Term
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Definition
| A mass of ice formed on land from snow that survives from year to year and creeps down slope or outward due to the stress of its own weight |
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Term
| How much of world's freshwater is contained within glaciers? |
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Definition
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Term
| Two main erosional methods of glaciers |
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Definition
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Definition
| Ice melts and then refreezes around rocks |
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Definition
| Ice+Rock = "geosandpaper" |
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Term
| Two main types of glaciers |
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Definition
| Alpine glaciers and Continental glaciers |
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Definition
| Occupies a valley in a mountainous area; most numerous but small compared to continental glaciers |
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Definition
| Cover large areas of land surface and are unconfined by topography; may be several km (a few miles) thick |
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| Erosional features created by alpine glaciers |
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Definition
| Cirque, arete, horn, glacial valley, hanging valleys, striations |
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Definition
| A deep, curving steep-walled depression scooped out of the bedrock at the head of a glacier |
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Definition
| Sharp ridge between 2 or more cirques |
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Definition
| Spire separating multiple cirques |
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Definition
| Deep, steep-sided U-shaped valley |
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Definition
| Tributary glacial valley floors don't reach the main valley floor |
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Definition
| Parallel grooves and scratches created when glaciers move across bedrock |
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Definition
| Unsorted, unlayered sediment deposited directly by glacial ice, either under the ice or at the terminus; dominated by fine-grained (clay) materials buts also contains sediment of up to boulder size |
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Definition
| glacially-derived sediment that is moved and redeposited by meltwater; deposits are typically layered and fairly well sorted due to their transport by streams |
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Definition
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Definition
| A linear strip of rock and smaller debris formed along the edge of a valley glacier by plucking and rockfalls |
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Definition
| Formed by the joining of two lateral moraines when two glacier valleys merge |
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Definition
| A curved, elongated ridge that accumulates at the "downstream" end of a glacier |
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Definition
| An end moraine that marks a glacier's farthest advance |
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Definition
| A lateral or end moraine formed during a pause in a glacier's retreat |
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Definition
| Till that is deposited along the base of a glacier |
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Term
| In what state is Denali NP located? |
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Definition
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Term
| In what province is Denali NP located? |
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Definition
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Term
| Why are the glaciers on the southeastern side of the Denali Range larger than those on the north side? |
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Definition
| The southeastern side has more extensive snowfields and glaciers and receives the most moisture (orographic effect). The Northern side receives less moisture and usually has glaciers that are smaller and shorter. |
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Definition
| Broad gently sloping sheet of layered sand and gravel sediments deposited by meltwater streaming out of the front of the glacier |
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Definition
| A long winding ridge of roughly stratified sand and gravel that originated as the bed of a stream flowing within a glacial tunnel |
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Definition
| A depression in ground moraine or an outwash plain formed when a block of ice was buried during a glacier's retreat and later melted |
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Definition
| A low, rounded, elongated hill of of compact till, with its blunter end pointing up "stream" and its tapering end pointing in the direction of ice flow |
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Definition
| A large boulder carried away from its place of origin by a glacier |
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Definition
| flat till-covered plains with gray clay-rich soil derived from the weathering of clay-rich glacial till; deep glacial valleys filled with sand and gravel outwash deposits (these filled valleys made great aquifers); Ohio River's location was determined in part by the southernmost extent of glaciation |
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Definition
| The average weather conditions of an area |
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Term
| What supplies most of the energy on the earth? |
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Definition
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Term
| Several subsystems are collectively responsible for climate: |
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Definition
| Atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, biosphere |
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Term
| Possible effects of global warming |
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Definition
| Shifts in climatic zones appear likely and even; decline in food production of 30 to 70%; political instability may increase as some countries are less able to cope with changes; disease rates may increase with violent weather; ice sheet melting would flood many highly developed coastal areas- huge economic losses |
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Term
| Evidence for climate change in the past |
