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ESS Final
ESS Final
218
Geology
Undergraduate 1
05/01/2012

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
The ability for a mineral to leave powder on a porcelain plate is known as its
Definition
Streak
Term
The difference between the highest point and the lowest point on a topographical map is known as the 
Definition
Relief
Term
Extrusive rocks exhibit a 
Definition
fine grain texture
Term
A mineral that exhibits a rhombic cleavage is 
Definition
calcite
Term
A rock having grains cemented together is known as a
Definition
classical sedimentary rock
Term
An igneous rock best described as having a light color and corse texture is
Definition
granite
Term
On a topographical map of the eastern part of the United States, the lower number of a set of coordinates in a corner of the mpa would be the
Definition
latitude
Term
What crystal system does pyrite belong to?
Definition
Isometric
Term
The rock that got so hot that the light-colored minerals and dark-colored minerals respectfully separated into their own zones is
Definition
gneiss
Term
On a topographical map, contour lines point
Definition
upstream
Term
What mineral is listed as a "7" on the Moh's Hardness Scale
Definition
Quartz
Term
Which one of these rocks has the best foliation
Definition
Slate
Term
An igneous rock's texture that includes larger crystals set in a fine-grained groundmass is known as 
Definition
porphyry
Term
A darker contour line on a topographical map is known as the
Definition
index
Term
The highest grade metamorphic rock is a 
Definition
gneiss
Term
The mineral's ______ is dependent upon the alignment of the atoms
Definition
cleavage
Term
Which one of the following is non-foliated rock?
Definition
Marble
Term
A sedimentary rock containing clay-size particles is
Definition
conglomerate
Term
Which one of the following connot be determined with a topographical map?
Definition
Population census
Term
A sedimentary rock composed of plant material is
Definition
bituminous coal
Term
Which of the following is an agent of mass wasting?
Definition
Gravity
Term
What feature is formed near the origin of a landslide?
Definition
Scarp
Term
The largest landslide observed in North American occurred at
Definition
Mt. St. Helens
Term
The slowest moving type of mass wasting is
Definition
creep
Term
Evidence that mass wasting may be ocurring is seen by a
Definition
slanted fence
Term
What is the largest contributor to causing landslides?
Definition
Humans
Term
The fastest moving type of mass wasting is
Definition
mudflow
Term
A material removed from the Earth for our benefit is called a 
Definition
mineral resource
Term
Which of the following is an ore of iron
Definition
Pyrite
Term
A step in determining the value of a possible mineral resource is
Definition
drill coring
Term
Diamonds are currently being mined in
Definition
Africa
Term
Which one of the following is NOT an item to be considered for opening a mining operation?
Definition
 Lack of rock exposures
Term
One way a mineral resource can be formed is 
Definition
contact metamorphism
Term
The slope of a stream is known as it's
Definition
gradient
Term
A mature stream contains
Definition
meanders
Term
An imaginary line separating the direction of water flow is a 
Definition
drainage divide
Term
An area containing a stream and its tributaries are known as the 
Definition
drainage basin
Term
The most common method for a stream to carry sediment is a
Definition
suspended load
Term
The gradient of a stream is influenced by its
Definition
slope
Term
An oxbox lake that is now filled with vegetation is a 
Definition
neck cutoff
Term
The building of a dam on a stream would create
Definition
a temporary base level
Term
An area having alternating hard and soft rocks would develop a
Definition
trellis
Term
What occurs on the outside of a meander?
Definition
Erosion
Term
An area containing V-shaped valleys and waterfalls is a ____ landscape
Definition
youthful
Term
The next step after the development of a meander is a
Definition
neck cutoff
Term
A body of rock containing water is known as a
Definition
aquifer
Term
The water table lies at the bottom of the
Definition
Zone of aeration
Term
What is a common feature that may form when a new well is drilled?
Definition
Cone of Depression
Term
When drawing the water table, the flow lines will intersect topographic contour lines in a
Definition
90degree angle
Term
Generally speaking, you would wnat an on-site sewage system to be located
Definition
downslope
Term
A self-flowing water source is known as a
Definition
artesian
Term
The water table intersecting the surface is known as a
Definition
spring
Term
The ability for a rock to transmit water is called its
Definition
Permeability
Term
Which one of the following has the best porosity
Definition
Sandstone
Term
As a body of water continuously floods, what forms along its banks?
Definition
Natural Levee
Term
The area in a stream through which the msot water runs is its
Definition
channel
Term
What forms ont he inside of a meander
Definition
point bar
Term
Who introduced the theory of continental drift?
Definition
Alfred Wegener
Term
The western South America costline is an example of a 
Definition
converge
Term
The Cascade Mountain Range is an example of a 
Definition
Volcanic Arc
Term
A good piece of evidence for sea floor spreading is
Definition
pleomagnetism
Term
The San Andreas Fault is a plate boundary ont he west side of the ____ Coast
Definition
North American
Term
A stationary column of magma coming up through the crust is a 
Definition
hot spot
Term
The REd Sea today is a great example of a
Definition
rift valley
Term
Earthquakes occur more often along a
Definition

