Lab Final Review

Biochemical Sedimentary Rocks

Hard shells of once-living organisms that extract chemicals from their environment to build their bodies.

What does spacing between contour lines represent?

Slope

Drops of water evaporate, leave behind calcite residue. On the roof.

Stalactites.

Drops of water evaporate, leave behind calcite residue. On the floor.

Stalagmites (one's got an M in it).

If the water table in an area drops below the level of stream channels

Stream levels will drop as water leaks from the streams into the ground.

Dendritic, trellis, and rectangular drainage patterns are the result of the

Structure and erodibility of the rocks underlying the region.

Evidence for plate tectonics

The Fit of the Continents•Reconstructing Paleoclimate Belts•Geographic Distribution of Earthquakes and Active Volcanoes

streak

The color of the mineral when crushed along the streak plate; color of the powder. When color and streak are different, can be diagnostic

A drainage basin is

The entire area that feeds water into a stream.

In transverse sand dunes

The gentle side faces the direction from which the wind is blowing.

The gradient of a stream describes

The steepness of its path through the landscape.

How do glaciers form?

Through the accumulation and compaction of snow

What is a Lateral Moraine?

Till deposited along the walls of a valley when a valley glacier retreats

Plate boundary where two plates rub past each other in opposite directions

Transform

t/f:Contour lines can never cross or touch.

True

Glaciers carve into landscapes like rivers but while rivers produce V-shaped valleys, glaciers produce __________ valleys

U-shaped

Tides

Water rising and falling along the shore twice a day, caused by gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon. Range typically a few feet, but coastal geometry can cause higher range.

Karst Valleys

When several sinkholes develop along an elongate fracture.

Volume

amount of space an object occupies

hot spot

area of unusual volcanic activity not associated with processes at plate boundaries

fracture

break, but that didn't occur along a zone of particular weakness.

Rock

coherent, naturally occurring, inorganic solid consisting of an aggregate of mineral grains, pieces of older rocks, or a mass of natural glass

mantle plume

column of very hot rock that rises by slow plastic flow from the deep mantle; hot spots believed to form above these

What drives or causes plate tectonics?

convection in the mantle

clastic texture

grains cemented together•Individual grains called "clasts"•Sedimentary

Density

more mass packed into a given volume of matter, the greater the density.

The minimum number of seismic stations needed to locate an earthquake is

three

During transmission of a P-wave, particles in a rock_________ as the energy passes through the rock

vibrate parallel to the direction in which the wave is traveling

asthenosphere

zone in upper mantle; solid but flows like soft plastic. Lithosphere lies on top of asthenosphere

A travel-time curve shows graphically

A travel-time curve shows graphically

What is foliation?

Alignment of mineral grains in a metamorphic rock

Which is not a intrusive igneous texture?

Aphanitic

Submergent Shoreline

Appears to be drowned if land sinks or sea level rises.

Floodplains are associated with

Broad valleys with broadly meandering streams .

Plate boundary where two plates move apart from each other

Divergent

What is the composition of a Granite?

Felsic

Continental Ice Sheets

Flow across countryside, as masses of ice thousands of feet thick, dwarfing hills and burying all but the tallest peaks.

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

Formed from mineral crystals precipitated directly from a water solution.

Thermal Expansion

Heat expands upper 700m of ocean water.

Law of Inclusions

If a rock body contains fragments of another rock body, it must be younger than the fragments of rock it contains. The intruding rock must have existed first to provide the fragments.

Law of Lateral Continuity

Layers of sediment extend in all directions horizontally unless a river erodes them or an earthquake moves them

Sediments

Loose grains and chemical residues of Earth materials, including rock fragments, mineral grains parts of plants or animals, and rust.

What is the composition of gabbro?

Mafic

Aquifer

Materials that readily transmit water.

Chemical weathering in arid regions is

Much less effective because there is little water available.

Is color a distinguishing property for non-metallic minerals?

No

What texture is being described? Coarse grained crystals within a finer grained matrix

Porphyritic

Zone of Aeration

Where some pores are partly filled with air.

Waves are caused by

Wind.

The Sierra Nevadas now reach an elevation of 14,500 ft and began uplifting about 4,000,000 years ago. Assuming constant rate of uplift, how fast did the Sierra Nevadas rise in ft/yr?

add

The rate of offset on a fault is about 30 mm/yr. What is this rate in oreos/trains? (1 oreo = 0.5 m; 1 train = 20 years)

add

Criteria for a mineral, naturally occuring

forms by natural Earth processes

color

generally diagnostic for metallic minerals but not for others

In a syncline, where are the oldest rock units

on the limbs

Criteria for a mineral, homogenous

piece of the mineral contains same pure material throughout

Criteria for a mineral, formed by geological processes

traditionally did not involve living organisms

During transmission of an S-wave, particles in a rock_________ as the energy passes through the rock

vibrate perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling

Mineral

inorganic, naturally occurring substances that have a characteristic composition, distinctive physical properties, and crystalline structure.

