Plate Tectonics Quiz 1

Components of Earth System

Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere (Whats around us)

Atmosphere (Above us)

Solid Earth (Below Us)

Main Elements of Earth

Iron (35%)

Oxygen (30%)

Silicon (15%)

Magnesium (13%)

Organic Chemicals

Carbon containing compounds (like skeletons)

Minerals

Solid, naturally occurring, orderly manner/composition

Glass

Not a mineral - not orderly arranged/composed

Melt

a solid material becomes hot and transforms into liquid

Rocks

Coherent aggregates of minerals, crystals, grains, or glass

Igneous Rocks

Formed when molten cools and solidifies

Sedimentary Rocks

rocks formed from sediments - formed from broken pieces of other rock types or from minerals out of water solutions (can have organic materials in it)

Metamorphic Rocks

When pre-existing rocks undergo changes due to response in temperature and pressure

What are Earth’s layers

Crust, Mantle (Upper, Lower), Outer Core, Inner Core

Continental Crust Characteristics

Thicker (25-70 km thick), Less dense, Granite in Composition

Oceanic Crust

Thinner (7-10 km thick), Denser, Basaltic in Composition

Mantle

Hot, Dense, Iron and Magnesium rich, some solid rock, some viscous areas (like honey)

Core

Outer Core is liquid (only true liquid layer), Inner Core is solid (pressure keeps atoms locked together in dense crystal) } both made of Nickel and Iron

Mechanical Layering of Earth

Lithosphere: Crust and top of mantle (solid, behaves elastically)

Asthenosphere: Region of the mantle that flows easily (plastic, 100km thick)

Mesosphere: Lower mantle (material flows, but slower than asthenosphere)

Outer Core

Inner Core

Explain Convection and what it can cause

Ridges, Trenches, (you know what convection is just make sure you say upwell and downwell)

Superposition

Undisturbed layers have the youngest on the top and oldest on the bottom

Principal of Original Horizontality

Layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally under the influence of gravity

Principle of Inclusion

Broken pieces of other rocks (inclusions) that are included in a rock layer need to exist before the rock layer

Principle of Original Lateral Continuity

sedimentary layers are initially deposited in continuous, horizontal sheets that extend in all directions until they taper out, thin, or encounter a barrier

Cross Cutting Relationships

any geologic feature—such as a fault, dike, or intrusion—that cuts across another rock body must be younger than the material it disrupts

Deformation

the change in a rock's shape, size, or position due to stress from tectonic forces (causes folds, faults, etc)

Uncomformities

gaps in geological record that may indicate episodes of crustal deformation, erosion, and/or sea level variations

Angular Uncomformity

a type of geological unconformity where younger, horizontal sedimentary rock layers overlie older, tilted or folded sedimentary layers.