Term
The Difference in arrival time of P and S waves is related to what? |
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Definition
Distance to the earthquake from the seismic station |
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We know what the mantle is made of because of what? |
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Definition
samples of the shallow mantle are brought up in some volcanoes |
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What is a prominent ridge formed by differential erosion of a resistant layer of dipping strata? |
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What is a flat topped hill that usually indicates flat lying strata? |
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A sea large wave created by an earthquake is called what? |
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If a deformed body recovers its original shape as stress is released it is what? |
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If the surface exposures (map views) of folded beds resemble V's or horseshoes, then the folds must be |
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What is not a characteristic of an anticline? |
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Definition
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A structural basin is simply a circular |
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The block of material overlying an inclined fault plane is the what? |
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When crust is shortened perpendicular to the fold axis, what type of deformation is this? |
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Definition
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If a hanging wall has moved down, what type of fault is this? |
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Definition
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A bed that dips due east, must strike |
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Definition
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The san andreas fault system is what type of fault? |
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Definition
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Geologic structures (faults and folds) are important in oil and gas exploration because |
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Definition
Structures can trap oil and gas |
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What is a fracture in bedrock along which movement has taken place? |
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Definition
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Which direction do the limbs of an overturned fold dip? |
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Definition
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If the fault dips toward the up-thrown block, the fault is what? |
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Definition
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If a sequence of beds gets younger toward the east, then they must be dipping to the ___? |
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Definition
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The Rift Valleys of East Africa are what ? |
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Definition
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The Himalayan Mountains formed by what? |
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Definition
Continent - Continent convergence |
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Fractures in rock without movement along the fractures are called what? |
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Definition
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Most of the worlds largest mountain belts were formed in response to what? |
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Definition
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The Basin and Range Province of the western united states are characteriszed by a large number of what? |
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Definition
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The Low-standing plains between horst-blocks are |
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According to the concept of _______. "floating" mountains adjust their elevation in response upward buoyancy as surface material is removed. |
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The Alps, himalayas, and Appalachians are what? |
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The compass direction formed by the intersection of a dipping surface and a horizontal plane is the - |
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The Stable Interior of the continent is known as its |
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The Red Sea is interpreted as what? |
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Source materials for the sedimentary rocks in the Appalachian Mountains was located in what direction of the present day mountains? |
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Definition
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The Andes Mountains of South America are an example of mountains formed by what? |
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Definition
Ocean Plate-Continental Plate Convergence |
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The basin and range topography of western USA is related to - |
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Definition
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The Coast Ranges of Washington, Oregon, and northern Cali are formed by what? |
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Definition
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The Texas Hill Country and Ozark Mountains are examples of mountain or hilly terrain formed by - |
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Definition
dissection by stream erosion |
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The Core of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Smoky Mountains exposes - |
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Definition
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The North American continent has grown progressively |
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Definition
Larger by continental accretion |
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the term "Orogeny" refers to - |
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Definition
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The oldest rocks in North America can be found in - |
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Definition
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The Carbonate Composition depth is at what level? |
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Definition
below which seawater is not saturated with carbonate ions |
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Term
A submerged, flat topped, seamount risint 1km or more above the sea floor is a what? |
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Definition
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Submarine Canyons are usually found wher? |
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Definition
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Hydrothermal fluids are spewing out into ocean depth at what? |
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Definition
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The Ocean crust is formed where? |
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Definition
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Term
are manganese nodules a possible economic product associated with salt domes? |
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Definition
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Marine limestones found in the central USA are evidence of what? |
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Definition
former shallow seas covering the continent |
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Term
El Capitan in west texas is an example of an ancient what? |
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Definition
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Texas State university is situated on what? |
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Definition
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Where does pillow basalt form? |
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Definition
on the ocean floor (looks like pillows) |
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Term
Which of the following is most susceptible to the chemical weathering by dissolution? |
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Definition
