Geology Board Review Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering general geology, mineralogy, petrology, and applied geology principles from the Board Review Questionnaire.

Mesosphere

The coldest layer of the Earth's atmosphere with a temperature of about $-85$ to $-90^\text{o}\text{C}$.

Model

The physical, visual, or mathematical simulation of a scientific idea that has limited evidence and needs further investigation.

Colluvium Deposit

A collective term referring to the deposits accumulated at the foot slope during mass wasting.

Tempestite Deposit

A collective term used for deposits that are generated by storms.

Freezing Expansion of Water

The percentage by volume that water expands when it turns into ice, which is $9\%$.

Conglomerate Matrix Limit

The maximum allowable percentage of matrix for a rock to be classified as a conglomerate, which is $70\%$.

Rhodophyta

A biological group also known as red algae.

Slide

A type of mass movement where a distinct zone of weakness is defined along the plane where the material separates.

Obsequent Stream

A type of stream that flows in the opposite direction of the dipping strata.

Bajada

A term used to denote coalescing alluvial fans from adjacent canyons.

Yardang

A landform characterized by a sharp irregular ridge composed of consolidated sediments eroded by wind along less resistant portions.

Moon Gravitational Pull

The specific gravitational force of the moon, which is $1.62\,m/s^2$.

Earth Density

The average density of the Earth, recorded as $5.51\,g/cc$.

Asthenosphere

The weakest layer of the earth which has relatively low resistance to plastic flow.

James Hutton

The scientist recognized as the father of modern Geology.

Harry Hess

The scientist who proposed the theory of seafloor spreading.

Regolith

A layer of rocks and/or minerals produced by the weathering of parent rock.

Inceptisols

A type of soil that is weakly developed and retains evidence of its initial formation.

Vadose Zone

The part of Earth between the land surface and the top of the phreatic zone where groundwater is at atmospheric pressure.

Fjord

A long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs created by a glacier.

Eskers

A long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel deposited by subglacial or englacial meltwater streams.

Hypocenter

The underground focus point of an earthquake.

Elastic Rebound Theory

The theory stating that rocks accumulate energy and deform until their internal strength is exceeded, resulting in a fault shift.

Love Wave

Surface seismic waves that cause horizontal shifting of the Earth during an earthquake.

Annular River Pattern

A river pattern that develops on a dome where concentric outcrops of rocks with different erosion resistance are exploited.

Earth Age

The estimated age of the Earth, which is $4.54\,Ga$.

Moho Discontinuity

The geological boundary marking the transition between the crust and the mantle.

Diastrophism

The process of Earth's crust deformation, including folding and faulting.

Sclerochronology

An experimental method based on counting annual growth bands in corals and molluscs.

Age of Fishes

The informal name for the Devonian period.

The Great Dying

A term used for the Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction.

Goldschmidt's Rule

A rational explanation of isomorphous substitution in crystals based on the availability and compatibility of atoms/ions regarding charge and radius.

Liquidus

The temperature threshold where the first crystals form in a cooling magma.

Eutectic Point

The point on a phase diagram where a reaction occurs between a precipitated phase and liquid to create a new solid phase.

Schistosity

A metamorphic texture formed by mineral alignment under applied stress during crystallization.

Pleochroism

An optical property where a crystal displays different colors when viewed in transmitted light from different directions.

Olistostrome

A chaotic mass of heterogeneous materials and mud formed from ancient submarine gravitational sliding or slumping.

Bentonite

Clay composed mainly of smectite minerals that are alteration products of basaltic rocks.

Anatexis

The process generally referring to the partial melting of a source rock.

Isostasy

The concept that Earth's crust is 'floating' in gravitational balance upon the mantle material.

RA 10166

The Geology Profession Act of the Philippines.

PMRC

The Philippine Mineral Reporting Code, providing guidelines for the reporting of exploration results and ore reserves.

Kriging

An elegant class of inverse-distance weighting used in geostatistics.

Phyllic Alteration

A type of hydrothermal alteration consisting of sericite and quartz.

Primary Wave Velocity (Vp)

Calculated using the formula $V_p = \sqrt{\frac{\frac{4}{3}G + k}{\rho}}$, where $G$ is shear modulus, $k$ is bulk modulus, and $\rho$ is density.

Epsomite

A mineral with the chemical formula $MgSO_4 \cdot 7H_2O$.

Fluorite

A mineral with the chemical formula $CaF_2$.

Light Ruby Silver

A mineral with the chemical formula $Ag_3AsS_3$.