Criteria for a mineral, solid

retain their shape indefinitely under normal conditions

Physical weathering in arid regions is

slower than in humid regions because some processes are less effective

The epicenter of an earthquake is

the point at Earth's surface closest to where then rock broke

The focus of an earthquake is

the point below Earth's surface where energy was released

crystal form

•Minerals at museums are commonly the best specimens available; these show the property crystal form really well.•Perfect crystal forms can only develop if a mineral is unrestricted as it grows--this is rare!

Wind erodes solid rock by

Abrasion.

What is a disconformity?

An unconformity when there is missing time in between sedimentary units

What is an angular unconformity?

An unconformity when there is tilted rock in contact with horizontal rocks

What is a nonconformity?

An unconformity where there is intrusive rocks in contact with sedimentary rocks

To conserve the groundwater supply, fields and gardens should be irrigated

At night to cut down on evaporation.

Why is basalt denser than granite?

Basalt contains denser minerals

A ridge that separates two glaciers is called __________

Cirque

Trace

Line representing intersection of a planar feature with the plane of a map or cross-section.

Match the ground motion at the epicenter of an earthquake with the correct seismic wave Side-to-side

S-wave

What is the end of a glacier called?

Terminus

Shoreline features are

Among the most rapidly changing landscapes.

Geological Contact

Boundary between two geologic units.

Physical Weathering

Breaks clasts but does not change the minerals.

Properties required for a material to be an aquifer include

High porosity and high permeability.

A mountain that is surrounded on all sides by glaciers is called ___________

Horn

How would you describe the texture of phaneritic?

How would you describe the texture of phaneritic?

In a anticline, where are the oldest rock units?

In the center

Caves and Caverns

Remain underground, unsuspected at the surface.

Geological Maps

Represents the Earth's surface as it would appear looking straight down from above, showing the boundaries between rock units and where structures intersect at the Earth's surface.

Cross Sections

Represents the configuration of structures as seen in a vertical slice through the Earth.

What is an igneous rock?

Rock that forms through cooling and solidification

Esker is characteristic of what type of glacier?

Continental

Plate Boundary where two plates collide with each other.

Convergent

Strike

Direction of the line formed by intersection of plane of the rock bed with horizontal plane.

The water table is lowered

During periods of drought.

lithosphere

Earth's crust and uppermost part of the mantle (relatively rigid)

T/F: The hydrosphere is denser than the lithosphere.

False

The base level of a stream controls

How deeply it can erode its channel.

Longshore Drift

How materials are moved along shoreline.

Match the ground motion at the epicenter of an earthquake with the correct seismic wave Circular

Rayleigh wave

Contour Interval

The difference in elevation between two contour lines that are side by side.

glassy texture

no grains (obsidian)

Drumlin is characteristic of what type of glacier?

Continental

Mountain, Valley, or Alpine Glaciers

Flow in valleys like streams. Smaller - carve valleys on the slopes of high mountains creating sharp and jagged topography.

Index Fossil

Fossil distributed worldwide but for short span of geologic time.

Streams are able to carry clasts ranging from mud to medium-sized boulders depending on their

Kinetic Energy.

Problems with Groundwater Resources

Quantity and Quality.

Spacing between contour lines

Represents slope or steepness.

Volcanism at Hawaii is a result of a:

hot spot

Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

Formed from clasts derived from previously existing rocks.

Chemical Weathering

Involves chemical reactions with air, water, and acidic solutions.

Equation of Sinousity

Length of stream channel divided by straight-line distance between the same points.

Which is not an extrusive igneous texture?

Phaneritic

T/F: A fault that cuts across rock units must be younger than the actual rocks

True

Cirque is characteristic of what type of glacier?

Valley

Mass

describes amount of matter in an object

What is an intrusive igneous rock?

An igneous rock that cooled and solidified at depth below the surface

Hanging Valley is characteristic of what type of glacier?

Valley

Sinkholes

When underground cavities grow so large there is not enough rock to support the ground above them.

Convert 8.34 km/20 yrs into mm/yr

add

subduction

downward movement of the edge of an subducting plate of the earth's crust into the mantle beneath another overriding plate

The intensity of an earthquake is a measure of

how much damage the earthquake caused

During transmission of a Rayleigh wave, particles in a rock _________ as the energy passes through the rock.

move in a circular path

Matter

stuff of which the universe is made

Liquefaction occurs during earthquakes when

vibration causes water to coat sediment grains, greatly lessening friction

Relative age refers to:

whether a feature is older or younger than another

After four half-lives have elapsed for an element, the percentage of parent to element atoms present will be:

6.25

What is an index fossil?

