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Geology for APES Flashcards

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6135245699Continental Crustthicker, less dense crust made out of granite0
6135245700Oceanic Crustthinner, more dense crust made out of basalt1
6135245701Mantleplastic-like layer of the Earth where convection currents move heat from the core to the crust2
6135245702Outer Coreiron and nickel rich LIQUID hot layer of Earth3
6135245703Inner Coreiron and nickel rich SOLID hot layer of Earth (Solid because of the pressure of all the layers)4
6135245704ConvectionThe process that occurs in the mantle (also in the oceans and the atmosphere) where warm "stuff" rises and cool "stuff" sinks.5
6135245705TheoryExperiments and hypotheses that provide evidence to support a conclusion that may not be able to be proved.6
6135245706PangaeaSuper-continent that occurred 250 million years ago7
6135245707Alfred WegenerScientist (he was actually a meteorologist) that developed the theory of Pangaea and continental drift in the early 1900s. He had a lot of fossil evidence, but people did not believe him because he did not have a mechanism8
6135245708Convection Currents in the MantleMechanism for plate tectonics (makes plates move as the heat from the core rises through the mantle)9
6135245709Harry HessScientist who discovered seafloor spreading in the Atlantic ocean with SONAR (Sound Navigation And Ranging) with the US Navy10
6135245710Seafloor SpreadingThe idea that the seafloor is spreading apart at mid-ocean ridges, allowing magma to come up and create these ridge-like features.11
6135245711Magnetic reversalsHappens when the earths magnetic field changes; evidence for seafloor spreading12
6135245712How fast are the plates moving?2-10 cm per year13
6135245713Continental DriftThe hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations14
6135245714Evidence for Continental Drift1. Plant and animal fossils matched up on different continents 2. Continents fit together like puzzle pieces 3. Climate "clues" - tropical plants found on Antarctica 4. Rocks matched up on different continents15
6135245715Plate TectonicsThe theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle.16
6135245716How many major plates are there?7 - N. America, S. America, Africa, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, Pacific, Antarctic17
6135245717LithosphereA rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.18
6135245718AsthenosphereThe soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats.19
6135245719Divergent BoundaryThe boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other20
6135245720Convergent BoundaryA tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other.21
6135245721SubductionThe process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary.22
6135245722Transform BoundaryThe boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally23
6135245726Mid-Ocean Ridgean undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary24
6135245727Ocean TrenchDeep valley in the ocean floor that forms along a subduction zone (convergent boundary)25
6135256283Most abundant elements in earth's crustoxygen, silicon, aluminum (greatest to least)26
6135257919Ring of Firearea around Pacific Plate (Pacific Ocean) where the majority of current crustal activity is occuring27
6135260103Earth's original atmosphere (2 elements)helium and hydrogen28
6135262433Earth's current atmosphere (2 elements)nitrogen and oxygen29
6135262434Volcanic outgassingresponsible for changing earth's atmosphere (by releasing carbon dioxide)30
6135265805Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)responsible for the "oxygen revolution" on earth31
6135268828Extinction eventsThe major time periods of geologic time are separated by these; there have been 5 throughout time, some think the 6th is happening now due to human activities32
6135272484Most eroded country in the worldMadagascar33
6135276991Most abundant rock type on the surfacesedimentary34
6135278209Most abundant rock type on earthigneous35
6135279437Sedimentary RocksA type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together (sandstone, siltstone, shale), or by chemical processes such as evaporation (limestone, rock salt)36
6135281579Igneous RocksForm directly from cooling of magma or lava. Ex: granite (magma) and obsidian (lava)37
6135288114Metamorphic RocksMade when heat, pressure, or fluids change one type of rock into another type of rock38
6135288115Rock cyclethe series of processes that change one type of rock into another type of rock39
6135289222Cementation and CompactionProcess in which sedimentay rocks are formed40
6135291090SedimentsLoose materials such as rock fragments, mineral grains, and bits of shell in size such as gravel, sand, silt and clay41
6135293232Weathering and erosionalteration of rocks and sediment at our near the surface by physical, chemical, and biological process to form new materials (sediments)42
6135297176Benefits of volcanoesnew land, fertile soil, geothermal energy, mineral resource /industrial products, recreation, tourism, hot springs and geysers/ spas and resorts (tourism)43
6135301933Holocene epochthe current epoch of geologic time which began 10,000 years ago44
6135302974Order of geologic time (largest to smallest)eon-era-period-epoch45
6135304292Precambrianthe earliest 3 eons that make up 90% of the geological time; before the explosion of life in the Cambrian46
6135310426Periods of geologic time in order from oldest to youngest (current)Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic47
6135311479PaleozoicPeriod of "Old life" - mainly marine organisms48
6135314725Mesozoic"Age of the Reptiles"49
6135316231Cenozoic"Age of mammals" (Current geologic period)50

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