
The incorporation and transportation of material by a mobile agent, such as wind, water, or ice.
Term
Water is the most important agent for what?
Definition
Weathering and erosion
Term
Discharge
Definition
the quanitity of water in a stream that passes a given point in a period of time.
Term
Base Level
Definition
The level below which a stream cannot erode.
Term
Drainage Basin
Definition
The land area that contributes water to a stream.
Term
capacity
Definition
Th total amount of sediment a stream is able to transport.
Term
Competence
Definition
A measure of the largest particle a stream can transport; a factor dependen on velocity.
Term
When streams approach base level, they begin to
Definition
meander.
Term
meander
Definition
a looplike bend in the course of a stream.
Term
Water table
Definition
The upper level of saturated zone of groundwater.
Term
Porosity
Definition
the volume of open spaces in rock or soil.
Term
Permeability
Definition
A measure of a material's ability to transmit water.
Term
Artesian aquifer
Definition
Applied to any situation in which ground water rises in a well above the level where it was initially encountered.
Term
Aquifer
Definition
Rock or soil through which groundwater moves easily
Term
Karst topography
Definition
A topography consisting of numerous depressions called sinkholes
Term
Base Level changing
Definition
During Ice Age, the large quantities of water were withdrawn from the ocean and locked up in glaciers on land. Sea level dropped, and rivers flowing into the ocean began to downcut.
OR
Regional gradual uplift of the land, which made numerous meandering rivers adjust to higher base level by downcutting.
Term
Glaciers
Definition
Mass of ice that moves under its own weight and influence of gravity.
Term
Glaciers move by
Definition
Plastic flow
Term
The current state of glaciers
Definition
Retreating/ melting
Term
What could happen to Florida as glaciers melt?
Definition
Florida could eventually become completely covered with water
Term
What happened to North America when the last continental glaciers melted? Sea Level, Mississippi River
Definition
Term
Desert
Definition
One of two types of dry climates; the driest of the dry climate
Term
What happen in the Dust Bowl?
Definition
Term
What is continental drift?
Definition
A theory that originally proposed that the continents are rafted about. It has essentially been replaced by the plate tectonics theory
Term
What was the problem with this theory?
Definition
Term
What is seafloor spreading?
Definition
The process of producing new seafloor between two diverging plates.
What type of tectonic boundary does seafloor spreading describe?
Crests of oceanic ridge system
Term
Theory of Tectonic Plates
Definition
Term
Most geologic activity is associated with tectonic boundaries, why?
Definition
Convective flow in the mantle is the basic driving force of plate tectonics
-slab pull- occurs where cold, dense oceanic lithosphere is subducted and pulls the trailing lithosphere along
-ridge push- is a gravity driven force that results from the elevated position of the oceanic ridge
Term
Causes of Earthquakes and how earthquakes are measured
Definition
Term
Difference between magnitude and intensity
Definition
Magnitude- calculated from seismic records and estimates the amount of energy released at the source of an earthquake.
Intensity- a measure of the degree of ground shaking at a given locale based on the amount of damage.
Term
Faults
Definition
Fracture in rock where motion occurs when rock fails
Term
Plastic deformation
Definition
Results in folds
Term
Anticline
Definition
A fold in sedimentary strata the resembles an arch
Term
Syncline
Definition
A linear downfold in sedimentary strata; the opposite of anticline
Term
Composite cones
Definition
A volcano composed of both lava flows and pyroclastic material. Violent volcano activity
Term
Shield volcanoes-
Definition
Are produced by the accumulation of fluid basaltic lavas and exhibit the shape of a broad slightly domed structure that resembles a warrior’s shield.
Term
Cinder cones
Definition
A rather small volcano built primarily of pyroclastics ejected from a single vent
Term
Fissure-
Definition
An eruption in which lava is extruded from narrow fractures or cracks in the crust.
Term
Types of magma-
Definition
Basaltic (least viscosity), Andesitic (Intermediate Viscosity), and Granitie (Greatest viscosity)
Term
What changes magma viscosity?
Definition
Composition, temperature, and dissolved gases
Term
How do plutons form?
