Physical Geology Chapter 1 (incomplete)

James Hutton

Uniformitarianism (present is the key to the past)

Father of modern Geology

Describer of first unconformity

James Ussher

Known as Catastrophism

Subsequent followers though geologic landscapes and events happened in very short amounts of time

Compositional layers of the Earth

Crust

Mantle

Core

Physical layers of the Earth

Lithosphere

Asthenosphere

Transition Zone

Lower Mantle

Outer core

Inner core

Lithosphere

Composed of crust and upper most mantle, rigid in behavior

Asthenosphere

Below lithosphere to about 410 km, soft weak layer because all rocks are at melting point

Transition Zone

410-660 km and still part of the upper mantle, sudden increase in density

Lower Mantle

660 to 2900 km, ends at core boundary

Outer and Inner core

Outer: liquid iron/nickel, 2250 km thick

Inner: Solid iron/nickel, 1221 km radius, solid due to immense pressures

Igneous Rocks

Rocks formed from magma deep in Earth

Metamorphic Rocks

Rocks form from being subjected to high temperatures and pressures

Continental margins includes:

the continental shelf, slope, and rise

Deep ocean basins include:

the abyssal plains, deep sea trenches, seamounts, and mid-ocean ridges

Mountain Belts:

High features on land formed by convergent tectonic plants

Cratons

Flat areas of the continents

Shields

Part of the craton where billions of years old igneous and metamorphic rocks are exposed at the surface

Stable platforms

Part of the craton where a thin veneer of sediments/sedimentary rock are exposed at the surface

Where in the ocean basin would we find the continental shelf?

Between the continent and the continental slope

Where are active mountain belts most likely to be found?

Along the margins of continents

What two processes occur during the lithification of sedimentary rocks?

Compaction and cementation

What are the most prominent features on the ocean floor?

Mid-oceanic ridges