Geology Final Part 1
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157 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Andesite was named for a rock type commonly found: | Andes Mountains. |
| Igneous processes are those which relate to: | melting of rocks, formation and solidification of magma. |
| The geothermal gradient of the asthenosphere is: | less than that of the lithosphere. |
| Volcanic rocks are ALL: | Extrusive. |
| Igneous rocks that form entirely beneath Earth's surface are said to be: | plutonic |
| A rock with mineral crystals too small to be seen and low temperature minerals is: | rhyolite |
| Andesite and diorite: | formed from magma with the same silica content, formed from magma with the same temp. and contain the same minerals |
| The two important criteria used for igneous rock classification are: | texture and mineral composition. |
| Bowen's Reaction Series illustrates relations between: | temperature, chemical composition, and mineral structure. |
| You discover a rock with minerals large enough to be seen containing potassium feldspar, muscovite, and quartz. This is: | granite. |
| Basalt is most often associated with what type of plate boundary | divergent plate boundaries |
| An example of a hot spot where a hot mantle plume is currently lying at a shallow depth beneath the continental crust is: | Yellowstone National Park. |
| The difference in minerals among plutonic rocks is caused by: | different chemical compositions, different crystallization temperatures and magmatic differentiation. |
| Mineral part of Bowen's Discontinuous Series? | biotite |
| Minerals part of Bowen's Continuous Series? | plagioclase feldspar. |
| Fragments of country rock that are distinct from the body of igneous rocks in which they are enclosed | xenoliths |
| By definition, stocks differ from batholiths in | size. |
| Not a fine-grained rock type? | granite |
| The major difference between volcanic and plutonic igneous rocks is: | where they solidify |
| A surface separating different types of rocks is called: | a contact |
| "Geological processes operating at the present time are the same processes that have operated in the past" is a statement of: | he Principle of Uniformitarianism. |
| If rock A cross-cuts rock B, then rock A is: | younger than rock B. |
| What is a method of correlation? | matching similar fossil assemblages, tracing rocks with physical continuity and tracing similar rock types |
| Eras of the Standard Geologic Time Scale are subdivided into: | Periods |
| Which subdivision of geologic time is the longest? | Precambrian |
| not used in radioactive dating | Carbon 14 |
| Radiocarbon dating is a useful technique for what samples | granite. basalt. volcanic ash. |
| Radon is a gas derived from the natural radioactive decay of: | Uranium |
| Concentrations of radon are highest in areas where the bedrock is: | granite. |
| An unconformity that has tilted sedimentary layers beneath it and horizontal sedimentary layers above is called a(an) ______. | angular unconformity |
| A geologist could use the Principle of Inclusions to determine the relative age of: | shale layers. |
| A contact between parallel sedimentary rock layers that records missing geologic time is: | a disconformity. |
| The fossils of multicellular life forms observed in rocks: | can be used to correlate the rock layers. |
| Geologists are reasonably convinced that Earth: | is 4.5 - 4.6 billion years old. |
| Methods used by geologists to determine the general sequence of geologic events from oldest to youngest are known as: | Relative dating. |
| Undisturbed sedimentary rock layers occur in horizontal layers. This is: | because the rocks were originally deposited flat in water and is called the Principle of Original Horizontality. |
| The principle of ______ states that within an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary or volcanic layers, the oldest layer is on the bottom. | superposition. |
| James Hutton was: | a Scotsman considered the father of geology among the great early thinkers of geology. |
| We live in the ______ Epoch. | Holocene |
| an enrichment of uranium at Earth's surface, bombardment of the earth by cosmic rays, extreme heat deep within the Earth | Will not affect the half-life of a radioactive element |
| Physical disintegration of rocks into smaller pieces is called: | mechanical weathering |
| The decomposition of rock from exposure to water and atmospheric gases is known a | chemical weathering. |
| A mechanical weathering process caused by pressure release (or unloading) is: | exfoliation. |
| Where do sediments come from? | Rock weathering produces sediment. |
| In which environment is frost wedging likely to be prevalent? | mechanical weathering. |
| Hydrolysis occurs when: | feldspars are chemically altered to clays |
| types of chemical weathering | frost wedging, unloading, root wedging |
| Exfoliation is a natural process which results from: | unloading of deeply buried rocks |
