Earths Spheres and Origins
What gas was notably not present in Earth's early atmosphere?
Oxygen
What happens to pressure and temperature as you move inwards from the surface of the earth?
They both increase
Where do earthquakes almost always occur?
What is the difference between magma and lava?
Magma: melted rock below earth's surface
Lava: melted rock on earth's surface
What are the two main forces involved in the production of metamorphic rocks?
Heat and pressure
What was the first of earth's spheres to form?
The Geosphere/Lithosphere
In the theory of plate tectonics, what is the lithosphere?
Earth's crust, plus the uppermost layer of mantle.
Form the tectonic plates, which move around on top of the deformable asthenosphere
What do you call the location where an earthquake actually occurs?
The focus
List and describe the three types of lava
A'a: sharp and crumbly
Pahoehoe: smooth and ropy
Pillow lava: pillow-y shaped
How could a sedimentary rock be converted into igneous rock?
Melted completely, and then cooled into rock
Where did earth's hydrosphere come from?
Gases from within the earth and ice from asteroids/comets
What are the three main types of tectonic plate boundaries?
Convergent, Divergent, Transform
What is the name of the scale used to categorize earthquakes, what does it measure, and how does it work/scale?
Moment Magnitude Scale.
Measures energy release.
Each step on the scale signifies a 32 fold increase in energy.
What is the name for the deadly mixture of gas, ash and rock that can rush down the side of certain volcanoes
A Pyroclastic flow
List the two types of igneous rock and the difference between them
Intrusive: cools slowly underground forming large crystals
Extrusive: cools quickly above ground, forming no/small crystals
Name 3 roles that the atmosphere plays on earth
Oxygen for breathing
Protection against radiation (ozone layer)
Insulates/keeps heat in
Protects against space rocks (asteroids)
List and describe the 4 main pieces of evidence that the continents had shifted over time?
1. Shape of continents
2. Paleoclimactic evidence
3. Fossil evidence
4. Geological/Rock evidence
What are the two broad types of seismic waves, and which are more damaging?
Body Waves and Surface waves. Surface waves are more damaging
Why are some volcanoes explosive and others not?
Name 3 steps in the creation of Sedimentary Rock
1. Creation of sediments via weathering and erosion
2. Deposition of sediments in layers in water
3. Layers build up and the pressure compacts the lower layers into rock
What directly and indirectly caused the Great Oxidation Event?
A build-up of oxygen, due to the evolution of photosynthesis by bacteria
Describe what occurs at a oceanic crust-continental crust convergent plate boundary, including the landform(s) created
Denser oceanic crust is subducted below the continental crust, forming an ocean trench.
The subducted crust melts, with the lighter material rising to form volcanic mountains. Much of the crust is recylced back into the Mantle.
List the 2 differences between P waves and S waves and how they can be used to determine how far away an earthquake occured.
P waves: fast, and travel through any state of matter
S waves: slower, and only travel through solids
Gap in time between P wave and S wave arrival gives earthquake distance: larger gap = further away
Name the three main types of volcano and describe their shape and eruption type
Shield Volcano (flat, runny/flowing eruptions)
Stratovolcano (steep, explosive rocky/ashy eruptions)
Cinder Cone Volcano (small, "fizzy", cinders)
Describe two ways in which plate tectonics are responsible for creation of new rocks in the rock cycle
Subduction at convergent plate boundaries allows for creation of metamorphic rocks
Mountain Building at convergent plate boundaries lifts up and exposes different rock to be weathered and eroded into sediment (and later sedimentary rocks)