GEOLOGY 105 EXAM 1 (UL) STUDY GUIDE
Earth's Subsystems - Answers :1. Atmosphere
2.Biosphere (all life resides here)
3. Hydrosphere
4.Geosphere
Geosphere's Subsystems - Answers :1. Lithosphere (hard outer layer)
2. Mantle
3. Core
What is Geology? - Answers :the study of earth
Big Bang Model - Answers :14 billion years ago
hot, dense state, expands, cools, and a less dense state
expanding universe
Solar Nebula Theory - Answers :condensation and collapse of gas and dust in an arm of
the Milky Way Galaxy
cloud of material formed a counter-clockwise rotating disk
material concentrated in the center and surrounding solar nebula
rotation within solar nebula formed localized eddies where material concentrated into
planetesimals that formed into planets
The Core of Earth - Answers :solid inner
liquid outer
16% of earth's volume
The Mantle of Earth - Answers :surrounds the core
about 83% of Earth's volume
Three Distinct Zones of Mantle - Answers :1. lower mantle
2. asthenosphere (behaves plastically, moves slowly)
3. upper mantle
Lithosphere - Answers :upper mantle and crust
broken into plates
plates float on asthenosphere
3 Main Types of Movement - Answers :1. Divergent Plate Boundary
2. Convergent Plate Boundary
3. Transform Plate Boundary
Divergent Plate Boundary - Answers :plates move apart
ex. Mid-Atlantic Ridge
, Convergent Plate Boundary - Answers :plates are moving towards each other
creates mountain ranges
ex. Himalayas
Transform Plate Boundary - Answers :plates move along each other
3 Types of Rock - Answers :1. Igneous
2. Sedimentary
3. Metamorphic
Organic Evolution - Answers :all present day organism have descended from earlier
forms
natural selection results in the survival of those best suited to their environment
Fossils - Answers :documented changes in life forms over time
Geologic Time - Answers :earth is 4.6 billion years old
oldest rocks are about 4 billion years old
oldest fossils are about 3.7 billion years old
Henri Bacquerel - Answers :discovered radioactivity in 1896
Ernest Rutherford - Answers :discovered half-life and age dating of rocks
Radiometric Dating - Answers :uses the fact that some elements (like Uranium) are not
stable and decay over time
decay is constant
Half-Life - Answers :1 half-life is the amount of time it takes for the parent to change into
the daughter.
Geologic Time Scale - Answers :originally based on relative age dates and fossil
evidence
numerical dates from radiometric dating
divisions are different lengths
Eon, Era, Period, Epoch
Plate Tectonics - Answers :dominant process affecting the evolution of our planet
Lithosphere= rigid plates
plates are created and destroyed at plate boundaries
Continental Fit - Answers :1620- Sir Francis Bacon
noticed jigsaw puzzle-like fit of continents
What did Benjamin Franklin say? - Answers :In 1782 he claimed that the crust was
floating on liquid interior
Earth's Subsystems - Answers :1. Atmosphere
2.Biosphere (all life resides here)
3. Hydrosphere
4.Geosphere
Geosphere's Subsystems - Answers :1. Lithosphere (hard outer layer)
2. Mantle
3. Core
What is Geology? - Answers :the study of earth
Big Bang Model - Answers :14 billion years ago
hot, dense state, expands, cools, and a less dense state
expanding universe
Solar Nebula Theory - Answers :condensation and collapse of gas and dust in an arm of
the Milky Way Galaxy
cloud of material formed a counter-clockwise rotating disk
material concentrated in the center and surrounding solar nebula
rotation within solar nebula formed localized eddies where material concentrated into
planetesimals that formed into planets
The Core of Earth - Answers :solid inner
liquid outer
16% of earth's volume
The Mantle of Earth - Answers :surrounds the core
about 83% of Earth's volume
Three Distinct Zones of Mantle - Answers :1. lower mantle
2. asthenosphere (behaves plastically, moves slowly)
3. upper mantle
Lithosphere - Answers :upper mantle and crust
broken into plates
plates float on asthenosphere
3 Main Types of Movement - Answers :1. Divergent Plate Boundary
2. Convergent Plate Boundary
3. Transform Plate Boundary
Divergent Plate Boundary - Answers :plates move apart
ex. Mid-Atlantic Ridge
, Convergent Plate Boundary - Answers :plates are moving towards each other
creates mountain ranges
ex. Himalayas
Transform Plate Boundary - Answers :plates move along each other
3 Types of Rock - Answers :1. Igneous
2. Sedimentary
3. Metamorphic
Organic Evolution - Answers :all present day organism have descended from earlier
forms
natural selection results in the survival of those best suited to their environment
Fossils - Answers :documented changes in life forms over time
Geologic Time - Answers :earth is 4.6 billion years old
oldest rocks are about 4 billion years old
oldest fossils are about 3.7 billion years old
Henri Bacquerel - Answers :discovered radioactivity in 1896
Ernest Rutherford - Answers :discovered half-life and age dating of rocks
Radiometric Dating - Answers :uses the fact that some elements (like Uranium) are not
stable and decay over time
decay is constant
Half-Life - Answers :1 half-life is the amount of time it takes for the parent to change into
the daughter.
Geologic Time Scale - Answers :originally based on relative age dates and fossil
evidence
numerical dates from radiometric dating
divisions are different lengths
Eon, Era, Period, Epoch
Plate Tectonics - Answers :dominant process affecting the evolution of our planet
Lithosphere= rigid plates
plates are created and destroyed at plate boundaries
Continental Fit - Answers :1620- Sir Francis Bacon
noticed jigsaw puzzle-like fit of continents
What did Benjamin Franklin say? - Answers :In 1782 he claimed that the crust was
floating on liquid interior