A fossil that lived for a very short time span and lived throughout the world

What is the strike of a rock unit?

A horizontal line along the plane of a rock unit

What is a glacier?

A large piece of ice that is slowly moving

What is a glacial erratic?

A large rock that is not native to the area and could only be transported by glaciers

What is a contour line?

A line that represents a specific elevation on a topographic map

What is topographic map?

A map that incorporates elevation

What is a metamorphic rock?

A rock that was formed through putting a pre-existing rock under temperature and pressure changes

What is an extrusive igneous rock?

An igneous rock that cooled quickly at the Earth's Surface

Which rock is not intrusive?

Andestite

Dip

Angle between plane of the rock bed and the horizontal plane.

Organic Sedimentary Rocks

Contain significant quantities of the organic material from the soft, carbon-rich parts of those organisms.

t/f: An intrusive rock that cuts across rock units must be older than the units it cuts across

False

sedimentary rocks

Form at or near surface of the Earth•Accumulation and cementation of preexisting grains; grains form when other rocks are weathered•Precipitation out of water, either directly or through the life function of an organism

If a contaminant enters the groundwater in an area

It may become a problem for those using groundwater for their homes.

What is the last mineral to crystallize in Bowen's reaction series?

Quartz

Block Diagrams

Three dimensional representation of a region of the crust that depicts the configuration of structures on the ground (map surface) as well as on one or two vertical slices into the ground (cross-section surfaces).

Lateral Moraine is characteristic of what type of glacier?

Valley

Tarn is characteristic of what type of glacier?

Valley

Zone of Saturation

Where all pore spaces are filled with water.

Criteria for a mineral, ordered internal arrangements of crystals

atoms occupy positions in a grid called a crystalline structure

Most earthquakes are

concentrated at plate boundaries

crystalline texture

crystallizing minerals interfere with each other creating interlocking grains•Igneous, metamorphic, some sedimentary

Criteria for a mineral, definable chemical composition

elements present in a mineral and the proportions of their atoms can be expressed by a simple formula

The magnitude of an earthquake is a measure of

how much energy was released during the fault that produced the earthquake

plates

lithosphere not a single shell, but several large pieces; 12 major plates

Luster

metallic or non metalllic

What is the process that continuously adds new crust?

sea floor spreading

The ground shakes during an earthquake because of

seismic waves

The farther an earthquake epicenter is from a seismic station

the greater the delay time between arrival of P-and S-waves

Law of cross-cutting relationships

•A vein of rock or a fault that cuts across a rock's layers is younger (more recent) than the layers.•The middle and top layers formed after the bottom layer but before the vein.

Emergent Shoreline

Appears to have risen from the sea by tectonic uplift or drop in sea level.

Limestones are easily eroded in humid regions. In arid regions, limestones

Are more resistant and can be cliff formers because of the scarcity of water.

Groundwater is unique among all the erosional agents because it

Carves landscapes from below the surface.

igneous rocks

Form through cooling and solidification of molten rock (magma)

metamorphic rocks

Form when preexisting rocks are subjected to increased temperature and pressure•Often the result of deep burial or shear zone•Causes solid state (no melting) change of texture and/or mineral content

The sinuosity of a stream is a measure of

How much it meanders.

Contour Lines

Imaginary lines that join points of equal elevation above or below sea level. Never touch or cross.

The basic principle in hydrofracturing (fracking) for petroleum and gas is that it

Increases permeability, making it easier to extract the oil and gas.

hardness

Relative scale (mineral can scratch those lower in the scale but cannot scratch those that are higher); not absolute (numbers are not proportionate)

Properties required for a material to be an aquitard include.

Very low permeability.

Dominant Force in Shoreline Erosion

Waves, controlled by weather factors.

The dominant cause of erosion along lake and ocean shorelines is

Waves.

Karst Towers

What remain when rock around them has dissolved. (sic)

cleavage

how well the mineral breaks along a surface

Which is denser, the oceanic crust or the continental crust?

oceanic

Is there a plate boundary on the East Coast of North America?

No

What is the first mineral to crystallize in Bowen's Reaction Series?

Olivine

Attitude of Bedding

Orientation of the layers, the strike and dip.

Match the ground motion at the epicenter of an earthquake with the correct seismic wave Up-and-down

P-wave

The first seismic wave to reach the surface is usually the

P-wave.

Person 1 is standing at the equator while person 2 is standing at 52 degrees N in latitude. Who is moving faster as Earth rotates?

Person 1

Aquitard

Prevent water from infiltrating; retard (to delay or hold back)water flow.