GES 1101

Uniformitarianism

The idea that processes observed today are the same as those that operated in the past.

Geocentric

The model where Earth is considered the center of the universe.

Heliocentric

The model that states the Sun is at the center of the solar system.

Gravity

The attractive force one mass exerts on another, dependent on mass and distance.

Theory (Science)

An idea based on many observations that remains unproven despite new challenges.

Theory (Colloquial)

A personal idea or hypothesis that may not reliably hold up to scrutiny.

Doppler Effect

The change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer moving relative to the source.

Red Shift

Observed in galaxies moving away from Earth at high velocities.

Big Bang

The theory that explains the beginning of the universe from a singularity approximately 13.8 billion years ago.

Nebulae

Clouds of gas and dust in space that are visible as bright, indistinct patches.

Covalent bond

A type of bond formed when atoms share electrons.

Supernova

An explosion that occurs at the end of a star's life cycle, creating heavy elements.

Protoplanetary Disk

A rotating disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a young star, where planets form.

Volatile Materials

Substances that easily vaporize; examples include hydrogen and water.

Refractory Materials

Substances that do not melt until exposed to very high temperatures.

Dwarf Planets

Celestial bodies that orbit the Sun and are not satellites, but do not clear their orbit of other debris.

Isostasy

The state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's lithosphere and asthenosphere.

Magnetosphere

The region surrounding Earth that protects it from solar wind.

Mohorovicic Discontinuity (Moho)

The boundary between Earth's crust and the underlying mantle.

Continental Drift

The hypothesis that continents have moved across the Earth's surface over geological time.

Glacial polish

Smooth, shiny rock surfaces created by the movement of glaciers over the rock.

Dome (Geology)

A folded structure in which rock layers are uplifted in an arch-like shape.

Syncline

A trough-shaped fold in rock layers where the limbs dip towards the hinge.

Anticline

An arch-like fold in which the limbs dip away from the hinge.

Foliation

Layering in metamorphic rocks caused by the alignment of mineral grains.

Dip-Slip Fault

A fault where movement occurs up or down the slope of the fault.

Normal Fault

A fault where the footwall is raised relative to the hanging wall, typical of extensional regimes.

Reverse Fault

A fault where the hanging wall is raised relative to the footwall, typical of compressional regimes.

Oblique-Slip Fault

A fault where movement occurs diagonally, exhibiting both vertical and horizontal displacements.

Seafloor Spreading

The process by which new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and moves away, causing the ocean basin to widen.

Plate Boundary

The edge where two tectonic plates meet, which can be divergent, convergent, or transform.

Convergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where plates come together, often causing one to be subducted beneath the other.

Transform Boundary

A boundary where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.

Hot Spot

A fixed point in the mantle where melting occurs, resulting in volcanic activity, independent of plate boundaries.

Orogeny

The process of mountain building through tectonic plate interactions.

Paleopoles

The past positions of Earth's magnetic poles recorded in rock.

Triple Junction

A geological point where three tectonic plates meet.

Vein (Geology)

A seam of minerals formed in rock by the precipitation of dissolved minerals.

Bathymetry

The study of underwater depth of ocean floors.

Accretionary Prism

Sediment and rock that is scraped off a downgoing tectonic plate and accreted onto an overriding plate.

Wadati-Benioff Zone

A zone of earthquakes that occur in a downgoing plate at convergent boundaries.

Singularity

Everything in the universe was packed in a single point

Nuclear Fusion

The process in which elements are formed

Inner Planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars - primarily composed of rock and metal

Outer Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune - primarily made of gas

Planet

Must orbit the sun, must have gravity to become round, must have its own orbit

Moon

Formed from orbiting debris

Age of Earth

4.54ga

Why is the outer core liquid but the inner core is solid?

Prevents iron from melting due to intense pressure

The driving mechanism for plate tectonics

Convection currents within the Earth’s mantle

How deep can plates be subducted?

660km - this marks the boundary between the upper and lower mantle which acts as a barrier

Mantle Plume

A column of hot rock that rises from deep within the Earth