Untitled Flashcards Set

Ornithischia

A clade of dinosaurs characterized by a 'bird-hipped' pelvic structure with the pubis pointing backward and running parallel to the ischium.

Diagnostic traits of Ornithischia

Features include a beak-like predentary bone, leaf-shaped teeth for herbivory, ossified tendons along the vertebral column, and a specialized jaw joint for precise chewing.

Mafic Magma

Rich in magnesium and iron, low viscosity, produces dark-colored rocks like basalt, associated with divergent boundaries and oceanic crust.

Felsic Magma

Rich in silica and aluminum, high viscosity, produces light-colored rocks like granite, typically forms in continental crust settings.

Cladograms

Diagrams that depict evolutionary relationships using shared common ancestors and derived characteristics to show how closely related organisms are.

Synapomorphies

Shared derived traits used in cladistics to group taxa based on their most recent common ancestors.

Volcanic Igneous Rocks

Rocks that form from lava cooling quickly at Earth's surface, leading to fine-grained or glassy textures (e.g., basalt, rhyolite).

Plutonic Igneous Rocks

Rocks that form when magma cools slowly beneath the Earth's surface, resulting in coarse-grained textures (e.g., granite, gabbro).

Effect of Transportation on Clastic Sediment

As sediment is transported, it becomes smaller in size, more rounded in shape, and can show sorting indicating transport distances and energy conditions.

Five Defining Properties of a Mineral

Naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, definite chemical composition, and ordered crystalline structure.

Phanerozoic Eras

The three geological eras: Paleozoic (541–252 Ma), Mesozoic (252–66 Ma), and Cenozoic (66 Ma–present).

Mesozoic Periods

The Triassic (252–201 Ma), Jurassic (201–145 Ma), and Cretaceous (145–66 Ma)

Definition of Dinosaur

the most recent common ancestor of Triceratops and modern birds, including all its descendants from both Ornithischia and Saurischia.

Triassic

252-201

Jurassic

201-145 million years ago

Cretaceous

145-66 million years ago

Paleozoic

541-252 million years ago

Mesozoic

252-66 million years ago, the era of dinosaurs.

Cenozoic

66- present