GEOL 1110 Exam 1 Study Set With
Complete Solutions
Earth System - ANSWER made up of the 4 different subsystems:
-Atmosphere
-Biosphere
-Geosphere
-Hydrosphere
Hypothesis - ANSWER -unproven, but may become supported by evidence
-an "educated guess," but must be testable
Theory - ANSWER -explains WHY natural phenomena occur(principles and
patterns in nature)
-tested, predictive, and supported by a large body of evidence
-HIGHEST LEVEL of KNOWING
Law - ANSWER -Generalizations, principles, and patterns in nature
-offten mathematical (written as an equation)
- occur under very specific conditons
Principle of Superposition - ANSWER in any sequence of undisturbed
layers (or strata), the oldest layer is at the bottom, and successively
younger layers are located at successively highest levels
Principle of Original Horizontality - ANSWER - sediment is deposited in
layers that are originally horizontal
-tilted strata indicate a crustal disturbance occurred after deposition
, Principle of Lateral Continuity - ANSWER a rock layer extends continuously
in all directions until it thins out, encounters a barrier, or grades laterally
into another type of sediment
Principle of Fossil Succession - ANSWER - proposed by William Smith
- over the long history of the Earth, fossils are unique to specific intervals of
geologic time
- when proposed Smith did not know why each rock unit had a particular
collection of fossils
Principle of Crosscutting Relationships - ANSWER a penetrating mineral
vein, intruding rock mass, or fault must be younger than the rock body that
has been penetrated
Principle of Inclusions - ANSWER if inclusions (or clasts) are found in a
formation, then the inclusions must be older than the formation that
contains them
- Charles Lyell first wrote about this, largely influenced by Hutton
Unconformity - ANSWER - gaps in the rock record
-obviously, rocks are not continuously laid down and the rock record is not
complete
-recognized by hutton, but named later
-erosional surfaces that represent a gap in the rock record(either due to
erosion or a period of non-deposition
Nonconformity - ANSWER exists between sedimentary rocks and
metamorphic rocks or igneous rocks (Sedimentary rock deposited on
eroded metamorphic or igneous rocks)
Disconformity - ANSWER unconformity between parallel layers of
sedimentary rocks that represent a period of erosion or non-deposition
Angular Unconformity - ANSWER unconformity where parallel strata of
sedimentary rocks are deposited on tilted and eroded layers
Neptunism - ANSWER -popularized by Abraham Gottlob Werner
-all rocks were deposited or precipitated from a great ocean that once
covered the entire planet
Complete Solutions
Earth System - ANSWER made up of the 4 different subsystems:
-Atmosphere
-Biosphere
-Geosphere
-Hydrosphere
Hypothesis - ANSWER -unproven, but may become supported by evidence
-an "educated guess," but must be testable
Theory - ANSWER -explains WHY natural phenomena occur(principles and
patterns in nature)
-tested, predictive, and supported by a large body of evidence
-HIGHEST LEVEL of KNOWING
Law - ANSWER -Generalizations, principles, and patterns in nature
-offten mathematical (written as an equation)
- occur under very specific conditons
Principle of Superposition - ANSWER in any sequence of undisturbed
layers (or strata), the oldest layer is at the bottom, and successively
younger layers are located at successively highest levels
Principle of Original Horizontality - ANSWER - sediment is deposited in
layers that are originally horizontal
-tilted strata indicate a crustal disturbance occurred after deposition
, Principle of Lateral Continuity - ANSWER a rock layer extends continuously
in all directions until it thins out, encounters a barrier, or grades laterally
into another type of sediment
Principle of Fossil Succession - ANSWER - proposed by William Smith
- over the long history of the Earth, fossils are unique to specific intervals of
geologic time
- when proposed Smith did not know why each rock unit had a particular
collection of fossils
Principle of Crosscutting Relationships - ANSWER a penetrating mineral
vein, intruding rock mass, or fault must be younger than the rock body that
has been penetrated
Principle of Inclusions - ANSWER if inclusions (or clasts) are found in a
formation, then the inclusions must be older than the formation that
contains them
- Charles Lyell first wrote about this, largely influenced by Hutton
Unconformity - ANSWER - gaps in the rock record
-obviously, rocks are not continuously laid down and the rock record is not
complete
-recognized by hutton, but named later
-erosional surfaces that represent a gap in the rock record(either due to
erosion or a period of non-deposition
Nonconformity - ANSWER exists between sedimentary rocks and
metamorphic rocks or igneous rocks (Sedimentary rock deposited on
eroded metamorphic or igneous rocks)
Disconformity - ANSWER unconformity between parallel layers of
sedimentary rocks that represent a period of erosion or non-deposition
Angular Unconformity - ANSWER unconformity where parallel strata of
sedimentary rocks are deposited on tilted and eroded layers
Neptunism - ANSWER -popularized by Abraham Gottlob Werner
-all rocks were deposited or precipitated from a great ocean that once
covered the entire planet
