Geology- final review

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absolute age dating: based on relationships between rock units
carbon dating: uses carbon and looks at half life in order find the age of a rock
What is the most accurate type of geologic age dating?: carbon dating
angular unconformity: layered rocks were uplifted
noncomformity: Metamorphic rocks were overlaid by sediments
disconformity: gap in fossil record or irregular erosion
where do divergent plate boundaries usually occur?: oceanic ridges
where do convergent plate bounaries usually occur?: deep ocean trenches
normal fault: hanging wall block moves down relative to foot wall block
thrust fault: hanging wall block moves up relative to foot wall block
strike slip: displacement is horizontal and parallel to the strike
transform fault: strike slip fault that cuts through the lithosphere
fault: -fracture in the crust where displacement has occurred
What is the cause of earthquakes?: -rapid release of energy by atomic explosions or volcanic eruptions
factors in Earthquake damage: -magnitude
-proximity to epicenter
-ground substrate
-population density
-nature of building construction
-building resonance
what causes Earthquake damage?: -landslides
-fires
-rupture of roads
-tsunamis
-building/bridge collapse
Intensity: -measure of degree of earthquake shaken at a given locale based on amount of damage
magnitude: estimate of total amount of energy released during an earthquake, based on seimic records
epicenter: -location on the surface directly above focus
focus: -source of earthquake, or hypocenter
seismic P waves: -primary waves (push-pull)
Seismic S waves: secondary waves (shake, change shape)
Seismograph: -records seismic waves
Why are abyssal planes flat?: -they are flat because of thick accumulations of sediment that have buried an otherwise rugge ocean floor
Turbidite: -turbidity current deposit characterized by graded bedding
atoll: -coral island consisting of nearly continuous ring of coral reef surrounding a central lagoon
marine snow: -a continous shower of mostly organic detritus fallng from upper layer of the water column
Ophiolite sequence: deep sea floor spreading
pillow basalts
sheeted dike
gabbro
layered gabbro
peridotite
How do pillow basalts form?: -basaltic lava solidifies in an underwater environment and developes a structure that is like a pile of pillows
what are some processes of mass wasting?: -rockfall
-landslide
-rock avalanche
-slump
-earthflow
-mudflow
-surface creep
-solifluction
liquification: -transformation of a stable soil into a fluid that is often unable to support buildings or other structures
solifluction: -slow, downslope flow of water saturated materials
Name the different ways that streams transport things: -suspension
-dissolution
-bedload
Why does bedload size decrease downstream: -particles that are too large or too heavy to move by saltation slide to the bottom
Where is flow velocity the greatest?: -at the thalweg
Floodplain: -low, flat portion of a stream valley subject to periodic inundation
point bar: -crescent shaped accumulation of sand and gravel deposited on inside of a meander
cut bar: -on the outside of a meander
levee: -restricts water flow into a river
oxbow lake: -curved lake produced when a stream cuts off a meander
stream capacity: -total amount of sediment a stream can carry
stream competence: -maximum size of sediment a stream can carry
discharge: -total amount of water flowing past a certain point
width X depth X velocity
base level: level below which a stream cannot erode
stream problems related to urban development: -excessive sediment runoff
-road runoff
-trash, garbage
-lawn chemicals
-pathogens
-agricultural runoff
-stream pollution
Ways to limit flooding: -better flood management
-space for natural wetlands
-land use planning
-building restrictions
How often do streams flood?: -about once every two and a half years
groundwater: water from the ground
aquifer: -geologic unit from which you can withdraw water
aquitard: -unit through which water does not tend to flow
water table: -surface that slopes
perched water table: -localized zone of saturation above the water table
spring: -result of a natural outflow of groundwater
hydraulic gradient: -water table slope
porosity: -amount of porous space
permeability: -ease with which fluids can move through
Problems with withdrawing water too fast: -depletion of major freshwater resources
-salt water intrusion
-ground subsidence
-ground collapse
glacier: -river of ice, formed by snow that changes into ice
what would be a result of our glaciers melting?: -people would lose a source of clean, freshwater
rock flour: pulverized rock produced by the grinding effect of a glacier
the origin of U shaped valleys: -glacial valleys
the origin of aretes: -two glaciers flowing past each other
the origin of horns: -formed by glcial action
the origin of recessional moraines: -formed as the ice front stagnates during glacial retreat
origin of lateral moraines: -when debris falls to the glacier from valley walls
origin of kettle lakes: -when ice melts and a bowl shaped depression is left
esker: -when sand/gravel is deposited by a stream flowing in a tunnel beneath a glacier
Types of deserts: -arctic
-alpine
low latitude deserts
-middle latitude deserts
-rainshadow
What makes it a desert?: -dry
-extreme temperatures
-Xerophytes: -trees that don't grow because of absence of snow
Geologic processes in deserts: -mass wasting
-chemical weathering
-physical weathering
-water
-wind
ventifact: -a cobble or pebble polished and shaped by sandblasting effect of the wind
alluvial fan: -a fan shaped deposit of sediment formed when a stream slope is abruptly reduced
bajada: -apron of sediment along a mountain front created by the coalesence in a stream channel
playa lake: -temporary lake in a playa
desertification: -when arid lands are turned into deserts
causes of desertification: -overgrazing
-overpopulation
-Some desertification areas: -Afria
-Middle East
-U.S.A.