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Definition
| Historical records (temperature records and written accounts); prehistoric records (tree rings, pollen distributions, ice core data, geologic deposits) |
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Term
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Definition
| The oxygen isotope composition of ice layers varies over time, and these variations can be directly related to past average global temperatures |
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Term
| Paleoatmospheric composition |
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Definition
| Trapped air bubbles in the ice preserve air samples from the time of snow/ice formation; measuring gas abundances in these bubbles gives direct information about past atmospheric compositions |
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Term
| What causes climate change? |
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Definition
External to the earth- solar output and earth orbit fluctuations
Internal to the earth- plate tectonics and other earth cycles |
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Term
| Possible external causes of climate change |
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Definition
| Change the amount or distribution of solar energy reaching the earth (solar output variations and orbital fluctuations) |
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Term
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Definition
| Appear to be too small at present, but may have been larger in the past or may be larger than we think |
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Definition
| Separate cycles on different time scales, but periodically experience collective reinforcement that are enough to cause significant global climate change |
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Term
| Internal causes of climate change |
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Definition
| Plate tectonic changes in land mass distributions and elevations; change in the rate of volcanic activity- volcanoes add CO2 to the atmosphere; changes in the balance between earth cycles |
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Term
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Definition
| Energy coming from the sun is electromagnetic radiation, mostly ultraviolet and visible light. Surface materials (water, land) that have been heated by solar radiation reradiate some of this energy as infrared radiation, a lower energy form of EM radiation. Certain gases (greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere tend to absorb this infrared energy, which would otherwise be lost to space, which warms the atmosphere and makes earth habitable. |
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Term
| Importance of the greenhouse effect |
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Definition
| If not for this phenomenon, the earth would be a frozen planet; would see huge swings in daily temperature, similar to those of the moon |
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Term
| Four important greenhouse gases (besides water) |
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Definition
| Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons |
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Term
| Processes that add carbon dioxide (CO2) |
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Definition
| Volcanism, respiration, and combustion of fossil fuels |
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Term
| Processes that remove CO2 |
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Definition
| Chemical weathering of rocks and photosynthesis (plants, microbes) |
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Definition
| Increses atmospheric CO2 concentrations by reducing the scale of an important carbon dioxide sink |
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Term
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Definition
| Addition of particulate pollution associated with fossil fuel combustion has resulted in a global-scale cooling effect that has masked a significant portion of the warming effect of greenhouse gas increases. The particles reflect sunlight. Overall effect is to "dim the sun" by 10 to 30% in areas around the sun |
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Term
| Three main sub-provinces of Rocky Mountains |
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Definition
Northern: Glacial NP
Middle: Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP
Southern: Rocky Mountain NP |
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Term
| Similarities between three sub-provinces of Rocky Mountains |
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Definition
| All have similar pre-cenozoic geologic histories; all were affected by the Laramide Orogeny; all were affected by Quaternary glacial activity |
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Term
| Main difference between sub-provinces of Rocky Mountains |
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Definition
| The type of uplift that has exposed the basement rocks (northern rockies: thrust faulting; middle rockies: normal faulting; southern rockies: reverse faulting) |
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Term
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Definition
| A regional shortening of the crust accompanied by uplift |
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Term
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Definition
| Isolated mass of rock that is an erosional outlier of a thrust sheet |
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Term
| In what state is Glacier NP located? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A drainage divide that separates streams flowing toward opposite sides of a continent, often into different oceans (Rocky Mountains contain much of the length of it) |
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Term
| Laramide Orogeny- Northern Rockies |
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Definition
| Tertiary thrust faulting pushed Precambrian rocks over Mesozoic rocks by distances of 10's of miles; erosion exposed Precambrian rocks at the surface |
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Term
| Thrust faulting- Northern Rockies |
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Definition
| Eastward directed thrust faulting pushed unmetamorphosed Precambrian sedimentary rocks of the Belt Supergroup large distances |
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Term
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Definition
| Finely ground rock particles |
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Term
