Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Geol 1121
yeah
113
Geology
Undergraduate 2
12/11/2010

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
What is a continental glacier?
Definition
has ice completely covering it, flows from center outward.
Term
What is an ice sheet?
Definition
area larger than 50,000 km squared
Term
What is an alpine glacier?
Definition
It moves within a valley. caused bc of high altitude. most are being threatened by global warming, aka valley glaciera.
Term
horn
Definition
eroded, pointed peak
Term
arete
Definition
sharp divides bw glacial valleys
Term
ablation
Definition
retreat by melting
Term
calving
Definition
formation of iceburgs; the glacier touches warm water and gets broken
Term
abrasion
Definition
removal of sediment by particles carried within the flow. in the case of glaciers, it works as sandpaper.
Term
till
Definition
glacial sediments, poorly sorted, angular
Term
outwash
Definition
sediment from glacier erosion; reworked from by meltwater
Term
what is a lateral moraine?
Definition
sediment carried on the side of a glacier
Term
what is a medial moraine?
Definition
material carried at the center of a glacier
Term
What energy resource is typically associated with acid rain?
Definition
coal
Term
What is a breeder reactor?
Definition
Term
What hazardous solution is used to seperate gold from mineral where it's contained?
Definition
cyanide solution
Term
What environmental impact is related to the smelting of sulfide ores?
Definition
acid rain
Term
What is a vetifact? Where are they formed?
Definition
Rock formed by wind abrasion
Term
What is heap leaching?
Definition
spraying a fine-grained pile of rock to extract gold using sodium cyanide
Term
What is always involved in chemical weathering?
Definition
water
Term
What are sedimentary deposits?
Definition
banded iron formations. chemically precipitated. appears layered. contains iron.
Term
How did the banded formations (of sedimentary deposits) form?
Definition
Fe oxides and hydroxides.
Term
What is the ore for aluminum. (very strong, light, doesn't rust)(good for building, airplanes)
Definition
bauxite
Term
asbestos
Definition
dark-colored rocks, cancerous. great insulators; come in fibers you can weave into fabric.
Term
2 types of asbestos
Definition
1. needle-like- amphibole. needles get stuck in lungs, foster growth of cancer.
2. sheet-like- chrystotile. not been linked to cancer, except in cases of high exposure.
Term
What mineral makes steel strong?
Definition
cobalt
Term
What do you find in stainless steel?
Definition
chromium
Term
What are the conditions for a glacier to form?
Definition
-5 degrees celcius, more precipitation (leads to accumulation of excess snow)
-continental glaciers require high altitude
Term
Name external causes of glacier formation
Definition
-variations in solar radiation
-variations in the earth's orbital path
-cycles
Term
How do glaciers do at sorting?
Definition
poorly
Term
ventifact
Definition
rock planed off by wind abrasion
Term
deflation
Definition
removal of loose sediments, leaving big rocks, with little ones stuck underneath
Term
desert pavement
Definition
hard. because of calcium carbonate, i think.
Term
slip face
Definition
side of a sand dune facing away from wind; steeper.
Term
cross bedding
Definition
layers the sediments in a dune get deposited. they are vertical, ish at least.
Term
Loess
Definition
deposition of wind-blown silt. rich in nutrients.
Term
how is loess transported?
Definition
suspended
Term
How is silt used for good?
Definition
farming; high in soluble nutrients, porous (holds moisture)
Term
slit is not good for
Definition
foundation
Term
hydrocompaction
Definition
silt becomes really compacted when wet. this is why no good for foundations
Term
How do deserts form near the sea?
Definition
clouds get thirsty when they're hot (over deserts) but when they're cold over sea they let loose.
Term
How did Atacama desert form?
Definition
by the sea
Term
How did the Andes mts in south america form?
Definition
rainshadow
Term
Name 3 deserts formed because of atmospheric circulation
Definition
sahara, namib, australian
Term
How did Gobi desert form?
Definition
far from sea
Term
How does desertification occur in the Us?
Definition
excessive livestock grazing, loss of fertility, groundwater overuse
Term
what are the factors of permeability and porosity?
Definition
grain size (the finer, the less porous)
rounded/angular (rounded more space)
well-sorted- more porous and permeable
texture- crystalline no good
shales also are bad
Term
primary porosity
Definition
develops at time of rock formation; originates simultaneously with rock
Term
secondary porosity
Definition
acquired after the rock formation by dissolution or fracturing (often bc of acid rain)
Term
how's the por/perm of clay minerals and micas?
Definition
high porosity but low permeability
Term
potentiometric surface
Definition
Height water would reach if unconfined because of its own pressure.
Term
magmatic deposit
Definition
(layered intrusion) dense minerals such as chromite, magnetite. accumulate at the bottom of a magma chamber by gravity. concentrated.
Term
kimberlites
Definition
used to bring diamonds to the surface. important for mining.
Term
how and when do hydrothermal ores appear?
Definition
disseminated within or forming veins around intrusives
Term
oil and natural gas
Definition
marine microorganisms that were buried fast.
Term
where do you usually find oil and natural gas? Porque?
