EAPS Final
Volatiles that are dissolved in magma tend to separate from the magma and form bubbles during which process?
A decrease in magma pressure
Landslides occur when loose unconsolidated material moves downhill. Which of the following factors will increase the possibility of a landslide?
A steep slope with no plant growth
Seismometers measure ground shaking related to earthquakes. They can be quite far from the earthquake epicenter. In the above seismogram, which wave train represents the first p-wave arrival? Hint: think about which type of earthquake wave travels the fastest.
A(the first block in the picture cuz p waves travel the fastest and shows up first)
Magmas are formed in subduction zones through which process?
Adding water to the mantle and lowering its melting point
In the above figure; when did the magmatic dike labeled 3 intrude the sequence?
After deposition of layer 2, but before deposition of layer 4 (look at figure, but after the top slanted layer, but before all the horizontally stacked layers
The Cambrian explosion represents an abrupt appearance of abundant animal fossils in the geologic record. Why is it rare to find fossils prior to this period?
Animals were very small or soft-bodied
Ionic bonding occurs when...
Atoms lose or gain valence electrons to make positively or negatively charged ions that can then bond
Wave refraction will lead to a concentration of wave energy and erosion in which area in the above satellite image? (image question)
B, the end of the land in the picture
how to find exoplanets
By far the most successful techniques are studying a star's position to see if it is affected by orbiting planets and determining whether the star's light dims as objects pass between it and Earth
Typical Greenhouse Gases
CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), H2O (water vapor)
You learned that on a very broad scale the Earth is composed of different spheres. Using the above figure, what are the compositional spheres, W, X, Y, Z (low to top)
Core, Mantle, Crust, Hydrosphere
Winds drive large, circular ocean currents known as gyres around ocean basins. What force causes the winds to move in this predictable way? Hint: Gyres move in a clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and a counter clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere.
Coriolis force
If we assume that the wave pattern in the aerial photo above reflects the long term wave direction in this area, then in which direction will sand move during the process of longshore transport? (picture question)
D (the direction in which the waves look like they are pointing to)
What property of cold gases have you learned over the last two weeks that can be exploited to study the atmospheric composition of distant planets?
Different elements absorb specific wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation
Wave refraction causes waves to bend because _______________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Different parts of the wave differentially slow down as it interacts with the seafloor
drake equation
Dr. Drake wrote an equation to determine the abundance of advanced extraterrestrial life in our galaxy
If you are at a beach and the water begins to rapidly retreat as if you are entering a low tide, you should __________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Evacuate to a higher elevation
Seawater has a high level of salinity (35 parts per thousand). What process leads to increased ocean salinity?
Evaporation
Faults are cracks within Earth's crust that can accommodate differential motion of different bodies of rock. They are classified as three different types of fault (normal, reverse, transform) depending on what type of differential motion that they accommodate. In the above diagram what type of motion is being accommodated?
Extension (the rocks are being pulled apart)
What force causes faults to move incrementally rather than at a constant rate?
Frictional Forces
Which of the following is not a mineral?
Glass from a lava flow
Where did the matter that comprised the solar nebula come from?
H and He from Big Bang, everything else from older stars
Which of the following is a quality that would make an organism difficult to preserve in the fossil record?
Has a small population and only has soft body parts
Relative humidity is a measure of how much water vapor is in a parcel of air relative to the maximum amount of water it can hold before water starts to condense. What process would not lead to an increase in relative humidity in a parcel of air?
Heating the parcel of air
Explosive eruptions are typically associated with magmas that have high silica (SiO2) and ________ content. Which answer best completes the above statement?
High volatile (water H2O, carbon dioxide CO2) content
We assume that sedimentary layers are originally deposited as...
Horizontal, locally continuous beds
Which process concentrates gold?
Hydrothermal circulation related to magmatic differentiation
Rain forms by forming large, heavy ________ in cold clouds and large, heavy ___________ in warm clouds. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Ice crystals; Water droplets
Which of the faults in the above diagrams will not generate a tsunami if it is on the ocean floor?
(a) its a strike slip fault
climate issues long term
-Orbital parameters -Continental positions
climate changes on short time scales
-Planetary albedo (i.e., ice loss or gain) -Greenhouse gas concentrations
A major concern during and after explosive volcanic eruptions is the creation of mudflows filled with volcanic ash and debris. These flows, known as lahars, pose the greatest danger to areas that ___________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
In low-lying areas close to the volcano
The most severe mass extinction, when up to 96% of marine species went extinct, is known as "The Great Dying". When did this event occur?
