Life in the Universe quiz 3

Geology

study of the formation and evolution of worlds

volcanism

releasing trapped head/gas, contributes to earth’s ongoing habitability

plate techtonics

continue to reshape earth, regulating its climate, slow motion of the fractured plates of the crust

global magnetic field

earth’s magnetic field acts as a barrier, protects earth’s atmosphere from solar wind stripping

age of universe

14 billion years

geological record

tracks evolution of earth, rocks, fossils, and layers

fossil record

subset/part of nut not entire geological record, easily destroyed by living things on earth

fossils

leftover imprints of something that used to be alive, no living matter, stone

igneous rock

from volcano/molten + cools

metamorphic rock

formed due to pressure

sedimentary rock

beneath water, oldest on bottom

strata

slow depositing of material on a surface over time, low lying is younger then higher lying

mineralogical analysis

studying the substance of a rock sample

chemical analysis

studying the elemental or molecule composition of a sample

isotopic analysis

comparing radioactive parent and daughter isotope ratios and radioactive hold-life to determine the age of sample

zircons

zirconium silicate crystals formed in early solar system

eon

longest time period

hadean eon

earliest stage when earth was hot, molten, struck by asteroids

archean eon

earth was cooled, stable oceans formed, first single-life cell engaged

proterozoic eon

marked by rising oxygen levels in atmosphere, appearance of multicellular life

phanerozoic eon

defined by rapid explosion of visible life

era

moderate time period

period

shortest time period

heavy bombardment

massive number of asteroids and comets battered the early earth and moons

early atmosphere

very different from the atmosphere now

lithosphere

crust and upper mantle

seismic waves

shock propagating through earth’s interior and surface during earthquake and nuclear test

sterilizing impacts

make molten earth’s crust, sufficient to kill most, if not all, surface life on earth

differentiated

materials operate out by density

inner core

highest density material, iron and nickel, temperature of suns surface, keeps gravitational pressure from earth crushing down on it

outer

connecting fluid similar to inner core

mantle

rocky material, moderate density, silicates, dominant volume of earth, solids

crust

lowest density material, igneous rocks minimal in width

impacts

generates massive amounts of heat, melting outer layers of earth

gravitational potential energy

as molten earth contracts, it releases heat

radioactive decay

heat is continuously released by decay of heavy elements inside earth

heat deposition

how much heat energy you start with

seafloor crust

thin, young, high density igneous rock

continental crust

thick, rock of all ages, low density rock

subduction zone

descending seafloor crusts heats and melts

fault

plates meet and try to move sideways to one another

hot spot

old/buried faults build up a plume of hot mantle

solar wind stripping

energetic charged particles from sun can knock atmospheric molecules into space

geodynamo

powered by earth’s molten core

ice age

portions of earth past that is not fully understood, earth’s surface is covered in ice

milankovitch cycle

slow increasing or decreasing axial tilts

co-evolution

earth and moon formed together

capture

earth captures a rouge moon in early solar system

rotational split

earth spins so fast boon breaks off