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Feldspar weathers to what? |
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Definition
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In which region of the US are pedalfers most likely to form? |
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Definition
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Definition
a granite exfoliation dome |
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Iron Oxide is common at the surface of the earth because it forms by the weathering of what? |
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Definition
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well-rounded and well-sorted, sand-sized grains in a sandstone is suggestive of what? |
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Definition
long distance of transport |
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Term
the process by which dissolved mineral matter precipitates in the pore spaces of a sediment and binds it together is an example of what? |
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Definition
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The most abundant sedimentary rocks are what? |
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Definition
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The grain size of igneous rocks is determined by what? |
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Definition
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Coquina is a rock formed of what? |
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Definition
Broken shell fragments and stuff |
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Igneous rocks form from what? |
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Definition
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The rock seen in road cuts in the hill country is what kind of rock? |
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Definition
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Playa (dry) lakes of the southwest US are sites of deposition of what? |
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Definition
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A sedimentary rock formed by repeated flooding of lowland next to a river is probably what? |
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Definition
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A sedimentary rock formed by accumulation of altered plant remains is what? |
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Definition
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Clay particles stick together to form shales and mudstones by what process? |
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Definition
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Which of the following is most likely to dissolve away in semi-humid climates? |
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Definition
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The colors red, yellow and brown in sedimentary rocks are produced by what? |
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Definition
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finely divided (microscopic grains) pyrite in shale does what? |
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Definition
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Black in limestone is usually due to the presence of what? |
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Definition
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Which of the following is an indication of an alternating wet and dry enviroment such as a tidal flat? |
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Definition
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which of the following can be used to determine paleocurrent direction |
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Definition
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the most abundant mineral group at the earth's SURFACE is/are what? |
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Definition
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The Caliche horizon of an ancient pedocal may be seen as a thin layer of what? |
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Definition
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Changes in sediment that occur after deposition are called what? |
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Definition
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Shield volcanoes are built of what? |
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Definition
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The steps to the library are made from blcks of what? |
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Definition
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Which metamorphic rock contains the same basic minerals as an igneous rock? |
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Definition
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Heat from an igneous intrusion is the primary agent of change in what type of metamorphism? |
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Definition
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Mylonites are formed by what type of metamorphism? |
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Definition
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what is a metamorphic rock that displays a foliated texture? |
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Definition
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A thin, discoid-shaped, concordant igneous intrusion is probably a what? |
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Definition
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A sedimentary rock composed of angular pebbles is called what? |
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Definition
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Phenocrysts are evidence of what? |
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Definition
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When sea water evaporates, the last mineral to precipitate is |
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Definition
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What refers to the process of fossilization where the internal cavities and pores of the original organism are filled with precipitated mineral matter. |
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Definition
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Term
Low temperature and high pressure metamorphism (as in subduction zones) is the ____ facies? |
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Definition
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Term
Metamorphic rock formed from limestones is what? |
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Definition
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Term
Thin, sheet-like concordant igneous intrusions are what? |
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Definition
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Natural glass formed by rapid cooling of lava is called what? |
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Definition
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Term
Steep-sided, classic, Volcano shaped cones are called what? |
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Definition
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Term
pyrclastic rocks from by what? |
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Definition
violent, explosive volcanic eruptions |
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Term
Dolostone is formed by the addition of what to calcite in limestone |
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Definition
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Definition
A fan-shaped wedge of sediment that typically accumulates on land where a stream emerges from a steep canyon onto a flat area. In map view it has the shape of an open fan. Typically forms in arid or semiarid climates. |
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Definition
An unconsolidated accumulation of stream-deposited sediments, including sands, silts, clays or gravels. |
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Definition
A subsurface rock, soil or sediment unit that does not yield useful quanties of water. |
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Definition
A subsurface rock or sediment unit that is porous and permeable. To be an aquifer it must have these traits to a high enough degree that it stores and transmits useful quantities of water. |
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Definition
