GEOL 1602 Final Exam Study Materials - Key Terms and Definitions in Earth Science

What are the characteristics of mammals?

• fur or hair

• four-chambered heart

• mammary glands

• warm-blooded

examples of mammals

• mammoths

• horses

• saber tooth

• ground hog

• sloth

• primates

age of mammals

existed since the Mesozoic

five types of igneous rock textures

• phaneritic

• porphyritic

• aphanitic

• glassy

• vesicular

phaneritic rock texture

• crystals are clearly visible

• ex: granite

porphyritic rock texture

• mix of ground mass (microscopic crystals) with some larger crystals

• mixture of grain size

• ex: andesite (black and white)

aphanitic rock texture

• can't see the grain size

• ex: basalt

glass rock texture

• natural amorphous glass with few or no crystals

• ex: obsidian

vesicular

• contains many vesicles (holes), the gas in the magma evaporates from the rock

• ex: scoria (very light)

mafic rock composition

• plagioclase

• pyroxene

• olivine

felsic rock composition

• quartz

• feldspar

intermediate rock composition

• plagioclase

• pyroxene

• olivine

five types of trace fossils

• resting

• dwelling

• crawling

• grazing

• feeding

ichnology

• study of traces

• allows us to understand the water depth, currents, food supply, rates of deposition

• tells us if the animal was resting, grazing, feeding, or dwelling

types of biozones

• taxon range

• assemblage

• concurrent range

• abundance (acme)

• intrazone

taxon range biozone

• body of rock representing the total geologic life span of an organism, one rock unit

• interval of first appearance and last appearance

• named after the fossil

assemblage biozone

body of rock with three or more taxa

concurrent range biozone

body of rock with two or more taxa

abundance (acme) biozone

a body of rock represented by the maximum abundance of some species, genus or other taxon

intrazone biozone

an interval that lack diagnostic fossils between 2 identifiable biozones

felsic

• higher silicon content

• lighter in color

types of felsic rock

• rhyolite

• granite

• obsidian

type of intermediate rock

andesite

mafic rock

• magnesium

• basalt

• gabbro

• scoria

• periodite

• darker in color

aesthenosphere

liquid part of the mantle

transgression

sea advances across the continental craton

transgression rock sequence

limestone → shale → sandstone

regression

sea level recedes from the continental craton

regression rock sequence

sandstone → shale → limestone

three types of unconformities

• non-conformity

• disconformity

• angular unconformity

non-conformity

sediment over a metamorphic or igneous rock

disconformity

sediment over sediment with parallel layers thhat are separated

angular unconformity

strata intersect a surface at an angle underneath the unconformity

granite

• phaneritic

• quartz + feldspar

• intrusive

basalt

• aphanitic

• pyroxene

• extrusive

scoria

• vesicular

• olivine

• extrusive

andesite

• porphyritic

• plagioclase

• extrusive

breccia

• clastic

• SiO2

• poorly sorted

• alluvial fan

sandstone

• clastic

• SiO2

• moderately sorted

• shallow marine environment

ichnology tells us about . . .

• water depth

• currents

• food supply

• rate of deposition

two examples of igneous rocks

• basalt

• granite

Alfred Wegener

scientist accredited with first establishing the idea of plate tectonics

animals classified into what two groups

vertebrates and non-vertebrates

biozone

fundemental unit used in biostratigraphy

tectonic settings

• cratonic

• orogenic

cratonic tectonic setting

• slow subsidence

• slow uplift

• no volcanoes

orogenic tectonic setting

• fast-subsidence

• fast uplift

• volcanoes

graded bedding

• coarser sediment at the bottom

• finer sediment at the top

• product of turbidity currents

mud crack

• indicates current direction

• indicates post-depositional deformation

• dried clay found in lakes

• forms on the interface between bed