Definition
1. Emplacement of magma and related igneous structures
2. Crystallization of magma to form plutons. Erosion exposes some plutons.
3. Extensive uplift and erosion exposes batholiths
Term
Unifromitarianism vs Catatrophism
Definition
Uniformitatianism- the concept that Earth was shaped by catatrophic events of a short-term nature.
-short history of earth/ fast
Catatriphism- the concept that the processes that have shaped Earth in the geologic past are essentially the same as those operating today.
-long history of Earth/ over long periods of time
Term
Geologic Time Scale
Definition
The division of Earth history into blocks of time, such as eons, eras, periods, and epochs. The time scale was created using relative dating.
Term
Radiometric dating
Definition
The procedure o f calculating the absolute ages of tocks and minerals that contain radioactive isotopes.
Term
Relative dating
Definition
Rocks placed in their proper sequence or order. Only the chronologic order of events is determined.
Term
Salinity-
Definition
The total amount of solid material dissolved in water. It’s expressed in parts per thousand. Average salinity is 3.5% or 35%.
Term
Layering of Ocean-
Definition
Surface mixed zone (2%), Transition Zone (18%), Deep Zone (80%)
Term
Passive Continental margins-
Definition
NOT associated with plate boundaries and experience little volcanism and few earthquakes
Term
Active Continental Margins-
Definition
Occur where oceanic lithosphere is being sub-ducted beneath the edge of a continent.
Term
Types of sediment
Definition
1. Terrigenous (derived from land)
2. Biogenous (derived from organisms)
3. Hydrogenous (derived from water)
Term
Terrigenous-
Definition
Consist primarily of mineral grains that were weathered from continental rocks and transported to the ocean.
Larger particles settle rapidly near shore whereas small particles take years to settle and travel thousands of kilometers.
Term
Biogenous-
Definition
Sediment consists of shells and skeletons of marine animals and algae.
Produce mostly by microscopic organisms living in the sunlit waters near ocean surface
Once it dies, their hard tests (shells) continually “rain” down and accumulate on the seafloor.
Term
Hydrogenous-
Definition
Consists of minerals that crystallize directly from seawater through various chemical reactions
Term
Hydrogenous sediments are economically very important now and in the future. ___ and ___ around oceanic ridges may be mined in the future. ____, __,__ as well as __ are used every day form ancient ocean deposits.
Definition
Manganese nodules, sulfides, salt, gypsum, limestone and metal
Term
How do surface currents and deep currents?
Definition
Surface currents develop from friction between the ocean and the wind that blows across its surface of global wind
-horizontal
Deep current is vertical and is a response to density differences among water masses.
Term
How are surface and deep currents tide together and related to climate?
Definition
Term
Barrier Island
Definition
a low. elongated ridge of sand that parallels the coast.
Term
How tides form?
Definition
the origin of the tides are caused by the gravitational attraction of the Moon and to a lesser extent the sun.
Term
How tides form?
Definition
the origin of the tides are caused by the gravitational attraction of the Moon and to a lesser extent the sun.
Term
Difference between weather and climate
Definition
weather is the sum of all statistical weather information that describe a place or region and climate is the state of the atmosphere at a given time
Term
humidity
Definition
the general term for the amount of water vapor in the air
Term
relative humidity
Definition
is a ratio of the air's actual water-vapor content compared with the amount of water vapor required to saturate the air
Term
cyclone
Definition
centers of low pressure, unstable conditions and stormy weather
Term
anticyclones
Definition
are centers of high-pressure,fair weather
Term
isobars and what does the spacing between isobars indicate?
Definition
lines that connect places of equal air pressure
close- a steep pressure gradient and high winds
widely- a weak pressure gradient and light winds
Term
nebular theory
Definition
a model fro the origin of th solar system that supposes a rotating nebula of dust and gases that contracted to form the Sun and planets.
Term
How did the Moon form?
Definition
collision between Mars-sized body and a youthful , semimolten Earth about 4.5 billion years ago.
The debris ejected from the Earth's orbit gradually coalesced to form the Moon
Term
What does the Big Bang theory describe?
Definition
The theory that proposes that the universe originated as a single mass, which subsequently exploded
Term
What does the Big Crunch describe?
Definition
The fiery death of the universe, the big bang operating in reverse.
Instead of expanding it is shrinking back to the single mass it began as.
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