A layer of rock having low permeability that stores groundwater but delays its flow. |
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Definition
A flat-bottom gully with steep sides that is a channel for an intermittent stream. |
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Definition
An aquifer that is bounded above and below by impermeable rock or sediment layers. The water in the aquifer is also under enough pressure that, when the aquifer is tapped by a well, the water rises up the well bore to a level that is above the top of the aquifer. The water may or may not flow onto the land surface. |
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Definition
A sand dune that is crescent-shaped in map view. Barchan dunes form in areas of limited sand supply. They move across the desert floor with their gently sloping convex sides facing upwind and their steeply sloping concave sides facing downwind. |
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Definition
The lower limit of erosion by a stream. Sea level is the ultimate base level. However, lakes can serve as a temporary base level in upstream areas. |
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Definition
The name for loose bodies of sediment that have been deposited or built up at the bottom of a low-grade slope or against a barrier on that slope, transported by gravity. |
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Definition
The sudden downslope movement of rock and soil on a steep slope. |
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Definition
A deposit of sediment that forms where a stream enters a standing body of water such as a lake or ocean. The name is derived from the Greek letter "delta" because these deposits typically have a triangular shape in map view. |
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Definition
A ground cover of granule-size and larger particles that is typically found in arid areas. This ground cover of coarse particles is a residual deposit - formed when the wind selectively removes the sand-, silt- and clay-sized materials. |
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Definition
mound or ridge of wind-blown sand. Typically found in deserts and inland from a beach. Many dunes are moved by the wind. |
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Definition
A term used in reference to the wind. Aeolian materials or structures are deposited by or created by the wind. |
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Definition
An area of alluvium-covered, relatively level land along the banks of a stream that is covered with water when the stream leaves its channel during a time of high flow. |
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Definition
A stream in which, over a period of years, slope is adjusted to yield. |
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Definition
Water that exists below the water table in the zone of saturation. Ground water moves slowly in the same direction that the water table slopes. |
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Definition
A landscape that is characterized by the features of solution weathering and erosion in the subsurface. These features include caves, sinkholes, disappearing streams and subsurface drainage. |
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Definition
Residual accumulations of particles that are coarser than the material that has blo. |
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Definition
Deposits of silt that have been laid down by wind action |
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Definition
bend in a sinuous watercourse or river |
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Definition
A mound of sediment that parallels a stream channel forming a levee-like deposit. When flood waters leave the normal stream channel and enter the flood plain there is a reduction of velocity that causes suspended sediments to fall to the bottom, producing this deposit. |
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Definition
A crescent-shaped lake that forms when a meandering stream changes course. Such changes in course frequently occur during flood events when overbank waters erode a new channel. |
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Definition
A horseshoe-shaped dune having a concave windward slope and a convex leeward slope |
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Definition
A measure of how well a material can transmit water. Materials such as gravel, that transmit water quickly, have high values of permeability. Materials such as shale, that transmit water poorly, have low values. Permeability is primarily determined by the size of the pore spaces and their degree of interconnection. Permeability measures are expressed in units of velocity, such as centimeters per second, and assume a gradient of one vertical foot of drop per linear foot. |
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Definition
The volume of pore space in a rock, sediment or soil. Usually expressed as a percentage. This pore space can include openings between grains, fracture openings and caverns |
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Definition
A type of mass wasting in which a large volume of rock debris slides down a slope under the influence of gravity. |
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Definition
The transport of sediment in short jumps and bounces above the stream bed or ground by a current that is not strong enough to hold the sediment in continuous suspension. |
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Definition
A large sand dune that forms parallel to the direction of a strong wind that blows in a consistent direction throughout the year. Also called a longitudinal dune. |
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Definition
A depression in the land surface that results from the collapse or slow settlement of underground voids produced by solution weathering. The rock being dissolved is normally limestone but can also be salt, gypsum or dolostone. |
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Definition
A form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials or rock layers moves a short distance down a slope. |
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Definition
A conical or roughly cylindrical speleothem formed by dripping water and hanging from the roof of a cave; usually composed of calcium carbonate. |
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Term
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Definition
a deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, more or less resembling an inverted stalactite, formed on the floor of a cave or the like by the dripping of percolating calcareous water. |
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Definition
pyramidal sand mounds with slipfaces on three or more arms that radiate from the high center of the mound. They tend to accumulate in areas with multidirectional wind regimes. |
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Definition
Transport of sediment by wind or water currents that are strong enough to keep the sediment particles continuously above the stream bottom or ground. |
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Term
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Definition
Transport of sediment by wind or water in which the sediment remains in contact with the ground or bed of the stream, moving by rolling or sliding. |
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Definition
Sand dunes that are oriented at right angles to the direction of the prevailing wind. These form where vegetation is sparse and the sand supply is abundant. |
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Definition
A subsurface zone of soil or rock containing fluid under pressure that is less than that of the atmosphere. Pore spaces in the vadose zone are partly filled with water and partly filled with air. The vadose zone is limited by the land surface above and by the water table below. |
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Definition
small plain at the bottom of a narrow valley with steep sides. |
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Term
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Definition
A level beneath the Earth's surface, below which all pore spaces are filled with water and above which the pore spaces are filled with air. The top of the zone of saturation in a subsurface rock, soil or sediment unit. |
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Term
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Definition
The zone beneath the water table where all pore spaces are completely filled with water. Water that exists within this zone is known as "ground water". |
