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Geology test
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Geology
Undergraduate 1
04/10/2012

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Anticline
Definition
A fold with strata sloping downward on both sides from a common crest.



Term
Appalchian Mountains
Definition
A mountain system of eastern North America extending about 2,574 km (1,600 mi) southwest from Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and southern Quebec, Canada, to central Alabama. The range includes the Allegheny, Blue Ridge, and Cumberland mountains. Mount Mitchell in western North Carolina is the highest peak, rising to 2,038.6 m (6,684 ft).



Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/appalachian-mountains#ixzz1rfzrTPPr
Term
Asthenosphere
Definition
A zone of the earth's mantle that lies beneath the lithosphere and consists of several hundred kilometers of deformable rock.



Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/asthenosphere#ixzz1rg01e0yr
Term
Atolll
Definition
A ringlike coral island and reef that nearly or entirely encloses a lagoon.



Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/atoll#ixzz1rg0ALl21
Term

Avery Island

 

Definition
An anticlinal fold with a columnar salt plug at its core. ...
One example of an island formed by a salt dome is Avery Island

Read more: http://www.answers.com/search?q=Avery+Island+Geology#ixzz1rg0QeGiY
Term
Axial Plane
Definition
(geology) A plane that intersects the crest or trough in such a manner that the limbs or sides of the fold are more or less symmetrically arranged with reference to it. Also known as axial surface.


Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/axial-plane#ixzz1rg0gJmzI
Term

Axis

 

Definition
An imaginary straight line through a celestial body, around which it rotates.


Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/axis-1#ixzz1rg0rj3dA
Term
Block Faulted Mountain
Definition

(geology) A mountain formed by the combined processes of uplifting, faulting, and tilting. Also known as fault-block mountain.



Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/block-mountain#ixzz1rg1NTGBC
Term

Cap rock

 

Definition

(geology) An overlying, generally impervious layer or stratum of rock that overlies an oil- or gas-bearing rock. Barren vein matter, or a pinch in a vein, supposed to overlie ore. A hard layer of rock, usually sandstone, a short distance above a coal seam. An impervious body of anhydrite and gypsum in a salt dome.



Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/cap-rock-geology#ixzz1rg1XI4BB
Term
Compression
Definition
refers to a set of stresses directed toward the center of a rock mass. Compressive strength refers to the maximum compressive stress that can be applied to a material before failure occurs

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/compression-geology#ixzz1rg1wcJN9
Term
Continetal Crust
Definition
(geology) The basement complex of rock, that is, metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rock with associated igneous rocks mainly granitic, that underlies the continents and the continental shelves.


Term
Continetal Slope
Definition
The descent from the continental shelf to the ocean bottom.



Term
Convection Cell
Definition
geophysics) A concept in plate tectonics that accounts for the lateral or the upward and downward movement of subcrustal mantle material as due to heat variation in the earth.


Term
Convergent Plate Margin
Definition
  1. (used with a sing. verb) A theory that explains the global distribution of geological phenomena such as seismicity, volcanism, continental drift, and mountain building in terms of the formation, destruction, movement, and interaction of the earth's lithospheric plates.


Term
Core
Definition
The central part of a planet, large moon, or large asteroid that is denser than, and compositionally distinct from, the layers that surround it. Earth has a solid inner core with a radius of about 1,300 km below a fluid outer core some 2,300 km thick. Both regions of the core consist largely of iron and nickel that sank to the center of the planet while it was still molten. Circulating currents in the core give rise to Earth's magnetic field.


Term
Craton
Definition
A large portion of a continental plate that has been relatively undisturbed since the Precambrian era and includes both shield and platform layers.



Term
Crust
Definition
  • The exterior portion of the earth that lies above the Mohorovičić discontinuity.


Term
Dip
Definition
 is the angle of tilt, measured from the horizontal. Think of the direction of dip as the direction that a ball would roll if placed on the surface. The angle of dip is measured in degrees.

Term
Strike
Definition

is the direction of a level line on that tilted surface. It is more difficult to visualize, but easy to remember because it is always perpendicular to the direction of dip.

Term
Divergent Plate Margin
Definition
is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
Term
Dome
Definition
is a deformational feature consisting of symmetrically-dipping anticlines; their general outline on a geologic map is circular or oval.  Oldest rock exposed in the middle
Term
Earthquake
Definition
earthquake is a tremor of the earth's surface usually triggered by the release of underground stress along fault lines. This release causes movement in masses of rock and resulting shock waves.

Term
Eclogite
Definition
A coarse-grained greenish rock consisting primarily of garnet and sodic pyroxene, and often including quartz, kyanite, and rutile

Term
Elastic Rebound
Definition
is a mechanism used by geologists to explain earthquakes and surface ruptures (also called surface faulting) seen when a deep fault’s movement breaks through to the Earth’s surface. It

Term
Epicenter
Definition
  • The point of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.


