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Time, Groundwater, Ocean Floor, Deserts
Basic understanding of geologic concepts
71
Geology
Undergraduate 1
12/04/2013

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Term
Groundwater on Earth
Definition
Represents 14&, Largest reservoir of freshwater available
Term
Porosity
Definition
Measurement of rock's ability to hold water
Term
Permeability
Definition
Capacity of rock to transmit fluid through pores and fractures
Term
Saturated Zone
Definition
Subsurface in which rock openings are filled, Water table lies on top
Term
Water Table
Definition
Water level at surface of most lakes & rivers correspond
Term
Flow Velocity of Groundwater
Definition
Depends on slope of water table & permeability of rock
Term
Aquifer
Definition
Saturated fractured rock through which water moves easily, low porosity and permeability
Term
Aquitard
Definition
Unfractured rock that retards groundwater flow due to low porosity or permeability
Term
Unconfined Aquifer
Definition
Has water table, Only partly filled with water, Rapidly recharged by precipitation
Term
Confined Aquifer
Definition
Completely filled with water under pressure, Separated from surface by impermeable confining layer, Slow recharge
Term
Groundwater Contaminated
Definition
Pharmaceuticals, Pesticides/Herbicides, Fertilizers, Feed lots Mercury, Gold Mining, Landfills, Heavy Metals, Bacteria, Viruses, Parasites, Industrial Chemicals, Acid Mine Drainage, Radioactive Waste, Oil, Gas
Term
Caves
Definition
Formed underground chambers by acidic groundwater dissolving limestone along joints and bedding planes
Term
Sinkholes
Definition
Natural depression or hole in ground caused by collapse in surface layer
Term
Karst Topography
Definition
Rolling hills, disappearing streams & sinkholes
Term
Speleothems
Definition
Intricately shaped formations grown by dripstone; stalactites (icicles) & stalagmites (cones)
Term
Effects of Groundwater Action
Definition
Caves, Stalactites, Stalagmites, Karst Topography, Hot Springs, Geysers, Geothermal Energy
Term
Hot Springs
Definition
Water heated by magma rises back to surface
Term
Coastal Waters
Definition
Shallow areas that adjoin continents, Used for commerce, recreation, fisheries & waste disposal, dramatic changes in salinity & temperature
Term
Salinity
Definition
Proportion of dissolved salts to pure water
Term
Estuaries
Definition
Partially enclosed coastal body that is connected to ocean, Salinity is measurably reduced by freshwater flow of rivers
Term
How Estuaries are Classified?
Definition
Classify by origin; Coastal plain, Fjord, Bar-built, Tectonic
Term
Pelagic Sediment
Definition
Fine grained & oozes on ocean floor, Consists of micrometeorites, volcanic ash, plankton
Term
3 Major Provinces of Oceans
Definition
Continental Margins, Ocean Basin Floor, Mid-Ocean Ridges and Rises
Term
Continental Margins
Definition
Sediments accumulated, Can be moved down continental slope by Turbidity Currents
Term
Ocean Basin Floor
Definition
Flat seafloor in deep water beyond continental slope, 4,000-6,000m
Term
Mid-Ocean Ridges & Rises
Definition
Continuous mountain range, 65,000km, run through every ocean, Longest mountain range in the world
Term
Passive Margins
Definition
In Atlantic coast, quiet, No major earthquakes or volcanoes
Term
Active Margins
Definition
Include oceanic trenches & greatly truncated continental slopes/rises
Term
Seamount
Definition
Steep sided volcanoes rise abruptly from seafloor (islands)
Term
Guyot
Definition
Submerged flat-topped seamount 1,000-1,7000 below surface
Term
Coriolis Effect
Definition
Deflective force of Earth'r rotation on all free moving objects including atmosphere & oceans, right in Northern Hemisphere, left in Southern Hemisphere
Term
Thermohaline Circulation
Definition
Movements of ocean water caused by density differences brought about by variations in temp and salinity
Term
How are Tides Generated?
Definition
Gravitational attraction from mostly Moon and a little Sun
Term
Abyssal Plains
Definition
Also known as Ocean Basin Floor, flat dark plains on seafloor
Term
4 Divisions of Time
Definition
Eon (largest)
Era
Period
Epoch (smallest)
Term
Angular Unconformity
Definition
Tilted of folded sediment that overlays younger flat strata
Term
Disconformity
Definition
Strata on either side are essentially parallel
Term
Nonconformity
Definition
Separates older metamorphic/igneous rock from younger sediment
Term
Inclusions
Definition
Fragments of other rocks contained in body of rock, Older than host rock
Term
Relative Time
Definition
Order of events/objects from first to last, Not specific
Term
Absolute Time
Definition
Age of events/objects expressed numerically, Specific
Term
4 Eons
Definition
Hadean (rocks from meteorites/moon)
Archean (earliest formed on Earth)
Proterozoic (organism w/ developed cells)
Phanerozoic (visible life)
Term
Eras
Definition
Paleozoic (early life)
Mesozoic (middle life)
Cenozoic (recent life)
Term
Geochronology
Definition
Study of timing of geologic events/processes
Term
Radiometric Dating
Definition
Used to determine age of rocks & fossils
Term
Periods
Definition
Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, Quaternary
Term
What are the dinosaur periods?
Definition
Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous
Term
Which period was there an explosion of life?
Definition
Cambrian
Term
What period do we live in today?
Definition
Quaternary; Man/Technology
Term
Most Important Geologic Agent in Eroding, Transporting & Depositing Sediment?
Definition
Groundwater
Term
Hydrologic Cycle
Definition
Evaporation -> Precipitation -> Runoff
Term
4 Major Drainage Patterns
Definition
Dendritic, Radial, Rectangular, Trellis
Term
Factors Control Stream Erosion
Definition
Slope, Discharge, Streamflow force
Term
3 Ways Streams Transport Load
Definition
Dissolved load
Suspended load
Bed load
Term
Dissolved Load
Definition
Brought to stream by groundwater, dispersed throughout flow
Term
Suspended Load
Definition
usually silt & clay mixed into water
Term
Bed Load
Definition
Move alone bottom of stream
Term
Meandering Stream
Definition
Winding stream with cut banks and point bars
Term
Meandering Cutoffs
Definition
Channel in meander connects two closest parts in bend
Term
How does flooding occur?
Definition
Discharge of stream exceeds capacity of channel
Term
Downcutting
Definition
Deepens channel of stream by removing sediment from bed
Term
Delta
Definition
Accumulation of sediment formed where stream enters lake or ocean
Term
Delta's Shape
Definition
Determined by differences in configurations of shorelines and variations in nature and strength of wave activity in shifting channels
Term
Floodplain
Definition
Flat low lying portion of stream valley subject to flooding, Formed by continuous lateral erosion caused by shifting of stream's meanders
Term
Deflation
Definition
Wind erosion by lifting and removal of loose material
Term
Blowout
Definition
Depression excavated by wind in easily eroded deposits
Term
Desert
Definition
Driest of dry climates
Term
Characteristics of Deserts
Definition
Dry, Steep angular slopes, Orange, red, gray, brown rocks, Little vegetation
Term
5 Types of Deserts
Definition
Subtropical, Rain shadow, Coastal, Continental Interior, Polar
Term
Dunes that Develop
Definition
Barchan
Transverse
Barchanoid
Longitudinal
Parabolic
Star
Term
Ventifacts
Definition
Rocks that have been abraded, pitted, etched, grooved by wind driven sand
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