Geology 102 Chapter 16 and 17
Quaternary Period 323
(2.6 million years ago to the present) consists of the Pleistocene and Holocene (or Recent) epochs.
Neogene Period 323
(23-2.6 million years ago) includes the Miocene and Pliocene epochs;
Paleogene Period 323
(66-23 million years ago) consists of the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs
Indian plate with Eurasia
1.The collision of the Indian plate with Eurasia was responsible for the Himalayan orogeny;
Basin and Range.
2.A large area in the western United States characterized by numerous north-south-trending mountains bounded on one or both sides by normal faults is the Province.
Snake River Plain
3.The rocks in the Snake River Plain are mostly igneous;
Cenozoic Era periods
4.The Cenozoic Era is made up of three periods, which from oldest to youngest are Paleogene-Neogene-Quaternary;
salt domes
5.Which of the following is found on the Gulf Coastal Plain? Salt domes;
Himalayan orogeny
A Cenozoic episode of mountain building that began 50 to 40 million years ago (Eocene) when the Indian plate collided with Asia.
Tejas epeiric sea
A Cenozoic sea largely restricted to the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains, coastal California, and the Mississippi Valley
Farallon plate
A Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic oceanic plate that was largely subducted beneath North America; the Cocos and Juan de Fuca plates are remnants.
Alpine orogeny 326
A Late Mesozoic-Early Cenozoic episode of mountain building affecting southern Europe and North Africa.
North American Cordillera
A complex mountainous region in western North America extending from Alaska into central Mexico.
Rio Grande Rift
A linear depression made up of several interconnected basins extending from Colorado into Mexico.
Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt 325
A linear zone of deformation extending from the Atlantic eastward across southern Europe and North Africa, through the Middle East and into Southeast Asia. (See circum-Pacific orogenic belt.)
San Andreas transform fault
A major transform fault extending from the Gulf of Mexico through part of California to its termination in the Pacific Ocean off the northern coast of California. (See transform fault.)
Cascade Range
A mountain range made up of volcanic rock stretching from northern California through Oregon and Washington and into British Columbia, Canada.
Pacific-Farallon Ridge
A spreading ridge that was located off the coast of western North America during part of the Cenozoic Era.
San Andreas and Queen Charlotte transform faults
A subduction zone was present along the western margin of the North American plate until the plate collided with a spreading ridge, producing the San Andreas and Queen Charlotte transform faults.
Colorado Plateau
A vast upland area in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico with only slightly deformed Phanerozoic rocks, deep canyons, and volcanic mountains.
Zuni epeiric sea
A widespread sea that was present in North America mostly during the Cretaceous, but persisted into the Paleogene
continental interior
An area in North America made up of the Great Plains and the Central Lowlands, bounded by the Rocky Mountains, the Canadian Shield, the Appalachian Mountains, and parts of the Gulf Coastal Plain.
Basin and Range Province
An area of Cenozoic block-faulting centered on Nevada but extending into adjacent states and northern Mexico.
epeiric sea
An epeiric sea briefly occupied North America's continental interior during the Paleogene
Cenozoic Era
Cenozoic Era is made up of three geologic periods of unequal duration, each of which is further divided into epochs
Cenozoic Era,
Cenozoic Era, representing the most recent 66 million years of geologic time. The Cenozoic is only 1.4% of all geologic time, or 20 minutes on our hypothetical 24-hour clock
Cenozoic orogenies
Cenozoic orogenies were concentrated in two belts, one that nearly encircles the Pacific Ocean basin and another that trends east-west through the Mediterranean basin into southeast Asia
Deep-sea stratigraphic sequences
Deep-sea stratigraphic sequences record climatic fluctuations over the Pleistocene and Holocene that tend to provide more data than terrestrial stratigraphic sequences.
India collided w Asia
During the Cenozoic, India travelled ________ and collided with Asia to form the ________ mountains. northward; Himalayan
western margin of the North American Cordillera
During the first half of the Cenozoic, a ________ was present along the entire western margin of the North American Cordillera. subduction zone
North American Cordillera
Following the Laramide orogeny, the North American Cordillera continued to evolve as it experienced volcanism, uplift of broad plateaus, large-scale block faulting, and deep erosion
glacier
For a block of ice to be a glacier, it must be moving.
circum-Pacific orogenic belt
Geologic activity within the circum-Pacific orogenic belt is largely due to subduction
Cenozoic Era into three periods:
Geologists divide the 66-million-year-long Cenozoic Era into three periods: the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary, each of which consists of several epochs.
geologists
Geologists know more about Cenozoic Earth and life history because (1) Cenozoic-age rocks are the most accessible, being at or near the surface; (2) most have been little altered; and (3) many contain fossils. Vast exposures of Cenozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks present in western North America record the presence of a shallow sea in the continental interior, deposition in continental environments, the emplacement of plutons, and lava flows and volcanism on a huge scale in the Pacific Northwest
continental glaciers and ice caps
How are continental glaciers and ice caps different?Ice caps are smaller.
