History ish
4.54 billion years
what is the estimated age of the earth
processes operating on Earth today have operated on Earth in the past. The Laws of Nature have not changed over Geologic Time
What is the Principle of Uniformitarianism
The major tectonic plates
Where is, North American, South American, Pacific, Australian, Eurasian, African, Antarctic
The common elements in oceanic crust
Iron and magnesium
The three types of plate interactions you would see along convergent plate boundaries
Oceanic-Continental convergence; the denser oceanic plate subducts under the continental plate. Oceanic-Oceanic Convergence; The older denser oceanic plate subducts under the younger one. Continental-Continental convergence; neither subducts but crumbles
12-14 billion years
what is the theorized age of the universe
Catastrophic vs Gradual changes
What is Instantaneous changes vs changes that are not perceptible over a human lifetime give example of each for a bonus 200 points
The ring of fire
What is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanoes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean due to tectonic plate boundaries and subduction
Define a mineral
An inorganic, naturally occurring, crystalline structure with a unique arrangement of atoms and a specific chemical composition
Lithosphere vs asthenosphere
The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer broken into tectonic plates, while the asthenosphere is the hot, soft layer beneath it that allows the plates to move
theory of continental drift
Apparent fit of the continents, fossil correlation, rock and mountain correlation, and paleoclimate data
The Theory of Seafloor Spreading/ Tectonic plate theory evidence
Seafloor spreading showed that new ocean crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and moves outward, providing the mechanism that explained how tectonic plates move
Mechanisms that move tectonic plates
Ridge push, Slab pull, and Mantle convection
The continental crust is mostly made of what elements? For this reason, continental crust is mostly felsic or mafic in texture
What is Silicon, Oxygen, and Aluminum. Its mainly felsic
The major types of plate boundaries
Convergent boundaries form mountains, volcanoes, and trenches as plates collide; divergent boundaries form mid-ocean ridges and new crust as plates separate; transform boundaries cause earthquakes as plates slide past each other. Bonus 300 points, describe them
What are the most common rock-forming minerals
Quartz, Feldspar, Plagioclase Feldspar, Orthoclase Feldspar, Mica, Amphibole, Pyroxene, Olivine
How is subduction
The connection between the crusts because the oceanic crust is more dense while the continental is less dense
Types of metamorphism
The main types of metamorphism are contact (heat from magma), regional (heat and pressure during mountain building), dynamic (pressure along faults), and hydrothermal
Igneous rocks are defined by composition (mafic and felsic) and texture (aphanitic and phaneritic). What do these terms mean
Mafic and felsic describe magma composition (dark, iron/magnesium-rich vs light, silica-rich), while aphanitic and phaneritic describe crystal size based on cooling speed (small crystals from fast cooling vs large crystals from slow cooling) and are either intrusive (slow-cooling magma underground with large crystals) or extrusive (fast-cooling lava at the surface with small or glassy crystals), and their color and texture tell you the magma’s composition and cooling history
Foliated and nonfoliated metamorphic rocks
Foliated metamorphic rocks have layered or banded textures caused by directed pressure, while nonfoliated rocks lack layers and form under equal pressure, often from contact metamorphism
the coal sequence and sedimentary rocks classification
Coal forms from plant material buried and transformed over time. As heat and pressure increase, it changes through stages. It's called Anthracite. Before coal it starts as Peat and then becomes lignite and finally Bitumous coal. You classify them by Formation/Process, Composition, and Grain size
Tests/characteristics that you can use to differentiate minerals
Color, Streak, Luster, Hardness, Cleavage vs Fracture, Density, Crystal shape, Special properties
triple junctions and hot spots
Triple junctions are locations where three plate boundaries meet, while hot spots are stationary mantle plumes that create volcanic chains as tectonic plates move over them
What is Bowen’s Reaction Series
Bowen’s Reaction Series shows the sequence in which minerals crystallize from magma as it cools, from high-temperature mafic minerals to low-temperature felsic minerals
Foliation is the alignment of minerals- what causes it
Foliation is caused by directed pressure during metamorphism, which forces minerals to realign the intensity of heat and pressure a rock experienced during metamorphism