Plate Tectonics & Geophysics
This feature, located within the mantle, behaves like a viscous fluid, allowing the plates to move above it.
What is the asthenosphere?
This texture describes igneous rocks with very large, interlocking crystals, often formed from slow cooling.
What is phaneritic?
Minerals like feldspars can exhibit this characteristic when twinned crystals produce parallel striations on their cleavage surfaces.
What is twinning (or striations)?
The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into a form usable by plants.
What is nitrogen fixation?
The branch of science that studies celestial objects and phenomena.
What is astronomy?
This planet has a runaway greenhouse effect, making its surface temperature extremely high.
What is Venus?
The process of dating Earth's magnetic field reversals preserved in oceanic crust, used to support the theory of seafloor spreading.
What is paleomagnetism?
This index mineral, forming under high pressure and temperature during metamorphism, is often used to define metamorphic zones.
What is garnet?
This specific silicate mineral group is characterized by a framework structure and is one of the most abundant minerals in Earth's crust.
What are feldspars?
The long-term storage of carbon in the Earth's crust, oceans, and atmosphere.
What are carbon sinks?
This type of telescope uses lenses to gather and focus light.
What is a refracting telescope?
This Jovian moon is considered a prime candidate for hosting subsurface liquid water.
What is Europa?
This term describes the balance of forces between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere, causing vertical movements of Earth's crust.
What is isostasy?
This specific metamorphic rock is formed from the regional metamorphism of shale.
What is schist (or gneiss)?
The presence of this specific mineral, often associated with high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphic conditions, helps define subduction zone metamorphism.
What is glaucophane (or blueschist facies minerals)?
The balance between the influx and efflux of a particular substance within an Earth system, like carbon or nitrogen.
What is a steady state (or mass balance)?
This technique combines light from multiple telescopes to achieve higher resolution.
What is interferometry?
This dwarf planet, located in the Kuiper Belt, was reclassified in 2006.
What is Pluto?
The formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the highest mountain range on Earth, is a result of the collision of two plates at this type of boundary.
What is a convergent boundary (specifically, continental-continental convergence)?
The presence of these specific minerals, formed under specific temperature and pressure conditions, helps determine the metamorphic grade of a rock.
What are index minerals?
This principle describes the relative stability of minerals on the Earth's surface, indicating which minerals are more susceptible to weathering.
What is Goldich's Dissolution Series?
This term describes the ability of ecosystems to maintain their structure, function, and biodiversity over time.
What is ecosystem integrity?
The use of this phenomenon allows astronomers to determine the composition of celestial objects.
What is spectroscopy?
The process by which the gravitational influence of a massive planet can prevent the formation of larger bodies in a region, like the asteroid belt.
What is orbital resonance?
The presence of this specific mineral, often found in the mantle transition zone, indicates high-pressure conditions.
What is ringwoodite?
This type of metamorphism occurs over a wide area and is often associated with mountain building and plate collisions.
What is regional metamorphism?
The alteration of a rock's chemical composition by hot, chemically active fluids, often associated with ore deposit formation.
What is hydrothermal alteration?
This type of telescope detects high-energy radiation and is often placed in space to avoid atmospheric absorption.
What is an X-ray or gamma-ray telescope?
The analysis of an exoplanet's atmosphere through spectroscopy can reveal the presence of potential signs of life, known as this.
What are biosignatures?