Alapine vs Himalayan Orogeny
How are mountain building episodes in Europe (Alpine Orogeny) and India (Himalayan Orogeny) different?Subduction occurred in the Alpine Orogeny.
Quaternary Period
Imagine you find four rocks (A, B, C, D). A is 2.9 billion years old, B is 650 million years old, C is 220 million years old, and D is 2.3 million years old. Which was formed during the Quaternary Period? D
Interglacial periods
Interglacial periods are warm intervals between cold glacial periods.
North America
North America has moved in a westerly direction throughout the Cenozoic in response to rifting in the Atlantic Ocean basin.
circum-Pacific orogenic belt
One of two major Mesozoic-Cenozoic areas of large-scale deformation and the origin of mountains; includes orogens in South and Central America, the North American Cordillera, and the Aleutian, Japanese, and Philippine arcs. (See Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt.)
continental and valley glaciers
One similarity between continental and valley glaciers is that both deposit moraines.
Paleogene and Neogene rocks
Paleogene and Neogene rocks contain mineral resources such as oil, oil shale, coal, phosphorus, and gold.
Pollen analyses and oxygen isotope ratios
Pollen analyses and oxygen isotope ratios have been especially useful in reconstructing climate over the time period covering the last glaciation
Proglacial lakes
Proglacial lakes occur along the boundary of a glacier, whereas pluvial lakes form far from glaciated areas
Quaternary Period
Quaternary Period (2.6 million years ago to the present) consists of the Pleistocene and Holocene (or Recent) epochs.
Quaternary Period,
Quaternary Period, which includes the Pleistocene and Holocene (Recent) epochs, was unusual because the Pleistocene was one of the few times in Earth history when widespread glaciers were present;
Appalachian Mountains
Renewed uplift and erosion account for the present-day Appalachian Mountains
Appalachians
Sediment deposits of the Atlantic coastal plain were derived primarily from the Appalachians and become progressively thicker as you move towards the ocean.
Sedimentation in the Great Plains
Sedimentation in the Great Plains primarily occurred in which type of environment? fluvial
Little Ice Age
The 300-year long Little Ice Age prompted famines and navigational difficulties for humans.
Appalachians
The Appalachians had eroded to a flat plain by the end of the Mesozoic, and Cenozoic uplift and erosion is responsible for their present day topography.
Cenozoic 323
The Cenozoic is divided into 3 periods: the Paleogene, the Neogene, and the Quaternary. These are each divided into epochs. The Cenozoic is well-known geologically because these relatively young rocks are widespread over the Earth and most have not been substantially altered since their deposition. Cenozoic rocks also contain abundant fossils.
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau formed underwater, but was uplifted 1,200-1,800 meters during the Neogene due to Laramide deformation.
Great Plains
The Great Plains consist of huge quantities of sediments that were eroded from the Rocky Mountains and transported eastward.
International Commission on Stratigraphy 323
The International Commission on Stratigraphy recommends the terms used here for Cenozoic time. See Figure 1.14 for the complete geologic time scale
Juan de Fuca and Cocos plates
The Juan de Fuca and Cocos plates meet the North American Plate at a ________ plate boundary, where subduction ________ occur. convergent; does
Laramide Orogeny
The Laramide Orogeny differed from previous North American Cordillera orogenies in that it occurred farther ________ and igneous activity was less common than normal because ________ .c. inland; the Farallon plate subduction angle became shallower
North American Cordillera
The Late Cretaceous to Eocene Laramide orogeny resulted in deformation of a large area in the west called the North American Cordillera, which extends from Alaska to Mexico.
Paleogene Period
The Paleogene Period (66-23 million years ago) consists of the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs
Pangaea break up
The breakup of Pangaea began during the Triassic Period and continues to the present, giving rise to the present distribution of land and sea.
Gulf Coastal Plain
The broad, low-relief area along the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The broad, low-relief area of eastern North America extending from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic shoreline
New Jersey
The coastal plain and continental margin of New Jersey are covered mostly by Cenozoic ________ rocks. sedimentary
Cascade Range
The majestic composite volcanoes ranging across northern California, Oregon, Washington, and into British Columbia are part of the ________ Range. Cascade
Appalachian Mountains
The present distinctive aspect of the Appalachian Mountains developed as a result of Cenozoic ________uplift and erosion
Cenozoic
The present distribution of land and sea, climatic and ocean circulation patterns, and Earth's topography and biota developed during the Cenozoic
Tejas Sea
The regression of the Tejas Sea controlled the development of sedimentary facies in the Gulf Coastal region.
sediment
Thick deposits of sediment accumulated along the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal plains.
