Chapter 1: The Nature of Geology

Differences in which physical property allow rocks to move from deep within Earth toward the surface?

Density

Geology is the scientific study of

Earth

The inner planets are sometimes referred to as terrestrial planets because of their similarity to

Earth

True/False: The outer planets have a solid surface

False

True/False: Geologists exclusively study rocks

False; Geology is the study of Earth; not just rocks

True/False: the crust is the largest by volume of Earth's concentric zones

False; the mantle is the largest

_______ are huge flowing fields or tongues of compressed snow and ice.

Glaciers

The three external forces that act on Earth are:

Gravitational forces from the Sun, Gravitational forces from the Moon, Electromagnetic forces from the Sun

___________________________ rocks are formed directly be precipitates form hot water. Some geologists consider these to be a type of metamorphic rock.

Hydrothermal

three factors that directly shape the surface of Earth by creating diverse landscapes

Impact of diverse life-forms, Water and its movement, Atmosphere and its movement

______ is the balance or equilibrium of adjacent blocks of brittle lithosphere floating on the ductile asthenosphere.

Isostasy

List the outer planets from top to bottom, from the Sun outward

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

_____ is molten rock underground, usually rich in silica and containing dissolved gases

Magma

Besides Earth, the other three terrestrial planets are _____, ____, and ____

Mercury, Venus, Mars

Lithification

Process of sediment turning into rock

_____ are loose materials formed when large rocks in the landscape are broken down and worn away.

Sediments

Which two of the following processes might magma undergo as it cools?

Solidification, Crystallization

what happens to a mountain range in terms of isostatic adjustment following a period of significant erosion?

The continental crust underneath will be uplifted

Which of these best describes the location of the core within Earth?

The core is located in the central zone of Earth, beneath the mantle.

What happens to material that is hotter than its surrounding material deep within Earth?

The hot material slowly moves up toward the surface.

True/False: Flowing water is the most important agent for sculpting the landscape of Earth.

True

True/False: Geologists study present-day geologic processes in order to understand the geologic past

True (also known as uniformitarianism)

Uplift

Upward movement of underground rocks to the surface

Glaciers

Variety of sediment from large, angular boulders to fine rock powder

What is the continental shelf?

a fringe of shallow seafloor surrounding the land

Rocky fragments left over form the formation of the solar system are called ______. They are found in orbit between Mars and Jupiter.

asteroid

The relative composition of the oceanic crust is

basalt

Weathering

breaking down of rocks either mechanically or chemically

Earth's orbit around the Sun is almost ______, which explains why Earth receives about the same amount of heat and light year-round.

circular

Lithification is the process by which sediment is _____ over time to form sedimentary rocks

compacted

The _____ sketch shows the features, processes, and relationships between different aspects of the water cycle.

concept

Twenty-eight thousand years ago, Earth was _____ than it is today, and continental ice sheets covered large areas of land as a result.

cooler

3 geologic considerations when identifying physically safe places for human habitation are:

faults in Earth's crust that can potentially cause earthquakes, the steepness of hillsides, the strength of underlying geology

The most important agent for sculpting the landscape is __________

flowing water

The Sun creates heat and light through the process of joining together hydrogen atoms in nuclear ______

fusion

The relative composition of the continental crust is

granite

the presidents' faces at Mount Rushmore are carved from which type of rock?

granite

The _____ of both the Moon and the Sun causes the tides in Earth's oceans.

gravity

The ____ effect occurs when infrared energy from the Sun is radiated back from Earth and trapped by Earth's atmosphere, resulting in warming conditions.

greenhouse

Radioactive decay in Earth, especially in Earth's crust, creates a tremendous amount of _____

heat

The decay of radioactive elements such as uranium creates _____, especially in Earth's crust where these elements are abundant.

heat

Radioactive decay within Earth produces heat; the other main form of heat produced by Earth comes from _______

heat trapped when the Earth was formed

Metamorphism involves the following processes: ____, ____, and ____

heat, pressure, deformation

The 4 different types of information a geologist can infer from studying fossils and the rocks containing fossils are:

how long ago the particular life-form lived on Earth, how the life-form lived and died, how larget he particular life-form was, past local and global environments

The _____ cycle describes water processes that occur on land, in the atmosphere, and in the oceans.

