Dec 16, 2015
‘SIDE VIEW’
‘TOP VIEW’Solar System on outsideof Orion Arm (25,000 light years from centre)
100,000 ly
Nebular hypothesis Important theorists: Emanuel Swedenborg (1734), Immanuel Kant (1755), Pierre-Simon
Laplace (1796), Victor Safronov (1972) – Solar nebular disk model (SNDM)
Evidence: observations systems at varying stages
1. Nebula: Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) results from collision(s) or explosion of dying star
3. H and He condense into Sun4. Disk of matter (many elements) around sun5. Disk slowly accretes into clumps (planetesimals)
that also contain heavier elements6. planetesimals planetoids
planets and satellites
Hubble Space Telescopeview of a new solar system1500 l-y away in the Orion Nebula
Eons, Eras, Periods and EpochsSuperposition: youngest rocks superimposed on older rocks “Relative time”
Dating by radioactive isotopesHalf-life: time for ½ of unstable isotopes to decay “Absolute time”
Uniformitarianism:“The same physical processes active in the environment today have been operating throughout geologic time” Hutton (1795), Lyell (1830)
Source: University of Calgary
Red ovalsindicatemajorextinctionevents:when extinctionrate greatlyexceeds speciationrate
Mountain massesdisplace mantle material
Isostatic adjustmentdue to loss of massby erosion
Deformation fromsediment load
ISOSTASYElevation of tectonic plates determined by density/thickness
MineralA natural, inorganic compound with a specific chemical formula and a crystalline structure
Examplessilicates (quartz, feldspar, clay minerals), oxides (eg., hematite) carbonates (eg., calcite)
An assemblage of minerals bound together
• Igneous (solidify & crystallize from molten magma/lava)
• Sedimentary (settling & cementation)
• Metamorphic (altered under pressure)
Existing rock or organic material is digested by weathering, picked up by erosion, moved by transportation, and deposited at river, beach and ocean sites.
Lithification follows (cementation, compaction and hardening)
Laid down in horizontally-layered beds
Conglomerate largest clastsSandstone sand cemented
togetherSiltstone derived from siltShale mud/clay compacted into
rock
Limestone calcium carbonate, bones and shells cemented or precipitated in ocean
watersCoal ancient plant remains
compacted into rock
Any type of rock is transformed, under pressure and increased temperature
Harder and resistant to weathering
Produced from any rock type by:•Compressional forces due to plate collisions•Regional and contact metamorphism
•Continents are adrift due to convection currents in the asthenosphere
•Mantle movements result in platemigration
•225 M BP: Pangaea
Age of mid-oceanic ridge magnetic stripes
Subduction zones
“Ring of fire”
Age and thickness of oceanic crust
Fossil Record (plant and animal)
Distribution of marsupials vs. placentals
Divergent Boundaries (constructional)
Convergent Boundaries (destructional)
Transform Fault Boundaries
The technique of _____ involves the measurement of decaying elements and stable end products.
a) radiometric dating
b) relative dating
c) superposition
d) punctuated equilibrium
e) uniform dating
The technique of _____ involves the measurement of decaying elements and stable end products.
a) radiometric dating
b) relative dating
c) superposition
d) punctuated equilibrium
e) uniform dating
Place the major concentric layers of Earth in order from outermost to innermost.
a) mantle > outer core > inner core > crust
b) inner core > outer core > mantle > crust
c) outer core > crust > inner core > mantle
d) crust > outer core > inner core > mantle
e) crust > mantle > outer core > inner core
Place the major concentric layers of Earth in order from outermost to innermost.
a) mantle > outer core > inner core > crust
b) inner core > outer core > mantle > crust
c) outer core > crust > inner core > mantle
d) crust > outer core > inner core > mantle
e) crust > mantle > outer core > inner core
The process of cementation, compaction, and hardening of sediments into sedimentary rock is called _____.
a) carbonation
b) geomagnetic reversal
c) lithification
d) isostasy
e) metamorphism
The process of cementation, compaction, and hardening of sediments into sedimentary rock is called _____.
a) carbonation
b) geomagnetic reversal
c) lithification
d) isostasy
e) metamorphism
The most common extrusive igneous rock is _____.
a) sandstone
b) basalt
c) granite
d) gneiss
e) limestone
The most common extrusive igneous rock is _____.
a) sandstone
b) basalt
c) granite
d) gneiss
e) limestone
Pangaea is the name given to
a) the part of California west of the San Andreas fault that is moving into the Pacific Ocean.
b) the period of geologic history that predates modern life forms.
c) a rift valley in east Africa where a new ocean is forming.
d) the name of a previous supercontinent thought to have broken into several plates.
e) the larger feature that makes up the Hawaiian Islands via hotspot volcanism.
Pangaea is the name given to
a) the part of California west of the San Andreas fault that is moving into the Pacific Ocean.
b) the period of geologic history that predates modern life forms.
c) a rift valley in east Africa where a new ocean is forming.
d) the name of a previous supercontinent thought to have broken into several plates.
e) the larger feature that makes up the Hawaiian Islands via hotspot volcanism.
The interconnected mountain chain on the ocean floor is built by upwelling flows of magma in a process called _____.
a) trench widening
b) metamorphism
c) sea-floor spreading
d) isostasy
e) subduction
The interconnected mountain chain on the ocean floor is built by upwelling flows of magma in a process called _____.
a) trench widening
b) metamorphism
c) sea-floor spreading
d) isostasy
e) subduction
A batholith is most directly associated with
a) intrusive igneous rocks.
b) chemical sedimentary rocks.
c) relative-age dating.
d) extrusive igneous rocks.
e) metamorphic rocks.
A batholith is most directly associated with
a) intrusive igneous rocks.
b) chemical sedimentary rocks.
c) relative-age dating.
d) extrusive igneous rocks.
e) metamorphic rocks.
The collision of India and Asia to form the Himalayas is an example of a _____ plate boundary.
a) drifting
b) convergent
c) divergent
d) transform
e) upwelling
The collision of India and Asia to form the Himalayas is an example of a _____ plate boundary.
a) drifting
b) convergent
c) divergent
d) transform
e) upwelling
Subduction is most likely to be located _____.
a) at the collision of two pieces of continental crust
b) underneath mid-ocean ridges
c) within the outer core
d) at the collision of oceanic and continental crust
e) in the middle of ocean basins
Subduction is most likely to be located _____.
a) at the collision of two pieces of continental crust
b) underneath mid-ocean ridges
c) within the outer core
d) at the collision of oceanic and continental crust
e) in the middle of ocean basins
A map of global volcanoes and earthquakes reveals that they are most commonly found
a) along plate margins.
b) in the center of plates.
c) at hot spots.
d) along mid-ocean ridges.
e) in Australia.
A map of global volcanoes and earthquakes reveals that they are most commonly found
a) along plate margins.
b) in the center of plates.
c) at hot spots.
d) along mid-ocean ridges.
e) in Australia.
The location of the Mohorovičić discontinuity is best described as residing between
a) continental crust and oceanic crust.
b) the outer core and inner core.
c) Gondwana and Laurasia.
d) the Nazca plate and the South American plate.
e) the crust and the mantle.