Geology and Earth Science Exam Review

These flashcards cover key terminology and concepts from the geology and earth science exam review, based on lecture notes.

Continental Drift

A hypothesis proposed by Alfred Wegener suggesting that continents have shifted from a single supercontinent, Pangaea, breaking apart about 200 million years ago.

Pangaea

A supercontinent that existed when all continents were fused together.

Seafloor Spreading

The process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and older crust is pushed away from the ridge to subduction zones.

Plate Tectonics Theory

The scientific theory that the lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates that move on the underlying asthenosphere.

Lithosphere

The rigid outer layer of Earth, consisting of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle.

Asthenosphere

The upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the lithosphere, characterized by a gradual flow of hotter and weaker rocks.

Divergent Boundaries

Plate boundaries where two tectonic plates move apart, leading to the formation of new seafloor.

Convergent Boundaries

Plate boundaries where two plates collide, resulting in one plate being subducted into the mantle.

Subduction

The process at convergent boundaries where one tectonic plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle.

Hot Spot

A location where hot mantle material rises to create volcanoes, independent of plate boundaries.

Paleomagnetism

The study of the magnetic properties of rocks to determine the history of Earth's magnetic field.

Seismic Waves

Waves of energy produced by earthquakes that travel through the Earth.

Epicenter

The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.

Fault

Fractures in Earth's crust along which movement has occurred.

Seismograph

An instrument used to measure and record seismic waves.

Liquefaction

The process by which water-saturated soil behaves like a liquid during seismic activity.

Mass Wasting

Gravity-driven movement of rock and soil down slopes.

Erosion

The process by which material is worn away from the Earth's surface and transported elsewhere.

Aquifer

A geological formation that can store and transmit groundwater.

Karst Topography

A landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, characterized by caves and sinkholes.

Stalactites

Mineral formations that hang from the ceiling of caves, formed from dripping mineral-laden water.

Stalagmites

Mineral formations that grow upward from the floor of caves, formed from dripping mineral-laden water.

Oxbow Lake

A U-shaped body of water that forms when a meander from a river is cut off.

Water Table

The upper surface of the zone of saturation, where the soil or rock is fully saturated with water.