Formation of the Solar System and Related Concepts

Flashcards summarizing the key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on the formation of the solar system and associated geological principles.

Solar Nebula

A rotating cloud of gas and dust from which the solar system formed.

Accretion

The process by which dust and ice particles clump together to form larger bodies, leading to the formation of planets.

Supernova

An explosive event that occurs when a star dies, releasing energy that can compress nearby molecular clouds.

Solar Wind

A stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun that influences the arrangement of planets.

Terrestrial Planets

Rocky planets closer to the Sun, including Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, characterized by high melting points.

Jovian Planets

Gas giants farther from the Sun, including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, generally characterized by rings and many moons.

Impact Craters

Depressions formed when meteorites crash into a planet or moon's surface.

Radiometric Dating

A method used to date rocks and materials based on the decay rate of radioactive isotopes.

Fossils

Remains or traces of ancient organisms preserved in rock layers.

Uniformitarianism

The principle stating that the processes observed in present-day geology also operated in the past.

Law of Superposition

In an undisturbed sequence of rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top.

Cross-Cutting Relationships

Principle stating that a fault or igneous intrusion is younger than the rocks it cuts through.