Introduction to Earth Science Exam Review

This set of flashcards covers key concepts and questions from the Introduction to Earth Science lecture notes, particularly focusing on sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, seismic waves, geological structures, and soil horizons.

What is produced when rainwater dissolves small quantities of CO2 as it falls through the atmosphere?

Carbonic acid.

What type of sedimentary rock is made up of sand-sized sediments?

Sandstone (or quartz arenite) if the pieces are a mixture of quartz and feldspar.

Which metamorphic process produces the majority of metamorphic rocks?

Regional metamorphism.

What are metamorphic facies?

Rocks that have been subjected to the same pressure and temperature conditions.

If a radioactive element has a half-life of 4 million years, what amount of parent material will remain after 12 million years?

One-eighth.

What type of fault occurs when the hanging wall block moves downward relative to the footwall block?

Normal fault.

What geological structure may result from tensional stresses?

Normal fault.

Why does an S-wave shadow exist 105° away from an earthquake?

The S-waves cannot travel through liquids.

What is the characteristic of a contact where the rocks below are tilted or otherwise deformed?

Angular unconformity.

What is the characteristic of a contact where the rocks below are eroded horizontal sedimentary rocks?

Disconformity.

What is the characteristic of a contact where the rocks below show no evidence of a break?

Conformable.

What type of contact occurs where the rocks below are igneous or metamorphic?

Nonconformity.

What type of seismic wave moves by alternately compressing and stretching materials they pass through?

P-waves.

What type of seismic wave moves by shearing the materials they are passing through?

S-waves.

Which seismic waves can travel through solids, liquids, and gases?

P-waves.

What is the fastest of all seismic waves?

P-waves.

Which seismic waves produce the least amount of damage?

Surface waves.

When water freezes and expands in joints and cavities of rock, what occurs?

Frost wedging.

What is the B soil horizon commonly referred to?

Subsoil, not topsoil.

What type of sediments are siliciclastic sediments?

Sediments that formed by physical weathering, not by direct precipitation from water.

Where do all salt deposits generally form?

In desert basins that have no outlets.

What are porphyroblasts?

Large crystals that grow in rocks during metamorphism.

When rocks are brittle, what is their tendency?

They are not easily folded.

What can be inferred about layers of rock that dip due east?

Their strike could be due north or south, depending on the configuration.

What remains unsolved regarding the density of the Earth's layers?

The problem of mismatched density between the whole Earth and surface rocks.