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Ch14
Ch14
34
Geology
Undergraduate 2
04/25/2011

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
acid rain
Definition
Corrosive precipitation due to the solution of atmospheric sulfuric acid in rain, which makes it acidic. Although it is generally considered human-made, it can also be natural, as from volcanic activity.
Term
anticline
Definition
A generally convex-upward fold that has older rocks in its core. (Contrast with syncline.)
Term
biomass fuel
Definition
Fuels that are manufactured from plant materials; for example, grain alcohol (ethanol) is made from corn.
Term
caprock:
Definition
An impermeable stratum that caps an oil reservoir and prevents oil and gas from escaping to the ground surface
Term
central-core meltdown
Definition
The melting of an atomic-reactor fuel containment vessel as a result of runaway atomic fission that generates extreme heat.
Term
chain reaction
Definition
: A self-sustaining nuclear reaction that occurs when atomic nuclei undergo fission. Free neutrons are released that split other nuclei, causing more fissions and the release of more neutrons, which split other nuclei, and so on.
Term
fissile isotopes
Definition
Isotopes with nuclei that are capable of being split into other elements (see fission).
Term
fission
Definition
The rupture of the nucleus of an element into lighter elements (fission products) and free neutrons spontaneously or by absorption of a neutron.
Term
fusion
Definition
The combination of two nuclei to form a single heavier nucleus accompanied by a loss of some mass that is converted to heat.
Term
geological repository
Definition
nuclear waste) An underground vault in terrain area free from geologic hazards. Repositories in salt mines, granite, and welded tuff have been studied.
Term
geothermal energy
Definition
Energy derived from circulating hot water and steam; usually associated with cooling magma or hot rocks.
Term
high-level nuclear wastes
Definition
Mostly radioactive elements in spent fuel with long half lives
Term
hydrocarbon compound
Definition
A chemical compound made from hydrogen and carbon atoms; may be solid, liquid or gaseous.
Term
kergogen
Definition
A carbonaceous residue in sediments that has survived bacterial metabolism. It consists of large molecules from which hydrocarbons and other compounds are released on heating.
Term
low-level nuclear wastes
Definition
Wastes generated in research labs, hospitals, and industry. Shallow burial in containers is sufficient to sequester this waste.
Term
miscible
Definition
Soluble; capable of mixing.
Term
nonrenewable resource
Definition
An energy or material resource that once used is not available for reuse in human time spans. Coal, oil, and metallic minerals are examples.
Term
OPEC
Definition
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Term
OTEC
Definition
Ocean thermal energy conversion.
Term
photochemical smog
Definition
Atmospheric haze that forms when automobile-exhaust emissions are activated by ultraviolet radiation from the sun to produce highly reactive oxidants known to be health hazards.
Term
radon
Definition
A radioactive gas emitted in the breakdown of uranium.
Term
rank (coal
Definition
A coal’s carbon content depending upon its degree of metamorphism.
Term
renewable resource
Definition
An energy or material resource that continually renews itself as it is being consumed. Timer, solar energy, wind, and water are examples.
Term
reserves
Definition
Those portions of an identified resource that can be recovered economically.
Term
reservoir rock
Definition
A permeable, porous geologic formation that will yield oil or natural gas.
Term
salt dome
Definition
A column or plug of rock salt that rises from depth because of its low density and pierces overlying sediments.
Term
secondary recovery
Definition
Production of oil or gas by artificially stimulating a depleted reservoir with water, steam, or other fluids in order to mobilize the remaining hydrocarbons
Term
slant drilling
Definition
Purposely deflecting a drill hole from the vertical in order to tap a reservoir not directly below the drill site. The deflecting tool is a whipsock
Term
source rock
Definition
The geologic formation in which oil and/or gas originate.
Term
stratigraphic trap
Definition
An accumulation of oil that results from a change in the character (permeability) of the reservoir rock, rather than from structural deformation.
Term
synthetic fuels (synfuels
Definition
): A manufactured fuel; for example, a fuel derived by liquefaction or gasification of coal.
Term
tar sands
Definition
A sand body that is large enough to hold a commercial reserve of asphalt or other thick oil. It is usually surface excavated to remove the thick hydrocarbons
Term
transuranic element
Definition
Unstable (radioactive) elements of atomic numbers greater than 92.
Term
wildcat well
Definition
An exploratory well drilled for oil or gas on a geologic feature not yet proven to be productive; or in a zone that has never produced.
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