(all of the above)

transform boundary

convergent boundary

divergent boundary

Term
Continetal crust is composed of
Definition
granite
Term
The driving force for plate tectonics is believed to be
Definition
convenction currents
Term
The youngest basaltic rocks inthe ocean will be located
Definition
closest tot he mid oceanic ridge
Term
the supercontinent proposed by Alfred Wegener was
Definition
Pangea
Term
The origin of the Hawaiian Island is due to
Definition

Volcanic Island Arc

Hot Spot

 

Note: Hawaii is a volcanic island arc but isn't it due to a hot spot?

Term
The total amount of solid material dissolved in water is known as its
Definition
salinity
Term
In low latitudes, a quick decline in temperature, usually at 300-1000 meters depth, is called a 
Definition
thermocline
Term
Which is the largest ocean?
Definition
Pacific
Term
Which ocean water zone comprises 80% of ocean water?
Definition
Deep
Term
The flooded extension of a continet gently sloping toward the ocean floor is known as the
Definition
continential shelf
Term
The East Coast of the United States is regarded as what type of continental margin?
Definition
passive
Term
Deep, steep-sided valleys that cut into the continental shelf and are suually an extension of a mjaor drainage system off of the continent is known as a
Definition
submarine canyon
Term
Sediment consisting of mineals that crystallize directly from seawater through various chemical reactions are known as
Definition
hyrdogenous
Term
Using depth charges or air guns to mpa the ocean bottom helps to produce
Definition
Seismic reflection profile
Term
Which physiographic province is Messiah College located in?
Definition
Piedmont
Term
During which era did Pangaea split apart?
Definition
Mesozoic
Term
What collided with ancient North American during the early Paleozoic era?
Definition
Volcanic Island Arc or Africa
Term
A supercontinent that existed about 1 billion years ago
Definition
Rodinia
Term
A mountain building episode that created folding, faulitng and metamorphism is called
Definition
Orogeny
Term
Where was Pangaea located as it split apart?
Definition
Subtropical
Term
The Gettysburg-Newark Section of the Piedmont phsiographic province originated as 
Definition
Rift Valley
Term
Tensional pressure on rocks (pulling apart) creates
Definition
normal faults
Term
The fastest moving seismic wave is known as a 
Definition
P wave
Term
A scale based on reasctions of residents is known as the
Definition
Modified Mercalli scale
Term
Which wave can travel through solids and liquids in the Earth's interior
Definition
P wave
Term
What country is credited with the largest death toll from an earthquake?
Definition
China
Term
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake is how many times greater than a 3.0 earthquake?
Definition
10
Term
the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake is the
Definition
epicenter
Term
The deepst earthquakes occur along
Definition
subduction zones
Term
The most violent earthquake int he United States in the last 100 years occurred in
Definition
Anchorage, Alaska
Term
To help to determine the distance of an earthquake from a particular station, first measure the time duration of the P wave arrival and the
Definition
S Waves
Term
The tilt of a rock into the ground is known as its
Definition
dip
Term
A fold where the rock dips toward the axis is known as a
Definition
syncline
Term
A low angle reverse fault is known as a ____ fault
Definition
thurst
Term
A gap in geologic time etween two rock layers is known as an 
Definition
unconformity
Term
A fault where the hanging wall goes down is known as a ____ fault
Definition
normal
Term
A crustal fragment having its own geologic history from that of adjoining bedrock is known as a 
Definition
fault block
Term
A fold in a rock where the limbs are parallel is known as a
Definition
overturn
Term
The San Andreas fault is an example of a ____ fault
Definition
strike-slip
Term
Which era is known as "early life"?
Definition
Paleozoic
Term
What ist he state fossile of Pennsylvania?
Definition
Trilobite
Term
A cross-cutting body is ____ than the rock it passes through.
Definition
younger
Term
Looking at a normal rock sequence, the oldest layer is located 
Definition
on the bottom
Term
A division between older metamorphic or intrusive igneous rocks from younger sedimentary rocks is known as a
Definition
nonconformity
Term
Animals who only live a short time and become fossilzied would be a good candidate for a
Definition
index fossil
Term
Using radioactive isotopes to date rocks is known as
Definition
radiometric dating
Term
Relating one event to another event without setting any set dates is known as
Definition
relative dating
Term
The Age of the Dinosaurs was the
Definition
Mesozoic Era
Term
The Basin and Range Province in the Western United States is a great example of
Definition
fault block mountains
Term
Two pieces of crust coming together will create ___ faulting
Definition
thrust
Term
Originally horizontal is one law of
Definition
relative dating
Term
Fossils are important as they help to determine
Definition

