geology 101 ch.1

where are the active mountain belts most likely to be found

along the margins of continents

which of the following best describes the fundamental concept of superposition

any sedimentary deposit accumulates on top of older rock or sediment layers

which ancient, highly influential Greek philosopher wrote about nature and the workings of earth

aristotle

where in the ocean basin would we find the continental shelf?

between the continent and the continental slope

the ____ refers to the sum total of all life on earth?

biosphere

what popular doctrine in the 17th and 18th centuries proposed that earth was created through a series of profound worldwide disasters?

catastrophism

which word describes a system in which energy moves freely in and out, but no matter enters or leaves?

closed

what two processes occur during lithification of sedimentary rocks

compaction and cementation

which term describes a relatively stable interior portion of a continent

craton

the ____ is the thinnest layer of earth?

crust

what is the currently accepted age of earth?

4.6 billion years

what are the most prominent features on the ocean floor?

mid-ocean ridges

what theory proposes that the boduies of the solar system formed at essentially the same time from a rotating cloud of gases and dust

nebular theory

the ____ is thought to be a liquid, metallic region in earths interior

outer core

what material is thought to form the core of earth

solid iron-nickel alloy

what are the basic differences between the disciplines of physical and historical geology?

-physical geology includes the study of how rocks form and of hpw erosion shapes the land surface -historical geology involves the study of rock strata, fossils, and geologic events, utilizing the geologuc time scale as a reference

sedimentary rocks may weather to form igneous rocks (t/f)

false

the publication of conclusions without prior experimentation or observation(t/f)

false

what type of rocks form by crystallization and consolidation of molten magma

igneos

where in earth is the asthenosphere?

in the mantle under the lithosphere

which list below identifies the layers of the earth in the correct order from the center outward?

inner core, outer core, mantle crust

which 18th century English geologist proposed uniformitarianism?

james hutton

which layer forms the relatively cool, brittle plates of earths crust?

the top of the lithosphere

a ______ is a well tested and widely accepted view that best explains certain scientific observations

theory

compared to the age of earth accepted as correct today, how did 17th and 18th century proponents of catastrophism envision earths age?

they believed earth to be much younger than current estimates

what geological theory is often paraphrased as "the present is the key to the past"

uniformitarianism

_____ is the process by which rocks breakdown in place to produce soils

weathering