| The common end product of the chemical weathering of feldspar is: | clay |
| Soil with approximately equal proportions of sand, silt, and clay along with generous amounts of organic matter is called: | loam |
| characteristic of soil horizons? | Boundaries between soil horizons are usually transitional rather than sharp, they are classified by assigned letters and they can be distinguished from one another by appearance and chemical composition |
| Which soil forms in arid climates, with little organic material? It usually includes hardpans of salt, gypsum or calcite? | Aridisols. |
| The soil horizon rich in clay is the: | B-horizon |
| Tropical soils are typically: | deeply leached and infertile |
| The single most effective agent of chemical weathering at the Earth's surface is: | carbonic acid |
| When feldspar weathers, it turns to: | clay |
| Which of the following minerals would weather away the fastest at the Earth's surface: diamond, olivine and quartz | olivine |
| Where do aluminum cans come from? | laterite soil |
| What is the parent material of all soils? | rock |
| Silt is a product of | mechanical weathering |
| nonrenewable resource | ground water. |
| The major source of energy for the United States is: | oil. |
| The total quantity of a material discovered or undiscovered is called: | The resource |
| Economically recoverable amounts of geological materials are called: | reserves |
| not a type of coal? | peat |
| Which metal would most likely be found in an ore deposit formed by crystal settling in a magma chamber? | chromium |
| The United States has the largest reserves in the world of this fuel: | coal. |
| The main use of lead is in | batteries |
| Increase reserves of various geologic materials? | new discoveries of economical deposits, favorable economics and improved extraction technology |
| The largest use of sand and gravel is: | construction |
| Phosphate is mined primarily for: | fertilizer |
| Reserves of many geological materials can be extended by: | conserving use of materials, substituting other materials that accomplish the same thing, and recycling materials. |
| agricultural products, solar energy and water resources | renewable resources |
| Nuclear power presently provides what portion of U.S. energy needs? | 20% |
| solar power, hydroelectric power, and wind power | Viable alternative energy sources |
| Portion of the energy needs of France comes from nuclear power? | 75% |
| Recycling of copper provides____of the United States current needs: | about half |
| How much of the world's energy is consumed in the United States? | about 25% |
| Energy can be realistically conserved by: | supplementing with renewable alternative energy systems. |
| The ratio of the amount of energy extracted versus the amount of energy put into the extraction process of a resource can be initialized as: | ERORI |
| The path a water particle makes as a wave passes in deep water is not | linear, elliptical, or spherical. |
| Most waves on the ocean are generated by: | wind |
| The distance from the crest of a wave to the next crest is: | the wavelength |
| The narrow currents that flow straight out to sea in the surf zone is called: | Rip currents |
| Beach sediment is typically quartz-rich sand because: | quartz is a durable mineral that resists chemical weathering |
| The movement of sediment parallel to shore when waves strike at an angle is called: | longshore drift |
| structures that can disrupt longshore drift | jetties, breakwaters and seawalls. |
| the most common source of sand on beaches? | sand transported to the beach by rivers |
| landforms expected to be found on erosional coasts? | sea stacks, sea cliffs, and rocky headlands |
| deltas, bay mouth bars, and spits | characterizes a depositional coast |
| A glacial valley drowned by rising sea-level is called: | A fjord |
| low atmospheric pressure, causing sea-level to bulge under the storm, the movement of the hurricane onto a shoreline, and high winds driving large waves ashore. | Causes of the storm surge of a hurricane |
| When waves approach a coast at an angle over a sloping seafloor, they: | refract |
| In shallow water, waves break because: | they slow down and become so steep that the crest topples over |
| The maximum depth of influence of waves beneath the surface is: | one-half of their wavelength |
| As waves move into shallow water, the motion of water particles becomes: | elliptical |
| the duration of winds blowing over water, the speed of winds blowing over water, and the distance that wind blows over water.The size of waves is related to: | What the size of waves is related to |
| helps protect onshore structures behind the seawall, costs a lot of money for maintenance over the long term, and accelerates coastal erosion. Construction of seawalls often: | Due to construction of seawalls |
| Marine terraces are landforms associated with: | uplifted coasts. |
