Geology Exam 2

Unique features of Carlsbad National Park

-Bat population -Permian Reef -Natural entrance

How did Carlsbad form?

-Bottum Up -Sulferic Acid

Unique characteristics of Wind Cave

-Boxwork -Paleofills -Blackhills

What can threaten coral reefs?

-Oceanic Acidification -Acid water dissolves calcite and organisms use calcite to form their skeletons

Glacial features of Cascade

-Snow -Fog -mist

How did Mammoth Cave form?

-Top Down -Carbonic Acid -Groundwater seeping down into crevices

How did wind cave form?

-Top down -Carbonic Acid -Groundwater seeping down to crevices

Famous geologic features of the Virgin Islands

-White Sand Beaches - Many Bays and Cays -Sea-turtles and other reef animals

Unique features of Mammoth National Park

-large caverns -spelothems -pits formed by vertical joints

What is Carlsbad known for?

1. Bat population 2. Natural entrance to the cave

How did Mammoth Cave Form?

1. CO2 in soils dissolve water to make it acidic 2. Acidic water dissolves limestone as it moves through cracks 3. Most caves are formed just below the water table

Geologic history of the Rocky Mountains

1. Formation of granite and metemorphic rocks during the late precambrian period 2. Rockys started to erode and inland seas rose in the region and these seas deposited sedimentary rocks in the region

What can you see on a topographic map?

1. Hills, Mountains, Plains 2. Oceans, Lakes, Ponds, Rivers, Canals 3. Roads, Railroads, Land Boundaries

Sea level rising and falling in the Everglades

1. Increasing water temperatures create conditions for hazardous algal blooms to form in the ocean. 2. Increase in sea level endanger the freshwater plants and animals in the region. 3. Rising sea levels will threaten to contaminate freshwater wells.

How are reefs formed?

1. Reefs form around volcanic islands or continents 2. As the volcanic island subsides, the barrier reef begins to form 3. And atoll remains after the volcanic island submerges

Features of Karst Topography

1. Sinking Stream 2. Sinkhole 3. Cave 4. Springs

Major features of Carlsbad Caverns

1. Stalagmites 2. Stalactites 3. Columns 4. Draperies and Cave Bacon 5. Cave Popcorn 6. Cave Pearls 7. Big Room 8. Hall of Giants 9. Witches Finger

Major Features of Mammoth Cave

1. Stalagmites 2. Stalactites 3. Columns 4. Flowstone 5. Cave Pearls

Examples of speleothems

1. Stalagmites, Stalactites, Columns 2. Flowstones, Draperies 3. Boxwork 4. Cave Bacon 5. Cave Pearls 6. Cave Popcorn

What percentage of the earth is covered by glaciers?

10%

What is a topographic Map?

An image/map representation of the three dimensional shape of Earth's surface

What depositional features are associated with glaciers?

Aretes horns cirque moraines kettles and outwash plains.

How are reefs related to oil reserves?

At the basin of the reef, there are deposits of plant and animal matter. Over millions of years, heat and pressure change this organic matter to oil and gas.

What is the Wind Cave known for?

Boxwork

Famous feature of the Guadalupe Mountains

Capitan Reef

How does acid rain form caves?

Carbonic acid dissolves limestone which leads to the formation of caves

Geologic features of the Virgin Islands

Coral Reef

How was the Karst Topography formed?

Dissolution of limestone

What is Yosemite famous for?

El Capitan

Type of rock found in Mammoth Cave

Firkin Formation Limestone

Cave Pearls

Form when water drips into cave pools and creates rounded calcite deposits.

Column

Forms when a stalagmite and stalactite meet meet to form to create a continuous pillar that goes from the floor to the ceiling.

Geologic features of the Guadalupe Mountains

Fossilized Permian Reef (Back Reef, Fore Reef, Reef Crest, Slope, Basin), Petroleum

What is Glacier Calving

Glacier ice breaks from the edge of the glacier into the ocean.

How do glaciers form?

Glaciers begin to form when snow remains in the same area year-round, where enough snow accumulates to transform into ice. Each year, new layers of snow bury and compress the previous layers. This compression forces the snow to re-crystallize, forming grains similar in size and shape to grains of sugar.

How do glaciers move?

Glaciers move by the the more snow accumulating on them. They will then move down by gravity and push the ground lower there.