Term
Fault
Definition
A fracture in the continuity of a rock formation caused by a shifting or dislodging of the earth's crust, in which adjacent surfaces are displaced relative to one another and parallel to the plane of fracture. Also called shift.

Term
Focus
Definition
It is the point at which rock under stress breaks and triggers an earthquake.
Term
Folded Mountain Belts
Definition
are mountains formed mainly by the effects of folding on layers within the upper part of the Earth's crust.

Term
Folds
Definition
used in geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation.

Term
Graben
Definition
A usually elongated depression between geologic faults
Term
Guyot
Definition
A flat-topped submarine mountain.

Term

Himalaya Mountains

 

Definition
A mountain system of south-central Asia extending about 2,414 km (1,500 mi) through Kashmir, northern India, southern Xizang (Tibet), Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan. The Himalayas include nine of the world's ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest.



Term
Horst
Definition
is the raised fault block bounded by normal faults or graben. Formed by the extension of Earth's Crust
Term
Hot Spot
Definition
A center of persistent volcanism, thought to be the surface expression of a rising hot plume in a planetary mantle

Term
Hydrothermal Vents
Definition
A hot spring on the ocean floor, found mostly along mid-oceanic ridges, where heated fluids exit from cracks in the earth's crust. Iron, sulfur, and other materials precipitate from these waters to form dark clouds.

Term
Inner Core
Definition
The central part of the earth's core, extending from a depth of 3160 miles (5100 kilometers) to the center of the earth. Also known as siderosphere.

Term
Intensity
Definition
Earth science, the amount of damage caused by an earthquake.


Term
Island Arc
Definition
A group of volcanic islands, usually situated in a curving arch-like pattern that is convex toward the open ocean, having a deep trench or trough on the convex side and usually enclosing a deep basin on the concave side; formed by volcanic activity associated with oceanic plate subduction at convergent plate margins. Also known as volcanic arc.

Term
Isostacy
Definition
Equilibrium in the earth's crust such that the forces tending to elevate landmasses balance the forces tending to depress landmasses.



Term
Joints
Definition
refers to a fracture in rock where the displacement associated with the opening of the fracture is greater than the displacement due to lateral movement in the plane of the fracture (up, down or sideways) of one side relative to the other.

Term
L Wave
Definition
A surface wave in which the indivdual particles of material move only back and forth in a horrizontal plane perpendicular to the direction of wave travel
Term
Law of original Horrizontally
Definition
states that most sediments, when originally formed, were laid down horizontally. However, many layered rocks are no longer horizontal.
Term
Lithosphere
Definition
The outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle, approximately 100 km (62 mi.) thick.




Term
Magnetic Stipes
Definition
Can use this to tell how old the rocks are and if the Pole degree change
Term
Magnitude
Definition
A measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter Scale.

Term
Maganese noodules
Definition
Small, irregular black to brown concretions consisting chiefly of manganese salts and manganese oxide minerals; formed in oceans as a result of pelagic sedimentation or precipitation.


Term
Mantle
Definition
The layer of the earth between the crust and the core.

Term
Meteorites
Definition
A stony or metallic mass of matter that has fallen to the earth's surface from outer space.



Term
 

Mid Oceanic Ridge

Definition
A series of mountain ranges on the ocean floor, more than 84,000 kilometers (52,000 miles) in length, extending through the North and South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific. According to the plate tectonics theory, volcanic rock is added to the sea floor as the mid-ocean ridge spreads apart.

Term
Mohovicic Discontinuity
Definition
The boundary between Earth's crust and mantle
Term
Normal Faults
Definition
A fault in which the hanging wall has moved downward relative to the footwall.




Term
Oceanic Crust
Definition
A thick mass of igneous rock which lies under the ocean floor. Basalt and gabro
Term
Orogeny
Definition
The process of mountain formation, especially by a folding and faulting of the earth's crust.



Term
Outer Core
Definition
liquid layer about 2,266 kilometers thick composed of iron and nickel which lies above the Earth's solid inner core and below its mantle. Its outer boundary lies 2,890 km (1,800 mi) beneath the Earth's surface.

Term
P Wave
Definition
A body wave that can pass through all layers of the earth. It is fastest of all seismic waves, traveling at a velocity of 3-4 miles (5-7 kilometers) per second in the crust and 5-6 miles (8-9 kilometers) per second in the upper mantle. Also known as compressional wave;

Term
Overturned Fold
Definition
fold or the side of a fold, tilted beyond the perpendicular. Also known as inverted; reversed.


Term
Pangea
Definition
A hypothetical supercontinent that included all the landmasses of the earth before the Triassic Period. Pangaea broke apart during the Triassic and Jurassic Periods, separating into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.

