GEO 100 Exam 1 (GVSU)

Environment

the sum of all features and conditions surrounding an organism that may influence it. continually changing

Geology

the study of the Earth

Environmental Geology

refers to geology as it relates directly to human activities

Sustainability

maintaining the ability to accommodate three important sources of change

Silicates

most abundant class of mineral in the earth's crust

Oxygen and Silicon

most common elements in crust

SiO2

most common oxide in crust

Carbonates

dissolves with weak acids

phosphate

minerals are mined for making fertilizers, detergents

phosphate

Apatite is the most important ______

Sulfates

Raw material used for making plaster (Drywall)

Sulfate

gypsum is a type of

Sulfides

Pyrite (FeS2) and pyrrhotite (FeS) are the most common ___

Luster

quality and intensity of light reflected from a mineral; metallic:

Cleavage

tendency to break in preferred directions (flat surfaces)

Streak

powdered mineral

Hardness

relative resistance to scratching

Color

composition (unreliable for ID)

element

matter composed of only one kind of atom

mineral

naturally formed, inorganic, solid, crystalline strucutre

rock

naturally formed, coherent mass of minerals, may include organic debris

atom

the smallest particle that retains the properties of a chemical element .made of protons, neutrons and electrons

isotope

has the same number of protons, different number of neutrons

ions

atoms that have lost or gained electrons

compound

molecules made from more than one element

ionic bond

strong bond, electron transferred between atoms,

covalent bond

strong and hard, atoms share elections

metallic bond

closely packed atoms share electrons in higher energy shells, weaker than the other 2 bonds

van der waals bonding

weakest, no transferring of electrons

The value of the mineral or metal extracted
Its concentration in the ore

There two major factors determining the profitability of the mining an ore

Igneous

cooled from a liquid (melt).
Magma, lava, volcanoes, molten rock cooling

Sedimentary

debris cemented from preexisting rock.
Breakdown of existing rocks sediments
Sediments deposit in water, cement together over time
Minerals can precipitate in water

Metamorphic

rock altered by pressure and temperature. Igneous or sedimentary rocks that have been changed

Igneous

Granite, Basalt are examples of what type of rock

Sedimentary

Sandstone, limestone are example of what type of rock

Metamorphic

Marble, slate, quartzite are examples of what type of rock

Bedrock

rock still attached to the Earth

Magma

molten rock below surface

Lava

molten rock exposed on surface

texture, composition

igneous rocks are characterized by

Intrusive

magma cools slowly within existing rock- coarse grains (granite)

Extrusive

magma cools quickly on Earth's surface - fine grains (rhyolite)

Clastic

loose rock fragments (clasts) cemented together.

Biochemical

cemented shells of organisms.

Organic

carbon-rich remains of once living organisms.

Chemical

minerals that crystallize directly from water.

clastic, biochemical, organic, chemical

4 classes of sedimentary rocks

Weathering

generation of detritus via rock disintegration.

Erosion

removal of sediment grains from parent rock.

Transportation

dispersal by gravity, wind, water, and ice.

Deposition

settling out of the transporting fluid.

Lithification

transformation into solid rock.

weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, lithification

5 steps to forming a clastic rock

Clast size

the diameter of fragments or grains.
Range from very coarse to very fine.

Angularity

the degree of edge or corner smoothness.

clastic

breccia, conglomerate, sandstone, shale, mudstone are all examples of what type of sedimentary rocks

biochemical

diamictite, limestone, chert are all examples of what type of sedimentary rocks

organic

coal and oil shell are examples of what type of sedimentary rocks

chemical

dolostone is an example of what type of sedimentary rocks

crust

The outermost "skin" of our planet

continental and oceanic.

two types of crust

Continental crust

underlies the continents.
Average thickness 35-40 km
less dense

Oceanic crust

underlies the ocean basins.
average thickness 7-10 km
more dense

mantle

Solid rock, 2,885 km thick, 82% of Earth's volume.

outer core

2,255 km thick, liquid

inner core

Radius of 1,220 km
Denser than outer core
solid

seismic waves

how do we know the earths interior

continental fit, fossils, glaciers

what evidence do we have for plate movement

Divergent boundary

tectonic plates move apart.

Convergent boundary

tectonic plates move together.

Transform boundary

tectonic plates slide sideways.
Plate material is neither created nor destroyed.

subduction

The process of plate consumption is called

sea floor spreading

result of the seafloor moving away from the oceanic ridges due to rising magma

mid ocean ridge

Linear mountain ranges in Earth's ocean basins.

mountain formation

Continental-continental collision results in a

Ridge-push

elevated MOR pushes lithosphere away.

Slab-pull

gravity pulls a subducting plate downward.

hot spot

Very hot pockets of magma close to surface that create volcanoes

Elastic deformation

reversible change in shape or volume
(type of deformation)

Ductile deformation

irreversible change
(type of deformation)

Fracture (brittle)

breaking (type of deformation)

reverse and thrust fault

Hanging wall moves up and over the footwall. Caused by compression.

strike slip fault

a type of fault where rocks on either side move past each other sideways with little up or down motion

normal fault

A type of fault where the hanging wall slides downward; caused by tension in the crust

creep

the slow gradual slip along a fault zone without major damaging earthquakes

locked faults

Pressure pushes together the irregular walls of the fault; surfaces resist sliding

Hypocenter (Focus)

point of rupture

Epicenter

point on surface

Stick-slip

Slip between the rocks across the fault is sudden and violent (movement along locked faults)

Surface waves

slowest (Love and Raleigh waves)
Cause the most damage, strongest waves

Primary waves

Compressional waves
Vibrations parallel to the direction of wave path
Go through liquid

Secondary waves

Move by shaking from side to side
Vibration is perpendicular to the direction of wavepath

Richter scale (EQ magnitude)

Calculated from the amplitude of the largest seismic wave recorded from the earthquake, no matter what type of was was the strongest
Logarithmic scale of 1 to 9

Magnitude

amount of ground motion

Intraplate earthquakes

earthquakes occurs within the plate, away from plate boundaries

ground motion, ground failure, tsunami, fire, disease

5 earthquake related hazards

Ground motion(shaking)

what type of earthquake hazard breaks power lines, pipelines, buildings, roads, bridges, etc

Ground failure

what type of earthquake hazard causes landslides, liquefaction

short term earthquake predictions

Frequency and distribution pattern of foreshocks
Deformation of the ground surface:
Tilting, elevation changes
Emission of radon gas
Seismic gap
Fault that hasn't broken in awhile
Abnormal animal activities

earthquake mitigation

Adjustments to earthquake activities:
Site selection for critical facilities
Structure reinforcement and
protection
Land-use regulation and planning
Emergency planning and management: Insurance and relief measures