Geology Week 1 - Lecture 2 Study Guide

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Questions and Answers

What is a disconformity in geology?

An event marked by volcanic activity.

Sediments deposited without a significant time gap.

A geological layer with fossil remains.

Sediments on top of other sediments with a time gap. (correct)

Which principle explains the chronological order of fossil appearance in the rock record?

Principle of Oceanic Succession

Theory of Dynamic Equilibrium

Law of Superposition

Principle of Faunal Succession (correct)

What defines the term 'half-life' in radioactive decay?

Time needed for a complete decay of an atom.

Duration for a stable isotope to form from a radioactive element.

Total time required for an element to convert to another.

Amount of time for half of a parent atom to decay to a daughter atom. (correct)

In order from oldest to youngest, which is the correct sequence of the Paleozoic Era's periods?

Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian Signup and view all the answers

What are fossils primarily considered to be?

Remains of plants, animals, or their activities. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following spheres consists of solid rock?

Lithosphere Signup and view all the answers

What are the terrestrial planets in our solar system?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars Signup and view all the answers

How did the Sun form according to the Nebular Hypothesis?

From intensely concentrated matter at the center of the rotating cloud Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a layer within the Earth in its correct order from the surface inward?

Mantle Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated age of Earth?

4.6 billion years Signup and view all the answers

Which cycle describes the continuous movement of water within the hydrosphere?

Hydrologic cycle Signup and view all the answers

The Big Bang theory suggests that the universe began how many years ago?

13.7 billion years Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of Jovian planets?

They are gas giants with low density Signup and view all the answers

What is the age of the oldest rocks found in Australia?

4.4 billion years old Signup and view all the answers

What does the Principle of Uniformitarianism state?

The present is the key to understanding the past Signup and view all the answers

According to the Principle of Original Horizontality, how are sedimentary rocks typically deposited?

In horizontal layers Signup and view all the answers

In the Principle of Superposition, where are the youngest rocks typically found?

On top of other layers Signup and view all the answers

What does the Principle of Cross-cutting relationships indicate about igneous rocks?

They are younger than the rocks they intersect Signup and view all the answers

What are unconformities in geological records primarily caused by?

Erosion and lack of deposition Signup and view all the answers

Which type of unconformity involves layered sediments at an angle?

Angular unconformity Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes a nonconformity in geological terms?

Sedimentary layers over igneous and metamorphic rocks Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Week 1 - Lecture 2 Study Guide

Slide 5: The four spheres are hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), biosphere (organisms), and lithosphere (solid rock).
Slide 8: Know the hydrologic cycle and rock cycle terms.
Slide 10: Astronomers believe the Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago.
Slide 13-14: The Nebular Hypothesis describes the formation of our solar system about 5 billion years ago. This involves:
- An interstellar cloud of gas and dust contracting and accelerating its rotation.
- Formation of a flat disk with matter concentrated at the center, becoming the Sun.
- Nuclear reactions expelling matter into orbits, forming planets.
- Planets forming from cooling and concentration of matter within orbital rings. Terrestrial planets (inner) are rocky, Jovian planets (outer) are gas giants.
Slide 18: Earth's layers (in order from surface inward): Lithosphere, Asthenosphere, Mesosphere, Outer Core, Inner Core. Be able to identify these layers on a diagram.
Slide 21: Earth is believed to be 4.6 billion years old. The oldest rocks found (Zircons in Australia) are 4.4 billion years old.
Slide 27: Know the Principle of Uniformitarianism: "The Present is the Key to the Past".
Slide 29: Know the Principle of Original Horizontality: Sedimentary rocks are deposited in horizontal layers. If rocks are not horizontal, events have occurred subsequently.
Slide 33: Know the Principle of Superposition: In undisturbed rocks, the youngest rocks are on top (like layers of a cake).
Slide 36: Know the Principle of Cross-cutting relationships:
- Igneous rocks cutting across existing rocks are younger.
- Faults and unconformities are younger than the original sedimentary layers.
Slide 40: Unconformities represent gaps in the geologic record due to: non-deposition, erosion of rocks, or a change in depositional environment
Slide 44: Be able to identify the three types of unconformities:
- Angular unconformity: sediments above sediments at an angle.
- Nonconformity: sediments on top of igneous or metamorphic rocks.
- Disconformity: sediments on top of other sediments with a time gap.
Slide 45: Be able to determine the relative ages of rock layers in a diagram.
Slide 46: Fossils are remains of plants or animals or their activities.
Slide 53: Know the Principle of faunal succession: specific groups of fossils succeed each other in the rock record.
Slide 65: Half-life is the time it takes for half of a radioactive parent atom to decay into a daughter product.
Slide 74: Be able to list the seven periods of the Paleozoic Era in order from oldest to youngest.

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Description

This study guide covers key concepts from Week 1, Lecture 2 in Geology. Topics include the four spheres of Earth, the hydrologic and rock cycles, the Big Bang theory, and the formation of the solar system through the Nebular Hypothesis. Additionally, it outlines the layers of Earth from the lithosphere to the inner core.