a timeline based on archaeological remains buried in the earth. It is used to determine when major events in Earth’s history occurred
What is the geologic time scale?
100
The study of the Earth, the materials of which it is made, the structure of those materials, and the processes acting upon them.
What is geology
100
The crust and upper mantle of the Earth and is approximately 62 miles (100 km) thick)
What is the lithosphere?
100
The area where the energy is released and the earthquake begins
What is the focus?
100
What is a hot spot?
A place where molten rock appears at the surface
200
What eon are we living in now?
Phanerozoic
200
When and why did it become necessary to turn geology into a science?
The 16-1700s, when mining became more technologically advanced and we began digging deeper into the Earth
200
Theory explaining the structure of the earth's crust as a result of the interaction of rigid plates that move slowly over the underlying mantle
What is tectonic plate theory?
200
Directly above the focus, on Earth’s surface
What is the epicenter?
200
What are the four types of volcanoes?
Active, intermittent, dormant, extinct.
300
What are the five levels of geologic hierarchy?
Eon, era, period, epoch, age
300
How many MYA did the Cambrian explosion occur?
542 (I'll accept 540 MYA)
300
What are the two theories used to substantiate tectonic plate theory?
Continental drift and seafloor spreading
300
What is used to measure the strength of an earthquake?
The Richter scale
300
Where do 95% of earthquakes occur?
Subduction zones or mid-oceanic ridges
400
What are the three divisions of the Phanerozoic eon?
Cenozoic, mesozoic, paleozoic
400
What was the Cambrian explosion?
The point in time where life literally "exploded" as species rapidly evolved and diversified
400
List at three reasons to explain why continental drift may be correct.
Fossilized tropical plants were discovered beneath Greenland’s icecaps.
Glaciated landscapes in parts of Africa and South America
Tropical regions on some continents had polar climates in the past, based upon paleoclimatic data.
The continents fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
Similarities existed in rocks between the east coast of North America and South America and the west coasts of Africa and Europe.
400
What are the two types of earthquake waves?
Surface waves and body waves
400
What can volcanoes produce?
Ejecta, toxic gas, molten lava
500
Which eon came before the Phanerozoic eon, before life was macroscopic?
The pre-Cambrian, which was strictly microscopic
500
What is the evidence of the Cambrian explosion/
The fossil record
500
What does seafloor spreading theory suggest?
Active volcanic activity under the ocean that creates new crusts
500
Describe the two types of surface waves?
P waves - travel through Earth's interior
S waves - travel through upper crust of Earth