Physical Geography Exam 3 Mississippi State

What are the three rock types, sub-types, and some characteristics about each one? (see second quizlet in bookmarks)

Sedimentary- formed from particles of sand, shells, pebbles, and other fragments of material, fairly soft and may break apart or crumble, only one fossils are found in metamorphic- formed under the surface of the earth from the metamorphosis that occurs due to intense heat and pressure. The rocks that result from these processes often have ribbonlike layers and may have shiny crystals, formed by minerals growing slowly over time, on their surface. igneous- formed when magma (molten rock deep within the earth) cools and hardens, no crystals form and the rock looks shiny and glasslike. Sometimes gas bubbles are trapped in the rock during the cooling process, leaving tiny holes and spaces in the rock.

What is the difference between landforms and land scapes?

A landscape is part of the earths surface, a landform is a natural geographic feature or shape that appears on earths surface

Groundwater recharge

A process by which water percolates through the soil and works its way into an aquifer.

What are the A-B-C Horizons?

An A horizon is a mineral horizon (Topsoil); a B horizon is typically a mineral subsurface horizon and is a zone of accumulation, called illuviation; and C horizons consist of parent material, such as glacial till or lake sediments that have little to no alteration due to the soil forming processes.

What are all the components of the carbon cycle? (including details about the four carbon pools)

Carbon moves from the atmosphere to plants, then moves from plants to animals, carbon then moves from plants and animals to soils, afterwards carbon moves from living things to the atmosphere, then it moves from fossil fuels to the atmosphere when fuels are burned, and finally it moves from the atmosphere to the oceans. Main components are the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere, oceans, and sediments

What are the three volcano types and some characteristics of each?

Composite- a conical volcano consisting of layers of solid lava flows mixed with layers of other rock. Cinder cone- doesn't have any horizontal layers, and is instead a steep conical hill of tephra (volcanic debris) that accumulates around and downwind from the vent. Shield- a type of volcano built entirely or mostly from fluid lava vents

What drives plate tectonics?

Convection in the mantle, ridge push, slab pull

What are Earth's four internal layers and some characteristics about each of them?

Crust- The crust varies from around 5km thick (in the ocean floor) to around 70km thick. The continental crust is made up of rocks that consist primarily of silica and alumina called the "sial". Mantle- The mantle is much thicker than the crust at almost 3000km deep. It's made up of slightly different silicate rocks with more magnesium and iron. Outer core- The Earth's outer core is made up of iron and nickel and is very hot (4400 to 5000+ degrees C). Creates magnetic field Inner core- The inner core is the hottest part of the Earth, under immense pressure, and is made up of iron and nickel as well

Whats the difference between elements, minerals, and rocks?

Element- any substance that consists of the same type of atom Minerals- naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties Rocks- an aggregate of one or more minerals, or a body of undifferentiated mineral matter

What are the four types of mass movements?

Fall-happens when rocks and other sediments fall through the air and land at the bottom of a slope slide-happens when a section of soil or rock suddenly gives way and moves down a slope creep-a very slow mass movement that goes on for years or even centuries flows-a mixture of water, rock and sediment

What is the rock cycle?

Goes from magma to igneous, then to sediment, afterwards it becomes sedimentary rock, then it becomes metamorphic and then back into magma

What are some of the factors that increase and slow runoff?

Increase- urbanization, surface slope decrease- seep slopes

Whats the difference between infiltration and percolation?

Infiltration is the downward entry of water into the soil or rock surface and percolation is the flow of water through soil and porous or fractured rock

What is infiltration rate and infiltration capacity?

Infiltration rate-the velocity or speed at which water enters into the soil infiltration capacity- the maximum rate of infiltration

Why is coal not a mineral?

It is organic, minerals are inorganic

Why is soil a renewable yet exhaustible resource?

It is renewable because it can be restored on a human time scale, but it can still be destroyed and takes a while to replenish.

Whats the difference between saturation, field capacity, and wilting point?

Saturation-the state of the atmosphere when it can hold no more water vapour at its particulartemperature and pressure, the relative humidity then being 100 per cent Field capacity- the amount of soil moisture or water content held in the soil after excess water has drained away and the rate of downward movement has decreased Wilting point- he amount of water per unit weight or per unit soil bulk volume in the soil, expressed in percent, that is held so tightly by the soil matrix that roots cannot absorb this water and a plant will wilt

Amplification

The strengthening of stimulus energy during transduction.

How do tsunamis occur?

Tsunami are actually waves caused by sudden movement of the ocean due to earthquakes, landslides on the sea floor, land slumping into the ocean, major volcanic eruptions or large meteorite impacts, most are caused by large earthquakes at the seafloor

What are the three plate boundaries, their sub-types, and some characteristics of each?

divergent- occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other. Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth's mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust convergent- when two plates come together, The impact of the colliding plates can cause the edges of one or both plates to buckle up into a mountain ranges or one of the plates may bend down into a deep seafloor trench. A chain of volcanoes often forms parallel to convergent plate boundaries and power earthquakes around common along these boundaries. Transform plate boundary- two plates sliding past one another, Earthquakes are common along these faults

What are the three denudation processes?

erosion, weathering, mass wasting

Whats the difference between continental and oceanic crust?

Oceanic and Continental crusts are alike because they both shift and move and grow. They differ by there rock types. Oceanic crust is made up of dense basalt while continental crust is made up of less dense granite.

What are the eight elements that make up 99% of Earth's crust?

Oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium

Whats the difference between P and S waves?

