Geology of National Parks First EZxam

What are the 4 pillars of the National Park Symbol?

1. History (Arrow)

2. Earth and Minerals

3. Flora and Fauna (Plants and Animals)

4. Grass and green (plants)

What is geology?

The study of the Earth and its processes

How does land become a park?

National parks and monuments are created via the executive branch of the US government. A president mainly brings it up to Congress for approval, or through an executive order. However, to expand or contract the area of a park, a simple executive order will do.

How do geologists know how old something is?

Through geological time dating either relatively or absolutely.

Relative Age dating

Dating something in comparison to something else

Absolute age dating

age dating involves determining the exact age of a rock or fossil using methods such as radiometric dating.

Superposition

• Layers of rock

  • Oldest rock is at the bottom, newest on top

Principal of original horizontality

• Explains when layers of rock that are typically horizontal become arhced

  • Caused from tectonics

Lateral Continuity

• When layers are spread evenly amongst an area, even though there is a break

  • Caused by erosion

Cross Cutting

• When something splits a layer a part

• Fault cuts across the layers

  • Fault is younger than layers

Intrusion

• Intruding rock is younger

Inclusion

• A rock with bits in it

• The darker pieces of rock existed before, and then the other material included those pieces

  • Rock containing the inclusions is younger than the actual inclusions

Who created the Law of Superposition

Nicolaus Steno in 1669

Name a few featured parks of Geological Time

• Great Basin

• Carlsbad Caverns

• Grand Canyon

  • Yellowstone

Name some featured parks involving plate tectonics

• Hawaii

• Appalachians

• Great Smoking Mountains

• Death Valley

• Pt Reyes National Seashore.

Uncomformities

Shows amount of time process missing, and proved the earth is dynamic

Angular Uncomformities

• Boundary of angular and non-angular rock

  • Started horizontally, but then was tilted and had layers on top

Discomformity

Layers were laid, something stops it, then layers erod unevenly, proceeded with more layers on top

Non comformity

Having a boundary of 2 different rock types.