GLY101 With Cole Exam 1

Belief Based Vs. Research Based Knowledge

Belief Based is often grounded in personal conviction with little data to back it up, whereas Research Based is rigorously tested and backed by data.

Natural Philosophy Vs. Superstition

Both are ways to guess or hypothesize about natural phenomena, Natural Philosophy however is grounded in logic based assumptions whereas Superstition is often faith based.

Scientific Revolution Developments

Scientific Method
Foundational Physics
Challenged Faith Based Knowledge

Scientific Theory Vs. Hypothesis

Hypothesis is often a testable prediction without much substantiated data backing it, whereas a Scientific Theory is a well researched and investigated explanation of the natural world.

Scientific Method Steps

State The Problem
Research
Hypothesis
Experiment
Analyze Data
Draw Conclusion
Peer Review

Control Group

Group that is not exposed to whatever is being testing. (i.e. Regular Plants)

Dependent Variable

What is being measured. (i.e. Growth in plants)

Independent Variable

Factor that is being changed. (i.e. How much plants are watered)

Mineral

Element or chemical compound that is a naturally occurring solid with an ordered atomic structure, typically crystalline and inorganic.

Luster

How a mineral reflects light.

Color

Mineral's surface color.

Streak

Color of mineral when powdered.

Hardness

How easily a mineral can scratch or be scratched. (Moh's Scale)

Habit

Mineral's crystal structure.

Cleavage

How a mineral breaks apart.

Density

Mass divided by volume.

Anhedral

Crystals misinformed because of constraint. (Crystals could not grow because something was blocking them)

Subhedral

Crystals with partially formed shapes.

Euhedral

Crystals with perfectly formed shapes.

Ore

A mineral with a large concentration of a valuable element. (Iron, Copper, Aluminum, etc.)

Four Kinds of Mining

Open Pit: Man-made holes for shallow ore.
Strip Mining: Getting rid of everything above a layer of ore.
Quarrying: Smaller open pits, with at least one steep side.
Underground Mining: Digging tunnels to reach deep ore.

Industrial Minerals

Diamond: Cutting / Polishing
Garnet: Polishing / Sanding
Olivine: Industrial Sand
Quarts: Silica
Micas: Makeup

Rock

Consolidated mixture of one or more minerals.

Three Kinds of Rocks

Igneous: Forms from cooled magma
Metamorphic: Forms from high heat and pressure
Sedimentary: Forms from compressed sediment

Crust

Earth's outermost layer, relatively shallow.

Mantle

Layer of hot, solid material between the crust and core.

Outer Core

Layer of mostly molten liquid iron and nickel surrounding the inner core.

Inner Core

Very dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of the Earth.

Lithosphere

Rigid layer made of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust. We live on it.

Asthenosphere

Soft layer of the mantle that the lithosphere floats on and tectonic plates move on.

How do igneous rocks form?

From molten magma or lava cooling / crystalizing.

Decompression Melting

As rock rises in the mantle, pressure drops but temperature stays the same causing the rock to melt.

Flux Melting

Water is added to rock that is close to its melting point, causing it to melt.

Magma Vs. Lava

Magma is molten rock within the Earth's crust, Lava is magma that has exited the Earth's crust.

Plutonic Vs. Volcanic Rocks

Plutonic rocks are igneous rocks that cooled while still inside the Earth, Volcanic rocks are igneous rocks that cooled after exiting the Earth.

Plutonic Textures

Typically cool slower with larger crystals.

Volcanic Textures

Usually glassy, cooled faster, and has smaller crystals.

Mafic Vs. Felsic

Mafic does not have a lot of Silica whereas Felsic has a ton. More silica makes it further in Bowen's Cycle.

Bowen's Cycle

Chart of types of rocks igneous rocks can become when cooled depending on how much silica they have.

Mafic Igneous Rocks

Not very much silica, Gabbro and Basalt most common.

Intermediate Igneous Rocks

Somewhere between Mafic and Felsic, Andesite and Diorite most common.

Felsic Igenous Rocks

Very rich in silica, Granite and Rhyolite most common.

Effusive Vs. Explosive Eruptions

Effusive, lava just kind of seems out. Explosive, lava explodes out from trapped gas.