P waves- Travel around 1-14kmps, compression waves (push-pull), moves through any material S waves- Travel around 1-8kmps,transverse waves (up and down),can only move through solids, larger than P waves

What makes a surface permeable vs. impermeable? Examples?

Permeable surfaces allow water to percolate into the soil to filter out pollutants and recharge the water table, Impermeable surfaces are solid surfaces that don't allow water to penetrate, forcing it to run off. Permeable- gravel, turf, flower beds Impermeable- asphalt, concrete, stone

What are the three types of weathering and the various sub-types?

Physical- caused by the effects of changing temperature on rocks, sometimes assisted by water. Subtypes are Freeze-thaw which occurs when water continually seeps into cracks, freezes and expands, eventually breaking the rock apart and Exfoliation which occurs as cracks develop parallel to the land surface a consequence of the reduction in pressure during uplift and erosion. Chemical- caused by rain water reacting with the mineral grains in rocks to form new minerals (clays) and soluble salts, occur when water is slightly acidic. Subtypes: Solution, removal of rock in solution by acidic rainwater, Hydrolysis, the breakdown of rock by acidic water to produce clay and soluble salts, and Oxidation, the breakdown of rock by oxygen and water Biological- living organisms

Whats the difference between a renewable and non-renewable resource?

Renewable resources are replenished naturally and over relatively short periods of time. Non-Renewable resources are available in limited supplies, usually because they take so long to replenish

What is the difference between continental drift versus plate tectonics?

The difference between continental drift and plate tectonics is that the theory of continental drift states that the world was made up of a single continent.The theory of plate-tectonics, on the other hand, states that earth's surface is broken into numbers of shifting plates or slabs.

What is the difference between the epicenter and focus?

The focus is the point within the earth where seismic waves originate; it is centered on the part of the fault that has the greatest movement. The epicenter is on the earth's surface directly above the focus.

What are the differences between the two types of lava?

The most obvious difference between the two is that Pāhoehoe flows are smooth, and AA are not. Furthermore, AA flows consist of only 1-2 large flow units, while Pāhoehoe flows consist of thousands and thousands of small flow units called toes.

What are the three ways to identify minerals?

color, streak, luster, density, hardness, and cleavage/fracture

What are the names and some descriptions of the four soil structures?

column: it's shaped in blocks and the related cracks are generally longer in the vertical shape and not the horizontal shape. The column soil structure has good water penetration, drainage and aeration. This type of soil is capped with salt and is found in arid regions. blocky: the size of the soil will be large and cracks in it will go in a vertical and horizontal direction. Soil with a blocky texture has a good level of water penetration and a moderate level of drainage and aeration. The blocks of soil are usually between 1.5 and 5.0 centimeters in diameter. Granular: like the blocky structure but the soil is usually smaller than a half centimeter in diameter. The cracks are the same in quantity and go horizontal and vertical. The water penetration is good, but this is the best type of soil for drainage and aeration. It is common to find the granular soil structure where roots have grown in surface horizons. Plate-like: usually found in compacted soil and the cracks are stretched more horizontally than they are vertically. It allows moderate water penetration, aeration and drainage.

Interception

precipitation that does not reach the soil, but is instead intercepted by the leaves, branches of plants and the forest floor

What is the difference between lava and magma?

Magmais composed of molten rock and is stored in the Earth's crust. Lava is magma that reaches the surface of our planet through a volcano vent.

What are the two runoff types?

Surface runoff- enters the stream immediately after the rainfall Subsurface runoff- enters into the soil and moves laterally without joining the water-table to the streams, rivers or oceans Base flow- infiltrates into the soil and meets to the water-table; and flow to the streams, oceans etc.

What are the differences between the Richter and Mercalli scales?

The Mercalli scale bases its measurement on the observed effects of the earthquake and describes its intensity. It is a linear measurement. On the other hand, the Richter scale measures the seismic waves, or the energy released, causing the earthquake and describes the quake's magnitude. It is a logarithmic.

Why has urbanization made runoff worse?

Urban areas generally generate more rain, but they reduce the infiltration of water and lower the water tables. This means that runoff occurs more rapidly with greater peak flows. Flood volumes increase, as do floods and water pollution downstream.

Aquifer

a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater

What is seafloor spreading?

a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth's lithosphere—split apart from each other

What does a hydrograph show?

a graph showing the rate of flow (discharge) versus time past a specific point in a river, channel, or conduit carrying flow

What are the four soil formation processes?

additions, losses, transformations, and translocations

What are the four components of soil?

inorganic minerals, organic matter, water, and air

What is the Moho discontinuity?

the boundary between Earth's crust and mantle

Water Table

the level below which the ground is saturated with water

Groundwater discharge

the movement of groundwater from the subsurface to the surface

Infiltration

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

Attenuation

the rate at which the signal light decreases in intensity

What is an earthquake and what does a seismograph do?

the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves, a seismograph is an instrument that measures and records details of earthquakes, such as force and duration

What is the continental drift theory and what led to it?

the theory that the Earth's continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have "drifted" across the ocean bed, people believed that continents on the opposite sides of the atlantic seemed to fit together

What is river discharge and how it is calculated?

the volume of water flowing through a river channel, calculated by multiplying the area of water in a channel cross section by the average velocity of water in that cross section

What are the five soil formation factors?

time, climate, parent material, topography and relief, and organisms

Groundwater

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

Runoff

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground

Why do P and S waves give us information about Earth's internal structure?

we can use them to see what's under earth by tracking how long it takes for them to reach a destination and also by noticing what they go through or what stops them

When is water considered a mineral?

when it is naturally occurring ice