Definition
near continental margins, because there sediments are abundant to bury dead things quickly
Term
crude oil
Definition
mixture of unequal type hydrocarbon compounds
Term
hydrocarbon
Definition
organic compound consisting of, you guessed it.
Term
refining
Definition
seperation of oil into different hydrocarbons
Term
cracking
Definition
breakup of large HC molecules to obtain lighter ones
Term
oil and gas migration
Definition
they migrate from source rock to reservoir rock
Term
source rock
Definition
fine grained, low permeability, dark-colored
Term
reservoir rock
Definition
often sandstone, porous and permeable, oil displaces water and floats on top. needs to be trapped by impermeable rock.
Term
what are the 2 types of oil traps?
Definition
structural and stratigraphic
Term
structural trap
Definition
formed after the rock by faults, folds, salt domes.
Term
salt dome
Definition
salt sorta intruding
Term
riff
Definition
rock that's really porous
Term
How does it work when you pump oil?
Definition
at first- little pumping required, gushes out fast, a lot of pressure.
as it discharges- pressure falls, eventually you need to pump water in to make it go up.
Term
traditional recovery
Definition
pump water in, oil comes out. can only take 1/3 bc oil is stuck to edges of poral spaces
Term
enhanced recovery
Definition
exploiting the deposit beyond primary and secondary recovery. can extract 40% of original oil by imcreasing permeability.
Term
Geopressurized natural gas
Definition
gas dissolved in deep hot brines.
Term
methane gas hydrates
Definition
methane ices contained in deep sea sediment and permafrost
Term
oil shale
Definition
not shale, not oil. made from kerogen
Term
kerogen
Definition
waxy solid from plants, algae, bacteria
Term
coal
Definition
another type of fossil fuel. sed rock, organogenic. produced by burial of plant debri in swamps
Term
peat
Definition
type of coal; crumbly, organic, porous. we use it to make our soil better.
Term
What is gas?
Definition
coal+steam= gas.
less heating power than natural gas
Term
gasification
Definition
inserting gas into whatever to heat up stuff and push it out. useful to mine very thin beds
Term
What does sulfuric acid do?
Definition
-affect plant growth
-dissolves calcite (of rocks)
Term
steps of strip mining
Definition
1. remove topsoil
2. remove overburden and pot it in spoil banks
3. remove coal (there's a gaping pit)
4. reclamation
Term
reclamation
Definition
1. return materials of spoil banks to fill pit
2. level the land
3. return top soil
4. seed and water native vegetation until plants establish
Term
What element is used for fission?
Definition
Uranium 235. chain reaction.
Term
what is the source of uranium for fission?
Definition
graphite
Term
What's up with nuclear fuel plants?
Definition
-need to be near city to avoid transmission losses
-near water to cool down, steam
-away from fault zones
Term
Why is mining for graphite (uranium) bad?
Definition
tailings are radioactive
Term
what is the raw material for nuclear weapons and dirty bombs?
Definition
plutonium (causes radiation)
Term
fusion
Definition
2+ atomic nuclei combine to form a larger one, releasing energy
Term
What is one type of energy we know about but have never obtained on earth?
Definition
fusion
Term
photovoltaic cells
Definition
solar electricity (satelites)
Term
What's the problem with photovoltaic cells?
Definition
the materials coating the mirrors may be toxic.
Term
geothermal power
Definition
energy from magma heating groundwater
Term
geopressurized natural gas
Definition
there's been no experimentation.
energy is extracted from methane gas dissolved in brines at great depth. to make energy- burn the gas, extract the heat
Term
problem with geopressurized natural gas?
Definition
drilling that deep is difficult and costly, brine disposal is needed.
Term
wind energy
Definition
COULD produce 20% of energy in US by 2030 IF developed.
Term
biofuels
Definition
energy derived from recent living organisms
Term
OTHER biomass used as energy
Definition
-burning crops from plant waste
-burning urban refuse (GARBAGE)
Term
methane in biogas
Definition
from burning garbage- produces gases- smelly, toxic... METHANE to produce energy!
-landfills, feed lots, sewage ALL PRODUCE METHANE
Term
Largest producer of garbage in US?
Definition
agriculture
Term
top of landfill, when full
Definition
covering, to prevent gasses or toxic substances from escaping. layer of compacted clay
Term
incineration
Definition
waste can be used for electricity
Term
outwash
Definition
a sorted glacial deposit
Term
TRUE: desert pavement is formed by?
Definition
wind erosion
Term
till
Definition
unsorted glacial sediment
Term
loess
Definition
windblown silt
Term
zone in which the world's largest deserts are located
Definition
subtropical
Term
glacial flow is measured in
Definition
cm/day
Term
Which ore deposit yields aluminum?
Definition
bauxite
Term
fossil fuels are found in what type of rocks?
Definition
sedimentary
Term
What are gasification and liquifaction for?
Definition
convert coal to more versatile fuel
Term
How is oil shale extracted?
Definition
strip mining
Term
breeder reactors would provide a renewable supply of energy for
Definition
fission power plants
Term
Waste disposal is a big problem for which type of energy source?
Definition
fission
Term
In the US the bulk of the uranium deposits are found in
Definition
sandstones
Term
what greenhouse gas is formed within sanitary landfills?
Definition
methane
Supporting users have an ad free experience!