hydrologic

A type of rock that forms directly from precipitates of hot water is called a _________ rock

hydrothermal

By looking at the image of this landscape, we can tell that these rocks are formed by an explosive volcanic eruption and are therefore classified as ______

igneous

Rock that has solidified from magma is an _________ rock

igneous

Rock that has formed from cooling magma or lava is:

igneous rock

hydroshere

includes all of the water in all of its expressions on Earth

biosphere

includes life and all the places life can be found on Earth

The greenhouse effect is the result of _________ that becomes trapped by Earth's atmosphere, causing Earth to be much warmer than it otherwise would be.

infrared energy

The relative composition of the core is

iron and nickel

Understanding geology is important to everyday life because

it helps us make decisions regarding the environment, we rely on it for energy resources, we rely on it to locate raw materials for industry

examples of natural hazards present in the Rapid City area as a result of its location in a low area along Rapid Creek are:

landslides, floods

Steep mountain fronts

large, angular rocks

The asthenosphere is located beneath the

lithosphere

The _____ is the rigid portion of Earth composed of the _____ and uppermost part of the mantle.

lithosphere, crust

The _____ is the largest of Earth's concentric zones by volume.

mantle

The asthenosphere is part of the Earth's ______

mantle

Earth's three major concentric zones are the crust, the _____, and the _____.

mantle, core

events and causes of the 1972 Rapid City, South Dakota, flood that killed hundreds of people and destroyed more than 1,300 homes

massive thunderstorm, flash flood, breach of a dam, houses built on the floodplain

If rock is exposed to enough heat after metamorphism it will eventually:

melt into magma

A ________ rock type is formed when heat and pressure are applied to a preexisting metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary rock, without causing melting.

metamorphic

the age of the rock and how the rock formed are the two geologic factors that affect where _________ resources, such as copper and iron, are located

mineral

atmosphere

mixture of gases that extends out about 100 km from Earth

Transportation

moving pieces of rock by wind, ice, or water

Earth's atmosphere is composed primarily of ________

nitrogen

Deposition

occurs when the energy of the transported materials decreases

There are two main types of crust on Earth; they are _____ and _____.

oceanic, continental

The rock cycle was conceived by James Hutton in an attempt to explain how:

older rocks become new sediment

The relative composition of the mantle is

olivine

Lava is molten rock that cools _______

on the surface

Geology gives us an idea of the _____ of a given landscape.

past, present, and future

The object that is next in line after Neptune in our solar system but is not classified as a planet is ______

pluto

The thre primary delivery systems that transport sediments from land into the oceans are:

rivers, wind, gravity

why a rock might not go through the complete rock cycle

rock may be involved in a variety of processes in different sequences

The primary differences between continent and ocean basins are _____ and ____

rock thickness, rock types

Beaches

sand, broken shells, and rounded, well-worn stones as a result of wave action

River channels

sand, pebbles, and cobbles

The feature shown in this image surrounding the land is called the continental _____

shelf

A concept ____ is a graphical way of using your own words to describe information about features, processes, and relationships to help you learn, and apply new information.

sketch

Glaciers are huge flowing fields of compressed ____ and ____ that carry large amounts of rock and sediment.

snow, ice

the four fates of solar energy entering Earth's atmosphere are:

solar energy evaporates water in the atmosphere, it heats the Earth's atmosphere, some light is converted into chemical energy by plants and some light is converted into infrared radiation

The _____ ______ consists of the Sun, the planets and their moons, and smaller objects such as asteroids and comets

solar system

Devil's Tower was formed by ______

solidification of a magma chamber

Two factors that affect regional elevations are:

temperature of the lithosphere,density of the rock

The moon is the closest object to which planet?

the Earth

Continental ice sheets were more common 28,000 years ago than they are today because ______

the Earth was cooler then than now

The closest object to Earth is

the moon

The lithosphere is ______

the rigid portion of the Earth (crust and upper mantle)

lithosphere

the solid upper portion of Earth

With respect to thickness, the oceanic crust is _____ than the continental crust

thinner

The three agents of of sediment ______, which result in deposition as energy decreases, are ice, wind, and water.

transport

The snow covering the mountains in the distance is an important source of _____ for the grazing horses and cows in the grassy pasture below

water

The flow of _____ from land and oceans to the atmosphere is part of the hydrologic _____

water, cycle

What are the three primary forces that act to deposit sediments, which may eventually become sedimentary rocks?

water, wind, ice

The uppermost part of the oceans are in constant motion primarily due to the effects of

wind

Besides liquid water, the other two transportation agents of sediments are _____ and ____. Gravity also plays a role in moving sediments.

wind, ice