(all of the above)

A) the environment they lived in

B) age

C) geogrphic posotion

Term
Which hemisphere contains the most oceans?
Definition
Southern
Term
Which ocean contains the deepest point in an ocean?
Definition
Pacific
Term
Comets were seen as
Definition
bad omens and were blamed for a variety of disasters
Term
Nova
Definition

aka "guest star"

 

icreases its brightness as it explosively ejects gases from its surface

Term
Geocentric
Definition
earth-centered solar system
Term
Almagest
Definition
13-volume treatise compiled by Ptolemy
Term
Ptolemy
Definition
credited with developing a model fo the universe that accounted for the observable motions of the celstial bodies
Term
Ptolemaic Model
Definition
has the plants moving in perfect cirucular orbist around a motionless Earth
Term
Retrograde Motion
Definition
the apparent westward (backwards) drift
Term
Heliocentric Model
Definition

Developed by Copernicus

 

Sun at the center and the planets orbiting it

Term
Stellar Parallax
Definition

The apparent shift of the stars

 

Finger/Eye example

Term
Tycho Brahe
Definition
in the last years of his life, he acquired an able assistant, Johannes Kepler
Term
Kepler's Three Laws of Planetary Motion
Definition

1. Elliptical Orbits

2. Law of Equal Areas

3. Orbital Periods of the Planets and their Distances to the Sun are Proportional

Term
Astronomical Unit (AU)
Definition
The earth's distance from the Sun (93 million miles) 
Term
Galileo Galilei
Definition
Did NOT invent the telescope, but created one based on an unseen description of the inventor's creation
Term
Findings with the telscope
Definition

1. Jupiter's four largest satellites/moons.

2. Planets were circular disks rather than points of light

3. Venus exhibits phases as the Moon

4. Moon's surface is not a smooth glass sphere

5. The Sun has sunspots (this viewing may have blinded him)

Term
Sir Isaac Newton
Definition

Formalized the 3 Laws of Motion

 

Conceptualizes 'gravity,' because under the idea behind inertia (1st law) the planets should be shooting off into space, not orbiting

Term
Order of the Planets
Definition

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Term
Two Groups of Planets
Definition

Terrestrial

Jovian

Term
Terrestrial Planets
Definition

Earth-like Planets

aka "Inner Planets"

Dense, having relatively large cores

Term
Jovian Planets
Definition

"Jupiter-Like" Planets

aka Outer Planets

small metallic inner cores

thick atmospheres composed mainly of hydrogen and helium

Term
Solar Heating and Gravity Relationship
Definition
Airless worlds are comparatively warm and have weak gravity, whereas bodies with significant atmospheres have weak heating and strong gravity.
Term
Impact Crater
Definition

Due to planetary impacts.

 

1.Meteoroid hits and a compressional wave is sent into the body

2. High speed ejecta (debris) explodes away from the site

4. 'Melt' remains in the crater (melted rock) and fractured rock formed beneath the crash site

5. Central Peak forms (center peak of the crater)

6. Uplifted Crater Rim: edge of the crater that has a higher elevation than the land

7. Ejecta blanket forms: coating of high speed ejecta on the land surrounding the crater

Term
Mercury
Definition

The innermost planet

Messenger space craft detected a magnetic field

Term
Venus
Definition

The Veiled Planet

 

Term
Mars
Definition

The Red Planet

Pitted with Impact Crater

Shows evidence that water once flowed on the surface

 

Term
Olympus Mons
Definition
An inactive shield volcano on Mars that covers an area about the size of the state of Arizona
Term
Galilean Moons
Definition