Explosive Eruption Cause

High silica magma typically is more thick, gasses cannot get out from magma pools and builds up until an explosion.

Cinder Cone

Steep cone shaped hill made of volcanic ash from an eruption. Formed in one eruption. Most common.

Shield Volcano

Very wide, gently sloping mountain made from quiet eruptions. Some of the largest volcanoes but very flat. Formed over a long time.

Maar

Irregularly shaped crater, often filled in with a lake. Only one eruption but lots of steam explosions. Formed from explosive eruption.

Lava Dome

Mound of very thick, unstable lava. Prone to collapsing in on itself and causing an explosion.

Stratovolcano

Very steep sided volcano, what you imagine a volcano looks like. Several thousand meters tall, large volcanic centers and multiple eruptions.

Caldera

One of the largest kinds of volcanoes, large volcanic crater. Forms in one explosion which empties the magma chamber below it, causing the ground to become hallow and collapse in on itself, causing the crater.

Volcanic Hazards

Direct hazards: Lava flow, projectiles, ejecta, ash fall
Indirect hazards: Environmental changers, forests decaying, species extinct, etc.

How do sedimentary rocks form?

Rocks get weathered into sediment, eroded (transported) around until it gets deposited. Sediment is deposited on sediment until it is compacted down into a Sedimentary rock.

What is Sediment?

Small, solid pieces of material that come from weathered rock.

What is mechanical weathering?

Process of breaking down rocks physically (e.g., water freezing in cracks, roots growing in cracks, pressure changes).

What is chemical weathering?

Process of rocks changing form due to exposure to surface conditions. (Exposure to CO2, water, and oxygen)

Erosion

Process by which sediment is carried and transported until being deposited. Commonly by gravity, rivers, rains, or wind.

Sediment Classification

Classified by size and shape. Smaller the size, longer the sediment has been weathered and eroded for. Going from smallest to largest:
Clay, Silt, Sand, Pebble, Cobble, Boulder

Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

Solid particles of pre-existing rocks. Breccia, Conglomerates, Sandstones, Siltstones, Shale

Chemical Sedimentary Rocks

Precipitated minerals from water. Mostly calcite.

Carbonate Rock

Any rock mostly made of carbon based minerals. i.e. Dolomite, Limestone

Bioclastic Sedimentary Rock

Combination of clastic and chemical. Made of living organisms like shells. Fossiliferous limestone

Depositional Environment

Hot spots for sediment deposits. Because of gravity these are typically lower. Common spots are Rivers, Swamps, Dunes, Beaches, or Coral Reefs.

Marine Vs. Non-Marine Depositional Environments

Marine environments are deposit areas in the ocean or seas. Non-Marine is anything outside of that, including water lands like swamps and rivers.

How do metamorphic rocks form?

Metamorphic rocks form from any rocks undergoing heat and pressure but NOT melting.

Recrystalization

When a mineral's texture changes but not its identity. (Grain size and appearance may change, crystals may get larger, still the same mineral)

Phase Changes

Changes from one state to another. (Steam becomes water becomes ice becomes water)

Neocrystalization

Creation of new minerals from old minerals via chemical reactions.

Contact Metamorphism

When magma contacts rocks in the crust and bakes them. | High Heat, Low Pressure

Regional Metamorphism

When mountains form, pressure and heat applied to form very large metamorphic rock swaths. | High Heat, High Pressure

Hydrothermal Metamorphism

Hot magma heats up ground water causing surrounding rocks to alter. | Low Heat, Low Pressure

Impact Metamorphism

Metamorphism that occurs when meteorites hit the Earth. This metamorphism happens very rapidly. | High Heat, High Pressure

Low Vs. High Metamorphic Grade

Amount of change a metamorphic rock undergoes when metamorphism occurs.

Protolith

The original rock from which a metamorphic rock is formed.

Foliated Rocks

Metamorphic rocks with crystals arranged in parallel layers. Pressure applied from one side. (Like a sandwich) Slate, Schist, Gneiss

Non-Foliated Rocks

Metamorphic rock with no set layers, pressure applied from all sides. Marble, Quartzite, Hornfels