Term
Plate Tectonics
Definition
A theory that explains the global distribution of geological phenomena such as seismicity, volcanism, continental drift, and mountain building in terms of the formation, destruction, movement, and interaction of the earth's lithospheric plates.

Term
Recumbent Fold
Definition
) An overturned fold with a nearly horizontal axial surface. Also known as reclined fold.


Term
Refraction
Definition
  • The turning or bending of any wave, such as a light or sound wave, when it passes from one medium into another of different optical density.


Term
Reverse Fault
Definition
fault in which the hanging wall has moved upward relative to the footwall.


Term
Rift Zone
Definition
A large area of the earth in which plates of the earth's crust are moving away from each other, forming an extensive system of fractures and faults.



Term

Rule of Dip

 

Definition
Bed dips toward younger rocks
Term
S Wave
Definition
It is a transverse wave, which means the particles of its medium move at right angles to the energy that is being transferred. waves caused by earthquakes dissipate quickly when reaching the liquid outer core as they are "absorbed" by the liquid's physical properties due to density.
Term
Salt Domes
Definition
An anticlinal fold with a columnar salt plug at its core.




Term
San Andreas Fault
Definition
A major zone of fractures in the earth's crust extending along the coastline of California from the northwest part of the state to the Gulf of California. Movement of the tectonic plates along the fault has caused numerous tremors, including the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906.
Term
Seismograph
Definition
An instrument for automatically detecting and recording the intensity, direction, and duration of a movement of the ground, especially of an earthquake.



Term
Shadow Zone
Definition
The zone, between 103 and 143° from the epicenter of an earthquake, in which direct seismic waves do not arrive because of refraction and absorption by the earth's core.


Term
Shield
Definition
The ancient, stable, interior layer of continents composed of primarily Precambrian igneous or metamorphic rocks

Term
Sierra Nevada
Definition

A mountain range of eastern California extending about 644 km (400 mi) between the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys and the Nevada border. Mount Whitney, 4,420.7 m (14,494 ft), is the highest elevation.



Term
Spreading Ridges
Definition
A series of mountain ranges on the ocean floor, more than 84,000 kilometers (52,000 miles) in length, extending through the North and South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific. According to the plate tectonics theory, volcanic rock is added to the sea floor as the mid-ocean ridge spreads apart.
Term
Stike slip fault
Definition
The fault surface is usually near vertical and the footwall moves either left or right or laterally with very little vertical motion.

Term
Structural basin
Definition
is a large-scale structural formation of rock strata formed by tectonic warping of previously flat lying strata. They are geological depressions, and are the inverse of domes.

Term
Subduction
Definition
A geologic process in which one edge of one crustal plate is forced below the edge of another.



Term
Submarine Canyon
Definition
Steep-sided valleys winding across the continental shelf or continental slope, probably originally produced by Pleistocene stream erosion, but presently the site of turbidity flows.


Term
Sulfur
Definition
A pale yellow nonmetallic element occurring widely in nature in several free and combined allotropic forms. It is used in black gunpowder, rubber vulcanization, the manufacture of insecticides and pharmaceuticals, and in the preparation of sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid. Atomic number 16; atomic weight 32.066; melting point (rhombic) 112.8°C, (monoclinic) 119.0°C; boiling point 444.6°C; specific gravity (rhombic) 2.07, (monoclinic) 1.957; valence 2, 4, 6.

Term
Syncline
Definition
A fold in rocks in which the rock layers dip inward from both sides toward the axis.



Term
Tectonic plates
Definition
Any one of the internally rigid crustal blocks of the lithosphere which move horizontally across the earth's surface relative to one another. Also known as crustal plate.


Term
Tension
Definition
refers to a stress which stretches rocks in two opposite directions. The rocks become longer in a lateral direction and thinner in a vertical direction. One important result of tensile stress is jointing in rocks. However, tensile stress is rare because most subsurface stress is compressive, due to the weight of the overburden.

Term
Thrust Faults
Definition
A reverse fault in which the fault plane is inclined at an angle equal to or less than 45°.



Term
Transfor Faults
Definition
Geology
A strike-slip fault, common in mid-ocean ridge regions, in which there has been a sudden change in the form or direction of displacement.


Term
Tsunami
Definition
huge ocean wave that can travel at speeds up to 600 mi/hr (965 km/hr), hundreds of miles over open sea before it hits land. Sometimes incorrectly called a tidal wave, a tsunami is usually caused by an earthquake, volcanic eruption or coastal landslide.

Term
Tube Worms
Definition
Any of numerous species of sedentary, solitary or colonial, marine worms that spend their entire life in a tube made from special secretions or from sand grains glued together. Found worldwide, tube worms range from less than an inch (25 mm) to more than 20 ft (6 m) long.

Term
Turbidity Current
Definition
A swift downhill current in water, air, or other fluid, triggered by the weight of suspended material such as silt in a current flowing down a continental shelf or snow in an avalanche.


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