Geosciences and Carbon Cycle

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts related to geosciences, the carbon cycle, and geological time scales.

Geologic Time

A timeline of Earth's history divided into eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages.

Era

A major division of geological time, which includes Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic.

Fossil Succession

The principle that fossils succeed one another in a definitive and recognizable order.

Index Fossils

Fossils used to define and identify a particular time period in geology.

Carbon Cycle

The process by which carbon is exchanged between the Earth’s various reservoirs: lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Reservoir

A natural storage place for carbon or other materials in the carbon cycle.

Residence Time

The average time a substance remains in a reservoir, calculated as total mass divided by total inputs.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using sunlight.

Anthropogenic

Caused or influenced by humans, often referring to environmental changes due to human activity.

Meteorite

A solid fragment of a meteor that survives its passage through the atmosphere to strike the surface of the Earth.

Canyon Diablo Meteorite

A meteorite used to determine the age of the Earth at approximately 4.56 billion years.

Subduction

The process by which one tectonic plate moves under another, often involving the recycling of carbon into the Earth's mantle.

Carbon Reservoirs

Different storage locations for carbon such as oceans, atmosphere, biomass, and fossil fuels.

Chemical Reactions

Processes involving the transformation of substances, where reactants are converted into products through chemical change.

Hydrosphere

The combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet.