Oceanography hw and quiz
From smallest to largest sort sediment particle size
Clay, silt, sand, gravel
CO2+ H2O=?
H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
Ion in sea water that serves as a buffer is:
HCO3
Tectonic plates are pieces of _____ that float on the more fluid ________ below
Lithosphere; asthenosphere
True or False: relatively young age of the seafloor supports the idea that subduction must take place
True
Underwater avalanches of muddy water mixed with rocks and debris are called:
Turbidity currents
pH of surface waters of ocean are slightly __________
alkaline
what characterizes ocean-continental convergent plate boundaries
andesitic volcanoes
Hot water above 350C hydrothermal vents form:
black smokers
Passive continental margins are characterized by all of the following:
broad continental shelf, shallow coastal water, thick sediment accumulation, little volcano and earthquake activity
What would happen if the depth of the CCD were above the top of the MOR
calcareous ooze would not be found below the CCD
Depth at which calcite dissolves rapidly in the ocean is called:
calcite compensation depth or CCD
Latent heat is the quantity of heat gained or lost as a substance undergoes a:
change in state
What are microscopic, single-celled floating algae that accumulate to form biogenous sediment
coccolithoophores, diatoms
Calcite-secreting organisms such as _________ and __________ live in the ocean's sunlit surface waters and form the basis of most marine food webs
coccolithophores; foraminifers
San Andreas Fault:
continental transform fault
Continents fit the best when they are fit along
contours around 2,000m deep
Tektites:
cosmogenous sediment
Hypsographic curve:
cumulative plot of area versus depth or elevation
What are turbidity currents?
dense mixtures of sand, mud, and other debris that move at high speeds down submarine canyons
What three steps are required for calcareous ooze to exist below the CCD
deposition of calcite shells above the CCD, cover of these shells by a non-calcareous material and movement of the sea floor over millions of years
CCD:
depth at which all calcium carbonate is in a solution
MOR is an example of what kind of boundary:
divergent plate boundary
Calcareous ooze?
fine-grained, deep ocean sediment containing the skeletal remains of calcite-secreting microbes
What contains calcium carbonate
foraminiferans
What type of deposits do turbidity currents leave in alluvial fans
graded bedding that begins as coarse material and becomes finer upward
pH scale measure of __________ ion concentration of solution
hydrogen
Manganese nodules are an example of:
hydrogenous sediments
How often do turbidity currents occur?
infrequently
What is the CCD
ocean depth below which calcite is unstable and will dissolve quickly
Why don't oil and water mix
oil molecules are nonpolar when water is polar
Layer in the ocean where a rapid change in ocean density occurs with a change in depth is called:
pycnocline
Which of the following organisms are responsible for the creation of siliceous ooze
radiolarians and diatoms
What would you look for as evidence that a rock layer formed from materials deposited by ancient turbidity currents
repeated sequences of graded bedding that begin finer upward
All of the processes decrease seawater salinity:
sea ice melting, river runoff, iceberg melting, precipitation
Volcanic peaks with conical tops that rise up from the deep-ocean floor yet stay below the ocean surface are called
seamounts
True or False: coastal sand dunes are usually well sorted due to winds
true
True or false: latent heat of vaporization of water is larger than the latent heat of melting
true
How do turbidity currents affect canyons
turbidity currents erode material from canyons as currents move downslope
what characterizes oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundaries
volcanic island arcs
Correct order of seafloor features from coast to MOR:
shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain
Correct order of seafloor features from coast to MOR
shelf, slope, rise, plain
The method is used most frequently to investigate sediment and rock layers of the sea floor:
sound waves (seismic reflecting profiling)