| does NOT refer to a coastal landform? | seashore |
| has occurred in North America, Europe and Africa and exists where a large part of a continent is covered by glacial ice sheets | Continental glaciation |
| At present, what percentage of Earth's land surface is covered by glaciers? | 10% |
| ice cap, ice sheet and valley glacier | type of glaciers |
| The boundary between the zone of ablation and the zone of accumulation is called: | the equilibrium line. |
| The ice caps on Mars are composed mostly of: | carbon dioxide (dry ice). |
| Recently, geologist have been drilling ice sheets for clues about: | past climates on Earth. |
| Glacially eroded valleys are typically: | U-shaped |
| recessional moraine, lateral moraine, and ground moraine | types of moraine |
| The last episode of widespread continental glaciation in North America was at its peak: | about 18,000 years ago |
| gravity, basal slip and because ice behaves as a plastic solid | Why Alpine glaciers flow downhill |
| continental glaciers, volcanic ash, and wind-blown silt did not cover | Nevada, Utah, and eastern California during the last Ice Age. |
| Crevasses form in the surface of glaciers because: | the near-surface ice behaves as a brittle solid. |
| water precipitated from the atmosphere as snow, snow that recrystallizes to form ice and water evaporated from the ocean | What ice that forms continental glaciers originates as |
| capable of significant erosion, significant modification of landscapes and significant deposition. | glaciers |
| cause significant changes in global sea level, deform continents due to their mass and may have very large lakes at their terminus. | Continental glaciers |
| Today, glaciers worldwide are: | melting |
| If all ice sheets were to melt, sea level would rise by over: | 60 meters |
| Continental glaciers: | Can be kilometers thick |
| The Theory of Glacial Ages was first articulated in: | The 19th Century |
| defining characteristic of a desert | rainfall less than 25 cm per year. |
| flash floods, slow chemical weathering and internal drainage | feature of desert regions |
| The primary difference between a mesa and a butte is one of: | size |
| The dry region downwind of a mountain range is known as: | a rain shadow zone |
| A very flat surface underlain by a dry lake bed of hard, mud-cracked clay is called a: | playa |
| Rocks with flat, wind-abraded surfaces are called: | ventifacts |
| The erosion of sand, silt, and clay from the land surface by wind is called: | deflation |
| type of sand dune | Transverse, Barchan and Parabolic |
| A broad ramp of sediment formed of coalesced alluvial fans isa: | bajada |
| A surface layer of closely packed pebbles found in desert areas is: | desert pavement |
| salt tolerant, adapted to low moisture levels in the air and often have small leaves with waxy coatings. | Plants living in desert regions |
| Deserts centered on 30 degrees north and south latitude owe their origins to: | the global air circulation pattern |
| Flash floods in desert regions are primarily caused by: | high run-off associated with short but intense rainfall. |
| Flash floods in desert areas: | are more common than in humid areas. |
| Arroyos are: | narrow, steep-sided stream valleys in desert regions. |
| A sand dune that is convex in the downwind direction is: | a parabolic dune |
| Sand dunes have been observed on: | Mars |
| Deposits of windblown silt and clay are called: | loess |
| Most dunes move | 10-15 meters per year |
| In the United States, Death Valley is a desert because: | it is in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. |
| Mt. St. Helens: | overlies a subduction zone. |
| Volcanic eruptions cannot affect climate because: | they are tall mountain peaks, they recycle water vapor to make clouds and they heat the atmosphere. |
| Magma extruded at low temperatures tends to be: | very viscous |
| Magma with a low silica content tends to be: | very fluid |
| Magma with a large amount of dissolved gases tends to be: | very explosive |
| Magma is | the reason volcanoes form, the source of all igneous rocks and melted rock. |
| affects the viscosity of magma | amount of gases, silica content and temperature |
| not a common gas in magma | methane |
| The asthenosphere is: | the source of most magma |
| Submarine eruptions of volcanoes: | form pillow basals |
| Largest Eruption | Yellowstone, Wyoming (640,000 years ago). |
| typical example of a shield volcano that is also the largest on Earth | Hawaii |
| type of volcano is not commonly composed of andesite and most common type of volcano in the "Ring of Fire" | composite volcano |
| An igneous rock made of pyroclasts has a texture called | fragmental |
| Crater Lake in Oregon is an example of | a caldera |
| Mafic igneous rocks contain: | about 50% silica |
| Obsidian is an igneous rock that | solidified very rapidly to form glass |
| planet is not known to have volcanoes | Saturn |
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