A. Lo

B. Europa

C. Ganymede

D. Callisto

Term
Asteroid Belt
Definition
Orbits of most asteroids lie between Mars and Jupiter
Term
Luminosity
Definition
a star's brightness
Term
Three factors control the brightness of a star as seen from Earth
Definition

1. How big it is

2. How hot it is

3. How far away it is

Term
Magnitude
Definition

Six levels of magnitude describe the brightness of a star

the lower numerical value, the brighter

Term
Apparent Magnitude
Definition
Brightness as it appears when viewed from earth
Term
Absolute Magnitude
Definition
"true" brightness of stars
Term
Visual Binaries
Definition
pairs of stars orbiting one another
Term
Benefit of binary stars
Definition
can help determine a star's mass
Term
The mass of a body can be easblished if...
Definition
it is gravitationally attached to a partner
Term
Variable Stars
Definition
stars that fluctuate in brightness
Term
Pulsating Variables
Definition
fluctuate regularly in brightness by expanding and contractign in size
Term
Two Stars of Equal Mass
Definition
orbit around the center of mass at equal distance
Term
One star twice as massive as its companion
Definition
the smaller star orbits around the center of mass at twice the distance of the larger star
Term
Supernova
Definition

A catastrophic event radiating as much energy in a few months as the Sun will radiate in its entire lifetime.

 

During a supernova event the star's outer shell is explosively ejected

Term
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (H-R Diagram)
Definition
Shows a great deal about the relationships among the sizes, colors and temperatures of stars
Term
Nebulae
Definition
centrations of interstellar matter
Term
Bright Nebula
Definition
If the interstellar matter is close to very hot (blue) stars, it will glow
Term
Emission Nebulae
Definition
Gaseous masses that consist largely f hydrogen.  They absorb ultraviolet radiont emitted by embedded or nearby hot stars.
Term
Reflection Nebulae
Definition
Reflect the light of nearby stars
Term
Interstellar Dust
Definition
relatively dense clouds of large particles
Term
Dark Nebulae
Definition
When a cloud of interstellar material is not close enough to a bright star to be illuminated
Term
Black holes
Definition

The collapse of a star likely exceeded2 5 solar masses.

Extremely hot.  Surface gravity is so immense that even light cannot escape.  Anything that moves too close to a black hole will be swept in by its irresistible gravitational field and be devoured

Term
Galaxies
Definition

Three types of Normal Galaxies:

1. Spiral

2. Elliptical

3. Irregular

 

"Active Galaxies" differ form the norm

Term
Spiral Galaxies
Definition

Mily Way and Andromeda Galaxy

Typically are disk shaped with a great concentration of stars the their centers

Term
Barred Spiral Galaxies
Definition
A type of spiral galaxy, however, ahs the stars arranged in the shape of a bar
Term
Elliptical Galaxies
Definition

The most numerous group

Generally smaller than spiral galaxies

"Dwarf Galaxies"

Term
Irregular Galaxies
Definition

Show no symmetry

Large and Small Magellanic Clounds

Term
Cosmology
Definition
the study of the evolution of the universe
Term
The Doppler Effect
Definition

Commonly seen when a vehicle with a siren approaches 

 

The reason for the difference in ptich si that it takes time for the wave to be emitted.  If the source of the wave is moving away, the beignning of the wave is emitted nearer to you than the end of the wave, "stretching" the wave and giving it a longer wavelength.

Term
Hubble's Law
Definition
States that galaxies are receding from us at speeds that are proportional to their distances
Term
Calorie
Definition
The amountof heat required to raise the temperature of 1 grame of water by 1degree C
Term
Latent Heat
Definition
Hidden heat -- i.e. the heat used to melt ice does nto produce a temperature change, it just causes the reaction
Term
Evaporation
Definition
The process of converting a liquid to a gas (vapor)
Term
Condensation
Definition
when water vapor changes to the liquid state.
Term
Sublimination
Definition
the conversion of a solid directly to a gas without passing throughthe liquid state
Term
Deposition
Definition
refers to the reverse process, the conversion of a vapor directly to a solid
Term
Humidity
Definition
The general term of the amount of water vapor in the air
Term
Saturation
Definition
the maximum possible quantity of water vapor that the air can hold at any given temperature and pressure
Term
Water
Definition
The only substance in the atmosphere that can be a solid, liquid, and gas (vapor)
Term
Vapor Pressure
Definition
the part of the total atmospheric pressure that can be attributed to the water-vapor content
Term
Relative Humidity
Definition
Ratio of the air's actual water vapor content compared with the amount of water vapor required for saturation at the temperature and pressure
Term
Adding Water Vapor to a Parcel of Air
Definition
Relative Humidity increase until saturation occurs
Term
When water-vapor conetn remains constant
Definition
a decrease in temperature results in an increase in relative humidity
Term
Temperature and Humidity Relationship
Definition