251 million years ago (Permian-Triassic Boundary)
Greenhouse gases absorb ____________ radiation from the Earth's surface and help heat the Earth's atmosphere from the bottom up.
Infrared
long wavelengths
Infrared radiation, microwave, and radio waves
What quality makes a material ideal for radiometric dating?
It incorporates a large amount of radioactive isotopes during the material's formation without incorporating any initial daughter isotopes
the cross section of Jupiter is composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. These are the same gases that compose the sun. Why isn't Jupiter a star
It isn't big enough for fusion to start in its core.
The sun is a main sequence star and the average lifetime of such a star is ~10 billion years. How long until the sun runs out of fuel and transitions to a giant star?
5 billion years
Look at the above figure of two evolutionary trees relative to time. If you found fossils of B, C, H, I, and J in the same sedimentary layer, when was that layer deposited? (figure question), confused about the answer
87.5-82.5 million years ago
Jovian planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, composed of gas and ice with only small amounts of rock and iron.
What is not suspected as a cause for mass extinctions?
Large tsunamis related to asteroid impacts
Groundwater is the ____________ of accessible fresh water on Earth. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Largest reservoir
Basalt has a low viscosity compared to other magmas. This property means that basalt flows quite easily. Its eruptions tend to form ______________, which travel downhill as a liquid. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Lava flows
If you crystallize olivine (Mg, Fe)SiO4 from a magma, the remaining liquid will begin to be depleted in which elements?
Magnesium (Mg), Iron (Fe)
New oceanic crust is made at...
Mid-ocean ridges
Which of the following is not an effective way to monitor for volcanic eruptions?
Monitor the water level in rivers near the volcano
In order for organic matter to be preserved as oil or coal in the geologic record it must...
Not be consumed by living organisms before being buried
Rising hot air will cool off leading to increased relative humidity and eventual saturation in water vapor. When this process occurs, clouds can begin to form as water vapor condenses. What condition is needed to condense water vapor at 100% relative humidity?
Particulate matter must be present
Oil predominantly represents organic matter from what type of organism?
Plankton
Areas 1, 2, and 3 respectively correspond to areas of sediment ___, ___, and ___. (figure question)
Production, Transport, and Deposition (top left to bottom right on picture)
What are the three major classes of rock?
Sedimentary, Metamorphic, Igneous
snowball earth
Several times in Earth's history it has been completely covered by ice due to the run away ice albedo feedback
_____________ provide(s) the energy to differentially heat the atmosphere, drive air circulation, and create weather. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Solar radiation
Solar energy
Solar radiation transfers energy from the sun to the Earth's surface
what is Interstellar Dust
Solids found in the space between stars or in nebulae, We believe that they are largely made from carbon, oxygen, and silicon, and have been ejected from supernova
Wave refraction along a coastline will tend to _____________ through differential erosion. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Straighten the coastline
What type of volcano is associated with explosive volcanic eruptions?
Stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano
What tectonic setting does the above figure show? (picture of sand taking a diagonal slope and lava falling through the sea floor after a volcano most likely)
Subduction zone (region of the earths crust where tectonic plates meet)
Extremely large earthquakes that can form tsunamis tend to happen in what tectonic setting?
Subduction zones
Earthquakes produce three types of waves: p-waves (pressure waves), s-waves (shear waves), and surface waves. Which of these waves causes the most ground motion and consequently the most damage during earthquakes?
Surface waves
Coal predominantly forms in...
Swamps
We have seasons because _________________________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
The Earth's axis is tilted relative to the orbital plane
Why can Earth based telescopes only record some radiation?
The atmosphere filters out some wavelengths
Large-scale atmospheric convection occurs because ________________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
The atmosphere is differentially heated at different latitudes
Waves break in the surf zone because ____________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
The bottom of the wave slows down more than the top of the wave as it approaches shore.
Using the above figure that plots the number of atoms of parent and daughter isotopes that were observed during radioactive decay; what statement can we make about this process?
The rate of decay is proportional to the number of parent atoms
What piece of information is not good evidence for seafloor spreading?
The sea level has changed periodically through Earth's past
Radioactive decay results in...
The spontaneous change in atomic number (number of protons) in an unstable isotope
Which variables are poorly constrained?
The terms get progressively less constrained
As ocean waves approach the shoreline they slow down, their wavelength decreases, and _______________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Their amplitude increases
The part of the atmosphere where weather occurs is known as the _____________. Which answer best completes the above statement?
Troposphere
Which type of ground is going to have the most severe ground shaking during an earthquake?
Unconsolidated sediment (a future sedimentary rock)
Lithification occurs when...
