test 2 lectures 12-13

geo102 test 2 Lec 12-13

Endogenic Processes

Processes inside the Earth that produce heat and materials, like tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes.

Exogenic Processes

External processes driven by the Sun that shape land through weathering, erosion, and movement of air, water, and ice.

Geologic Time Scale

A dating system that links rock layers to time, dividing Earth's history into eons, eras, periods, and epochs.

Cenozoic Era

The current geological era (last 65.5 million years), known for the rise of mammals

Contact metamorphism

The process by which rocks are changed due to exposure to heat from nearby molten rock.

Isostatic Rebound

The rise of land masses that were previously compressed by ice sheets or sediment.

Lithification

The process of converting sediment into solid rock through compaction, cementation, or chemical actions.

Magma

Molten rock located beneath the Earth's surface.

Asthenosphere

A soft, plastic layer of the upper mantle that allows for the slow flow of tectonic plates.

Erosion

the removal of surface materials, such as soil and rock, by wind, water, ice, or other natural agents, followed by the transport of these materials to new locations.

Radiometric Dating

A technique that determines a material's age by measuring the amounts of certain isotopes in it.

Mantle

The thick layer of rock between the Earth's crust and core, composed of silicate minerals.

Subduction Zone

A region of the Earth's crust where tectonic plates meet and one plate is forced below another into the mantle.

Mineral

A natural solid with a fixed chemical makeup and crystal structure, formed from non-living Earth materials

Igneous Rock

Rock formed from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.

Sedimentary Rock

Rock formed from the accumulation and compaction of sediment.

Metamorphic Rock

rocks that have had their form changed due to temperature, pressure or chemistry. can start from igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rocks.

Tension Stress

An exertion of force that stretches a material, commonly associated with divergent boundaries.

Compression Stress

An exertion of force that shortens a material, typically occurring at convergent boundaries.

Shear Stress

An exertion of force that causes lateral twisting or sliding of materials.

Faulting

The process that leads to the formation of fractures in the Earth's crust due to stress.

Folding

The bending of rock layers due to stress, resulting in the formation of folds.

superposition

in any undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rocks, the top of the rock formation is the youngest and the bottom is the oldest.

Solar system and earth age

Estimated to be 4.6 billion years old

Holocene

the youngest geologic epoch, which began approximately 11,700 years ago after the last major ice age.

formation of the earth

was condensed from a nebula of dust, gas and icy comets about 4.6 billion years ago

Two dominate materials from the formation of earth

are silicate rocks and metals (iron).

Earth aftermath of creation

during the formation it was so hot the silica and iron were in liquid state and as the earth cooled and solidified, gravity sorted out materials by density.

lithosphere

solid, brittle, outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the upper mantle, which is broken into tectonic plates.

asthenosphere

soft (plastic) layer between the lithosphere and the upper mantle, allowing for the movement of tectonic plates.

Buoyancy ( earths crust )

the earths crust floats on denser layers of the mantle due to buoyancy forces, allowing tectonic plates to move and interact.

isostatic

the state of gravitational equilibrium between the Earth's crust and mantle, allowing for adjustments in land elevation.

rock cycle

The cycle that forms and transforms rocks, continuously recycling Earth's materials.

convergent plate boundary

converging plates that produce a subduction zone where one plate is forced under another, often leading to volcanic activity, mountain formation and earthquakes

divergent plate boundary

plates diverge in areas of the seafloor creating new oceanic crust and often forming mid-ocean ridges.

transform boundary

a type of plate boundary where two plates slide past each other horizontally, often causing earthquakes.

topography cru

relative positions of the Earth's surface features, including elevation and landforms.

crust deformation process

rocks subjected to stress tectonic forces, gravity and pressure can change shape or volume