GSC 103 TEST 1 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS!!
Falsifiability - ANSWER A theory is only empirical if you can imagine an observation
which would falsify it
Empiricism - ANSWER means based off of observations, how we know what we know
about Earth's geology
Digging holes in the Earth - ANSWER - You almost always will find granite or basalt
- Deepest hole is the Kola Superdeep Borehole, 7.6 miles
- Thinnest continental crust is 10-15 miles
How we know what is inside the Earth: density and mantle rocks at the surface -
ANSWER - Volcanic processes bring rocks from deep in the Earth to the surface
- We know the center of the Earth has to be metal, too heavy to be rock
Weighing the Earth - ANSWER Henry Cavendish used a torsion wire to learn the earth
weighs 6 x 10^24 kg
How we know what's inside the Earth: condritic, stony, and metal meteorites - ANSWER
- Condtritic are a mixture of metal and stone, similar to original building blocks of solar
system
- Outer part of the Earth is rich in stony materials and poor in metals
Accretion and Differentiation of the Earth - ANSWER - Homogeneous accretion happens
when stone is on the outside and the heavier metal sinks to the inside, everything goes
from being together to separated
- Part of how w know what is inside the Earth
, Composition of Crust - ANSWER - Crust is mostly rock, above metal
- Mostly silicates
Mantle vs. Core - ANSWER Mantle is viscous, outer core is liquid while inner core is solid
molten metal
How earthquakes tell us about the interior of the Earth - ANSWER Earthquakes produce
waves in the earth that move at different speeds, reflecting and refracting, when the
waves abruptly change direction we know there is a boundary between the distinct
layers in the Earth
What Earth's magnetic field tells us about the core of the Earth - ANSWER Hints that the
Earths core is an electrically conductive swirling liquid, aka molten iron
Diamond Anvil Cells - ANSWER Used to explore the state of materials deep inside the
Earth
Crust and mantle vs. Lithosphere and asthenosphere - ANSWER - Lithosphere consists
of crust plus rigid upper layer of mantle
- Asthenosphere is the plastic part of the mantle on which the lithosphere moves
- Crust and mantle have different compositions, mantle rocks have more metal
Earth's bimodal surface - ANSWER Earth has two types of crust, the continental crust
sits higher than the oceanic crust
Composition of continental and oceanic crust - ANSWER - Continental made mostly of
granite and is low density
- Oceanic is made mostly of basalt and is dense
Four lines of evidence that the continents used to be joined - ANSWER - Remnants of
Appalachians found all over
Falsifiability - ANSWER A theory is only empirical if you can imagine an observation
which would falsify it
Empiricism - ANSWER means based off of observations, how we know what we know
about Earth's geology
Digging holes in the Earth - ANSWER - You almost always will find granite or basalt
- Deepest hole is the Kola Superdeep Borehole, 7.6 miles
- Thinnest continental crust is 10-15 miles
How we know what is inside the Earth: density and mantle rocks at the surface -
ANSWER - Volcanic processes bring rocks from deep in the Earth to the surface
- We know the center of the Earth has to be metal, too heavy to be rock
Weighing the Earth - ANSWER Henry Cavendish used a torsion wire to learn the earth
weighs 6 x 10^24 kg
How we know what's inside the Earth: condritic, stony, and metal meteorites - ANSWER
- Condtritic are a mixture of metal and stone, similar to original building blocks of solar
system
- Outer part of the Earth is rich in stony materials and poor in metals
Accretion and Differentiation of the Earth - ANSWER - Homogeneous accretion happens
when stone is on the outside and the heavier metal sinks to the inside, everything goes
from being together to separated
- Part of how w know what is inside the Earth
, Composition of Crust - ANSWER - Crust is mostly rock, above metal
- Mostly silicates
Mantle vs. Core - ANSWER Mantle is viscous, outer core is liquid while inner core is solid
molten metal
How earthquakes tell us about the interior of the Earth - ANSWER Earthquakes produce
waves in the earth that move at different speeds, reflecting and refracting, when the
waves abruptly change direction we know there is a boundary between the distinct
layers in the Earth
What Earth's magnetic field tells us about the core of the Earth - ANSWER Hints that the
Earths core is an electrically conductive swirling liquid, aka molten iron
Diamond Anvil Cells - ANSWER Used to explore the state of materials deep inside the
Earth
Crust and mantle vs. Lithosphere and asthenosphere - ANSWER - Lithosphere consists
of crust plus rigid upper layer of mantle
- Asthenosphere is the plastic part of the mantle on which the lithosphere moves
- Crust and mantle have different compositions, mantle rocks have more metal
Earth's bimodal surface - ANSWER Earth has two types of crust, the continental crust
sits higher than the oceanic crust
Composition of continental and oceanic crust - ANSWER - Continental made mostly of
granite and is low density
- Oceanic is made mostly of basalt and is dense
Four lines of evidence that the continents used to be joined - ANSWER - Remnants of
Appalachians found all over