What is the connection between groundwater and cave formation?

Groundwater flowing through permeable rocks or natural openings in the earth's surface can form caves

How are groundwater and permeability related?

If a rock is permeable, groundwater can easily pass through but if a rock is porous, the rock will hold a lot of groundwater

What type of rock is present in Carlsbad Caverns?

Interbedded limestone

Where is Mammoth Cave located?

Kentucky

Contour Lines

Lines on a topographic map that connect points of equal elevation

What type of rock is present in the Wind Cave?

Madison limestone formation

Porous Rock

Means a rock can hold a lot of water

How old are the rocks in Mammoth Cave (Period)

Mississippian Period

Where is Carlsbad located?

New Mexico

Age of reef formations in Guadalupe mountains

Permian Age

How old are the rocks in Carlsbad Caverns (Time Period)?

Permian Period

Where is Wind Cave located?

South Dakota

Where are the Everglades located?

Southern Florida

Where are the Virgin Island located?

St. John Island; Caribbean Sea

How did the Virgin Islands form? (ESSAY QUESTION)

Subduction of oceanic crust under oceanic crusts creates magma that erupts to form ocean islands.

How were Carlsbad Caverns formed?

Sulfuric acid dissolved the limestone along fractures and folds in the rock surface to form Carlsbad Cavern. This process left behind massive gypsum deposits, clay, and silt as evidence of how the cave was formed. Formed from the Bottom up

Where are the Guadalupe Mountains located?

Texas (Delaware Basin)

Isotasy

The rising and falling of the earth's crust based on the weight above it. The glaciers apply much more weight to the earth's crust and when they are melted the land is able to rise back up.

What are Milankovitch Cycles? What impacts these cycles as well as ice ages and interglacials?

The variation in the earth's orbit of the sun.

What erosional features are associated with glaciers? How do they differ from river erosional features?

U shaped valleys are made by glaciers as they carve out the rocks beneath them. They are much wider than river valleys.

Boxwork

Very uncommon and only found in Wind Cave National Park

Where is North Cascade National Park located?

Washington

How is acid rain formed?

Water + Carbon Dioxide= Carbonic Acid

How did the Wind Cave get its name?

Whistling noise the cave made

Outwash Plains

a plain formed of glacial sediments deposited by meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier

Hanging Valleys

a valley that is cut across by a deeper valley or a cliff.

Back Reef

an area between the reef and the ancient shoreline

Fore reef

an area between the reef and the ancient shoreline

Speleothems

are formed from the flowing, dripping, condensing, or seeping of water in a cave.

Hetch Hetchy Falls was created....

by water that was released from the dams reservoir

Kettle Lakes

formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters

Sea Caves

formed by the constant action of waves which attacks the weaker portions of rocks lining the shores of oceans and large lakes.

Lava Caves

formed by tunnels or tubes in lava formed when the outer surface of a lava flow cools and hardens while the molten lava within continues to flow.

Solution Caves

formed from dissolution of rocks such as limestone, dolomite, marble, and gypsum. Groundwater dissolves rocks to form tunnels and passages as well as speleothems.

Draperies

formed from the flow of water from the ceiling. Similar to how stalactites

Stalactite

forms from the dripping water on the ceiling of a cave. "Stalactites hang or grab tightly to the caves ceiling"

Stalagmite

forms from the ground up from the dripping water from a stalactite. "You might trip over a stalagmite"

Alpine Glaciers

found in high altitudes on mountains. Formed like a pancake mix where snow is in the middle and goes out to all sides

Ice Sheets

found in very cold areas forms from snow accumulation.

Reef Basin

in front of the reef sloped downward to depths of nearly half a mile.

Karst Topography

is a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves.

Arete

sharp mountain ridge

Reef

submerged resistant mound or ridge formed by accumulation of plant and animal skeletons

Porosity

the % of space or voids between the grains, is important when measuring how much water a rock can hold.

Permeability

the ability for fluids or water to travel through a rock, is important in determining the ease in which the water or fluid can move through the rock.

Moraines

two glaciers are meeting up the lateral moraines are the edge of each glacier where the debris is deposited on the sides whereas the medial moraine is where the debris goes down the middle and continues to be pushed away by the glacier.

Groundwater

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.