Low Temps = High Humidity

High Temps = Low Humidity

Term
Dew Point
Definition

temperature that the air needs to be cooled to reach saturation

 

 

Term
Dew Point and Air Relationship
Definition

High Dew Point Temps = moist air

Low Dep Point Temps = dry air

Term
Cooling below saturation forms
Definition
dew, clouds or fog
Term
Hygrometer and Common Tool
Definition

Tool used to measure Relative Humidity

Common hygrometer: Sling Psychrometer

Term
Processes that Lift Air
Definition

1. Orographic Lifting

2. Frontal Wedging

3. Convergence

4. Localized Convective Lifting

Term
Orographic Lifting
Definition

Occurs when elevated terrains, such as mountains, act as barriers to the flow of air

 

Ex. Rainshadow Desert/Great Basin Desert

Term
Frontal Wedging
Definition
Masses of warm air and cold air collide, producing a front.  The cooler, denser air acts as a barrier over which the warmer, less dense air rises.  
Term
Convergence
Definition
Whenever air in the lower atmosphere flows together from opposite directions, lifting results.
Term
Localized Convenction Lifting
Definition

1. Unequal heating of the Earth's surface causes pockets of air to be warmed more than the surrounding air.  

2. These buoyant parcels of hot air rise, producing thermals

3. If they reach the condensation level, clouds form.

Term
Types of Clouds
Definition

High Clouds

Middle Clouds

Low Clouds

Term
High Clouds
Definition

Above 20,000ft

1. Cirrus: thin, delicate and wispy

2. Cirrostratus: flat layers

3. Cirrocumulus: fluffy masses

Term
Middle Clouds
Definition

6,500 - 20,000ft

1. Altocumulus: composed of globular masses

2. Altostratus: create a uniform white to grayish sheet covering the sky with the Sun or Moon visible at a bright spot

Term
Low Clouds
Definition

1. Stratus: uniform foglike layer of clouds that frequently cover much of the sky

2. Stratocumulus: Scalloped bottom that appears as long parallel orlls or broken globular patches

3. Nimbostratus: one of the chief precipatation producers.  Dark thunder clouds

Term
Advection Fog
Definition
when warm, moist air moves over a cool surface, the result may be a blanket of fog
Term
Radiation Fog
Definition

Fog forms when the surface of the earth cools quickly.

Air is cooled below the dew point

Term
Upslope Fog
Definition
created when relatively huid air moves up a gradually sloping plain or up the steep slopes of a mountain
Term
Steam Fog
Definition
fairly common over lakes and rivers in the fall and early winter, when the water may still be relatively warm and the air is rather crisp
Term
Types of Precipitation
Definition

Mist

Drizzle

Rain

Sleet

Glaze

Rime

Snow

Hail

Graupel

Term
Mist
Definition
Droplets large enough to be felt on the face when air is moving
Term
Drizzle
Definition
Fine, uniform drops of water having a diameter less that .5 millieter
Term
Rain
Definition
term is restricted to drops of water that fall from a cloud and that have a diamter of at least .5millimeter
Term
Sleet
Definition
A layer of air with termperature above freezing must overlie a subfreezing layer near the ground
Term
Glaze
Definition
Raindrops become supercooleda s they fall through the cold air and turn to ice upon collision with solid objects
Term
Rime
Definition
a deposit of ice crystals formed by the freezing of supercooled fog or cloud droplets on objects whose surface temperature is below freezing
Term
Snow
Definition
precipitation in the form of ice crystals 
Term
Hail
Definition
Precipitation in the form of hard, rounded pellets or irregular lumps of ice
Term
Measuring Precipitation
Definition

Standard Rain Gauge

1. Diamter of about 8inches (20cm) at the top.

2. Water is caught, a funnel conducts the rain to a cylindrical measuring tube

3. Measuring tube has a cross-sectional area where dept is magnified 10 times, allowing measurements to the nearest .025cm

Term
Weather Radar
Definition
Gave meteorologists an important tool to probe storm systems that amy be up to a few hundred kilometers away.
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