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Definition
| Display typical alpine glaciation landscape features, such as cirques, aretes, horns, U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys, unsorted glacial sediments, moraines, outwash in braided stream channels, etc. |
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Term
| Glaciers at Glacier NP (2) |
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Definition
| Some of the glacial lakes contain abundant rock flour which turns them light blue; glaciation was much more intense during Pleistocene Epoch than it is now |
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Term
| Where is Rocky Mountain NP located? |
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Definition
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Term
| Geology of Rocky Mountain NP |
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Definition
| Mostly precambrian igneous and metamorphosed sedimentary rocks are exposed at the surface; Laramide Orogeny: compressive forces caused folding and created many reverse faults |
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Term
| Laramide Orogeny- Southern Rockies |
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Definition
| Tertiary sub-vertical reverse faulting pushed hanging wall rocks upward where they were eroded to expose the precambrian basement |
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Term
| Reverse faulting- Southern Rockies |
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Definition
| Sub-vertical reverse faults created basins in which Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments were deposited |
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Term
| Geologic history of Middle Rockies- Precambrian Eon |
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Definition
| Marine and non-marine sedimentary deposition, igneous activity, metamorphism, orogeny; uplift and erosion |
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Term
| Geologic history of Middle Rockies- Paleozoic and Mesozoic (300 to 70 Ma) |
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Definition
| Marine and non-marine sedimentary deposition, minor deformation and uplift |
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Term
| Geologic history of Middle Rockies- Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic (70 to 60 Ma) |
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Definition
| Laramide Orogeny- folding, faulting, uplift (a combination of thrusting, reverse faulting, and folding that led to a broad arching upward of this area) |
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Term
| Geologic history of Middle Rockies- Cenozoic (Tertiary 66 Ma to 1.6 Ma) |
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Definition
| Volcanism, non-marine sedimentation, and periods of intense uplift |
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Term
| Geologic history of Middle Rockies- Quaternary (1.6 Ma to 10,000 ybp) |
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Definition
| Volcanism, glaciation, and continued uplift and normal faulting |
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Term
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Definition
| Grand Tetons and Yellowstone |
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Term
| Laramide Orogeny- Middle Rockies |
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Definition
| Extensive folding and faulting, but with relatively little uplift |
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Term
| Late Tertiary faulting- Middle Rockies |
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Definition
| Sub-vertical normal faults initiated in the Late Tertiary (10 Ma) followed by erosion have brought Precambrian rocks to the surface |
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Term
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Definition
| First NP, located in NW Wyoming |
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Term
| Volcanism in Yellowstone NP |
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Definition
| Possibly the result of an underlying hotspot; the NA plate has been moving over this hotspot for the last 16 Ma, and it is currently under Yellowstone |
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Term
| General characteristics of continental hotspots |
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Definition
| Produce upwelling asthenospheric magmas; "dome up" the overlying continental lithosphere; inject mafic (basaltic) dikes into the crust which causes melting of the crust and/or evolution of the basaltic magma to more silica-rich compositions |
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Term
| Volcanism in Yellowstone NP (2) |
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Definition
| Most of the Snake River Plain and Yellowstone rhyolite eruptions produced large calderas |
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Term
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Definition
| The circulation and heating of groundwater by magmatic activity at depth |
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Term
| Hydrothermal activity (2) |
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Definition
| Explosive release causes geysers (Old Faithful); non-explosive release creates hot springs |
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Term
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Definition
| Any thermal spring whose temperature is higher than that of the human body |
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Term
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Definition
| An intermittent hot spring that regularly or irregularly erupts jets of hot water and steam |
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Term
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Definition
| A hot spring that contains boiling mud and dissolved compounds brought up from below by the hot water. Water flow is insufficient to flush out the sediment |
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Definition
| A steam vent- erupts mostly steam because it doesn't have enough water to erupt both |
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Term
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Definition
| Calcium carbonate precipitate that result when hot groundwater dissolves limestone bedrock at depth and later reaches the surface where the CaCO3 reprecipitates |
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Term
| Siliceous sinter (geyserite) |
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Definition
| Heated groundwater passes through rocks with abundant silica, leaches some of this silica and carries it to the surface where it reprecipitates |
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