Valley glaciers
Valley glaciers can be present at or near Earth's equator
Milankovitch theory
Variations in Earth's eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession are described by Milankovitch theory to explain the onset of glacial periods.
exposures of sedimentary and igneous Cenozoic rocks i
Vast exposures of sedimentary and igneous Cenozoic rocks in western North America provide information on a shallow sea that once existed in the continental interior, continental environments, emplacement of plutons, and volcanism. A few Eocene plutons still exist in West Virginia
Basin and Range province
What type of faulting is responsible for the formation of the Basin and Range province? normal
margins of the Pacific Ocean
What type of geologic setting would you expect to find around the margins of the Pacific Ocean? a. active continental margin with deep offshore trenches
Gulf coastal plain
Which geological process was least important for the Gulf coastal plain area during the Cenozoic? uplift
clay particles, carbonate minerals, and an organic compound
________ consists of clay particles, carbonate minerals, and an organic compound called ________ from which liquid oil and combustible gasses can be extracted. Oil shale; kerogen
orogeny
orogeny is an episode of mountain building during which deformation takes place over an elongate area.
Neogene Period
the Neogene Period (23-2.6 million years ago) includes the Miocene and Pliocene epochs
Cenozoic orogenic activity
•Cenozoic orogenic activity was concentrated in two major belts: the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt and the circum-Pacific orogenic belt. Each belt is composed of smaller units called orogens
Appalachian Mountains.
•Cenozoic uplift and erosion were responsible for the present topography of the Appalachian Mountains. Much of the sediment eroded from the Appalachians was deposited on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Cordilleran volcanism
•Cordilleran volcanism was more or less continuous in the Cordillera through the Cenozoic. The Columbia River basalts represent one of the world's greatest eruptive events. Volcanism continues in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest.
Basin and Range Province
•Crustal extension in the Basin and Range Province yielded north-south-oriented, normal faults. Differential movement on these faults produced uplifted ranges separated by broad, sediment-filled basins.
Deposition on the Gulf Coastal Plain and Atlantic Coastal Plain
•Deposition on the Gulf Coastal Plain and Atlantic Coastal Plain took place throughout the Cenozoic, resulting in seaward-thickening wedges of rocks grading from terrestrial facies to marine facies
Himalayas.
•India separated from Gondwana, moved north, and eventually collided with Asia, causing deformation and uplift of the Himalayas.
Pacific Ocean basin
•Orogens characterized by subduction of oceanic lithosphere and volcanism took place in the western and northern Pacific Ocean basin. Back-arc spreading produced back-arc basins such as the Sea of Japan.
Paleogene and Neogene mineral resources
•Paleogene and Neogene mineral resources include oil and natural gas, gold, and phosphorus-rich sedimentary rocks.
Great Plains,
•Sediments eroded from Laramide uplifts were deposited in intermontane basins, on the Great Plains, and in a remnant of the Cretaceous epeiric sea in North Dakota.
Laramide orogeny
•Shallow-angle subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America resulted in the vertical uplifts of the Laramide orogeny. The Laramide orogeny is centered in the middle and southern Rockies, but deformation occurred from Alaska to Mexico.
Subduction
•Subduction continues beneath Central and South America, but the North American plate is now bounded mostly by transform faults, except in the Pacific Northwest.
Subduction of oceanic lithosphere
•Subduction of oceanic lithosphere occurred along the western margins of the Americas during much of the Cenozoic.
Alpine orogeny 326
•The Alpine orogeny resulted from convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. Mountain building took place in southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Plate motions also caused the closure of the Mediterranean basin, which became a site of evaporite deposition.
Colorado Plateau
•The Colorado Plateau was deformed less than other areas in the Cordillera. Late Neogene uplift and erosion were responsible for the present topography of the region.
Late Triassic rifting of Pangaea
•The Late Triassic rifting of Pangaea continued through the Cenozoic and accounts for the present distribution of continents and oceans.
North American Cordillera
•The North American Cordillera is a complex mountainous region extending from Alaska into Mexico. Its Cenozoic evolution included deformation during the Laramide orogeny, extensional tectonics that formed the Basin and Range structures, intrusive and extrusive igneous activity, and uplift and erosion
Rio Grande Rift
•The Rio Grande Rift formed as north-south-oriented rifting took place in an area extending from Colorado into Mexico. The basins within this rift filled with sediments and volcanic rocks
Pacific-Farallon Ridge
•The westward drift of North America resulted in its collision with the Pacific-Farallon Ridge. Subduction ceased, and the continental margin became bounded by major transform faults, except where the Juan de Fuca plate continues to collide with North America.