beach drift: -transport of sediment in a zigzag pattern along a beach, caused by uprush of water
What is the main factor that controls tides?: -the moon
Spring Tide: -when the Earth-Moon-Sun- system is aligned
Neap Tide: -when the forces of the moon and sun act on Earth at right angles
Seawalls: -build parallel to the shoreline, designed to armor the coast and defend property from waves
Jetties: -confine the flow of water, narrow it
Groins: -barrier built at a right angle, traps sand moving parallel to the shore
Advantages and disadvantages of beach nourishment: advantages: improves storm protection, doesn't require hard stabalization, beach quality is improved
disadvantages: not permanent, replacement sand will eventually be removed, very expensive, unwanted environmental effects
shoreline erosion: east coast- tectonically quiet, narrowing of beaches, flow to coast is interrupted by dams, development is a problem
west coast-storms strike coast, erode dunes, carry sand from beaches
Name the layers of the Earth, from inside to outside: 1.core
2.mesophere
3.mantle
4. crust
Compare continental and oceanic crust: - continental crust is older
- continental is made of granite, oceanic of basalt
- continentel has a higher elevation
-contintental crust is thicker
Describe Earth's crust: - it is the thin, rocky, outer layer
-it is divided into oceanic and continental crust
What is a mineral?: -a naturally occuring, inorganic solid, with a specific composition and definite internal arragement of atoms
How do minerals form?: -evaporating from a solution
-solidifying from a cooling melt
-alteration by weathering process
-alteration within the Earth's surface
Name some common minerals: -orthoclase, plagioclase, augite, hornblend
Igneous rocks: -rocks that form from solidifying from a cooling melt
exrusive: on the earth's surface
intrusive: in the Earth
Name the different types of Igneous rocks and give an example for each: Felsic- granite
Mafic- diorite
intermediate- gabbro
Metamorphic Rocks: -alteration of pre-existing rocks in a solid state through application of heat and pressure
Examples of metamorhpic rocks: slate, quartzite, schist
Sedimentary rocks: -deposition of weathered materials of other rocks
Examples of Sedimentary rocks: chalk, limestone, sandstone, clay, shale
Divergent plate boundaries: -two plates move apart (mid atlantic ridge)
Convergent plate boundaries: -two plates moving together (peru-chili trench)
Transform boundaries: -two plates grinding past each other (San Andreas Fault)
Name the Geologic Eons: -Archean
-Protozoic
-Phanerozoic
What age are we living in today?: Post Cambrian
What is the approxomite age of the Earth?: 4.6 billion years old
Compare the ages of the Oceanic and Continental crust and explain why they are this way: age of Oceanic Crust: 180 million years old
age of contintental crust: 4.4 billion years old
reason: sea floor spreading, new lithosphere is constantly being made and the old is beign destroyed
Name the three types of Volcancos: shield- mafic (Hawaii)
Strato- intermediate (Mt. St. Helens)
Cinder- Felsic (Arizona)
Weathering: -disintegration of rock at the Earth's surface by physical or chemical processes
Types of physical weathering: -frost wedging
-thermal expansion
-pressure release jointing
Types of Chemical weathering: -dissolution
-oxidation
-hydrolosis
Mudcracks: -mud squeezes in on the rock and shrinks it laterally
graded bedding: -when it goes from coarse to fine grains
wave ripple marks: -symetrical
current ripple marks: -asymetrical
cross beds: -tell you the current direction, wind blown deposition
bedding: -layering of sediment
dunes: -a hill of sand
What type of landscape is coal found in?: warm, tropical
what type of landscape is limestone found in?: marine
What is the wisconsin state fossil?: Trilobite
Fold: state of falt and planar surfaces, bent or curved by deformation
Brittle: rock breaks
Ductile: rock doesn't break
tension: normal fault
compression: reverse fault
shear: ductile deformation
strike: horizontal line on a planar surface
dip: goes down, at a right angle to the strike
syncline: oldest strata on the outside
anticline: oldest strata on the inside
dome: rocks that might have been flatlined get pushed back
double plunging: plunges in two directions
mass wasting: downslope of Earth's materials due to gravity
Motions of mass wasting: falling, flowing, sliding
Factors in Mass wasting: -rainfall
-construction
-undercutting by waves
-angle of repose
-material of ground
What types of mass wasting produce the most damage?: surface creep and solifluction

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