Unconsolidated sediment is transformed into rock by reducing pore space either through compaction or through cementation
What process forms magma at a mid-ocean ridge?
Upwelling of the mantle and decompression melting where two plates are spreading apart
A rock with low porosity and low permeability will have which quality?
Very little water will be stored in it and very little water will flow into it
darker materials
absorb
greenhouse effect
absorption of gas in the atmosphere (keeps greenhouses warm by Transmission of short wavelength radiation and absorption of long wavelength radiation by gases
Study the above figure of sedimentary rocks; what do we call this feature? (rocks on a slant and weird looking layers)
angular conformity
Why is the surface temperature constant on Venus?
atmospheric convection
the oldest rock unit is (figure question)
bottom
outer planets
composed of gas and ice
inner planets
composed of metal and silicates
There obviously aren't lakes or oceans on the surface of Mars today. How can we figure out when large amounts of water were present?
counting craters (the surface of Mars dried up by 1 billion years ago)
climate change
dramatic increases in CO2 concentrations over the next few centuries which would lead to an increase in temperature as high as 9 degrees
ocean currents
driven by the wind, means of moving thermal energy around the surface of the Earth, water has high heat capacity
Using the above figure of a fault and using the skills that you have developed in this class, determine which way the rocks underneath 1 moved relative to those underneath 2 (whichever way the arrows are pointing towards opposite of rock 2)
east
Positive feedback loops
enhance or amplify changes; this tends to move a system away from its equilibrium state and make it more unstable + +
supernovae
form when the fuel for fusion runs out and the core of a supergiant star gravitationally collapses. As the core collapses it dramatically heats and forms a very bright object. The implosion also occurs rapidly and the associated shock wave can eject the outer parts of the star into space
how main sequence stars are made
four hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium and release an enormous amount of energy in a process known as fusion
volcanic emissions CO2
from burial of organic matter, weathering of rocks, and making carbonate minerals (long time scale)
short wavelength radiation
gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet rays
has supernovae been visible?
have been no supernova that have been visible to the naked eye since the invention of telescopes
atmospheric heating
heated from the bottom up, bc solar energy is absorbed by the earths surface and is reradiated skyward
CO2 concentrations found where
highest in the northern hemisphere winter and lowest in the northern hemisphere summer
end of life for main sequence stars
hydrogen fuel runs out, and either it is low mass then it will burn out and become a small, dense collection of matter that goes on to completely cool (white dwarf). Otherwise it will form a giant star
what is earths rotational axis tilted relative to
its orbital plane around the sun leading to an uneven distribution of solar radiation throughout the year which make seasons
planetary albedo
measure of how much solar radiation a surface absorbs vs. reflects
What is the core composed of?
mostly iron and and nickel with some lighter elements
You are far out at sea when you receive warning that a tsunami has been generated. Are you in immediate danger?
no
The timescales over which aquifers recharge tend to make groundwater a ___________ resource over the timescale of a human life and a _______________ resource over longer periods of time. Which answer best completes the above statement?
nonrenewable; renewable
elements produced by the big bang
produced Hydrogen, Helium, and a small amount of Lithium
Minerals do not have...
randomly arranged atoms
lighter materials
reflect
How do we know that part of the core is liquid?
seismic shear waves (S-Waves) are not transmitted through the core
doppler effect
shorter or longer wavelengths depending on whether the source of emission is moving toward or away from the observer
The two most common elements in earths crust are...
silicon and oxygen
as the planet warms up, carbon..
stored in the deep ocean during cold periods can also be rapidly released back into the atmosphere
Explosive volcanism occurs most commonly in which tectonic setting
subduction zones
consistent red shifts in radiation
suggests that the entire universe is expanding. This observation has led to the hypothesis that the universe was created from very dense, high temperature state. This hypothesis is known as the 'Big Bang'
Negative feedbacks
tend to dampen or buffer changes; this tends to hold a system to some equilibrium state making it more stable. + -
Conservation of angular momentum
that as the nebular materials contract, rotation occurs faster and faster.
where are the smallest sedimentary particles deposited?
the bottom of the river delta (figure question)
the Coriolis effect
the fact that convection cells cannot reach the poles before being turned completely to the east or west, which makes three convection cells on each side of the equator
ice melting from greenhouse gases can lead to
to sea level change on the scale of meters
Electromagnetic radiation
transfer energy through space, defined by their wavelength
Carbonate Rocks...
will almost always fizz if you put dilute acid (i.e., vinegar) on them
atmospheric convection
would happen if the earth didn't rotate, would lead to two large convection cells being made
Electromagnetic radiation travels through space at
~300,000 km/s