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Term
Magnetic stripes of the sea floor refer to what? |
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Definition
Evidence of polar reversal |
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Term
The earth's core is inferred to be what? |
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Definition
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Term
The premise that present day process have operated throughout geologic time is known as the principle of what? |
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Definition
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Term
ocean-ocean convergence zones are marked by the occurrence of what? |
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Definition
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Term
continental crust is what? |
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Definition
compressed and thickened at converging plate margins |
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Term
The mid oceanic ridges are sites of what? |
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Definition
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Term
the earth is estimated to be how many years old |
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Definition
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Term
all plate margins are characterized by what? |
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Definition
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Term
deep, oceanic trenches are found abow what? |
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Definition
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Term
abundant fossils begin showing up in rocks that are how old? |
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Definition
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Term
the top layer of the ocean crust is composed of what? |
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Definition
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Term
the upper mantle is composed of what? |
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Definition
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Term
an untested explanation of an occurrence in nature is known as what? |
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Definition
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Term
in a stack of sedimentary rocks, the oldest rock layer is usually found at what portion of the stack? |
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Definition
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Term
Rubies and saphires are gem quality varieties of what? |
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Definition
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Term
which of the following groups do most minerals in the earths crust belong? |
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Definition
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Term
quartz si composed of what chemical? |
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Definition
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Term
the tendency for some minerals to break along smooth, flat surfaces is known as what? |
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Definition
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Term
the most abundant mineral group in the crust is what? |
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Definition
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Term
the most abundant mineral group at the earths surface is what? |
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Definition
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Term
calcium carbonate is the mineral |
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Definition
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Term
pyrozene minerals consists of what? |
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Definition
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Term
the ferro-magnesium silicates are ___ colored |
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Definition
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Term
alumnosilicates are mostly _____ colored |
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Definition
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Term
which of these is not an alumnosilicate minera? |
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Definition
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Term
Which is harder? quartz or topaz? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
the rock cycle implies what? |
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Definition
that any rock type can form from another rock type |
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Term
if you wanted to drill to the mantle, you would probably choose a location with thin crust, so where would you go? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
the trench volcanic arc association is indicative of a ____ plate margin |
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Definition
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Term
the earth's core is inferred to be what? |
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Definition
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Term
the ocean crust is formed mostly of what? |
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Definition
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Term
the japanese islands are an example of what? |
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Definition
island arc at a convergent margin |
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Term
new material is formed at the ___ boundry |
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Definition
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Term
the lower steps to the library are made out of what? |
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Definition
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Term
the earths crust is thickest at where? |
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Definition
continental volcanic arcs |
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Term
most of the sodium in rock forming minerals is found in what mineral? |
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Definition
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Term
aluminum is found in the _____ minerals |
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Definition
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Term
the two sources of energy for the earth system are what? |
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Definition
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Term
how do you determine the quality of a diamond? |
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Definition
test its hardness with emery paper |
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Term
"One rock is the material for another" what might this be refferring to |
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Definition
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Term
teh driving mechanism of plate tectonics is what? |
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Definition
convection within the mantle |
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Term
the hawaiian islands are formed as a? |
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Definition
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Term
the san andreas fault is what type of plate margin? |
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Definition
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Term
what is the source lava for hawaii? |
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Definition
melting aboce a mantle plume |
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Term
the reddish mineral grains in the rock that make up the steps to the library are what? |
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Definition
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Term
rocks composed of bit and pieces of pre existing rocks are what |
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Definition
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Term
we have never drilled to the mantle of the earth but we find pieces of it where? |
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Definition
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Term
we have never drilled into the core of the earth but we can conclude what its like by observing |
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Definition
iron meteorites and earthquack waves |
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Term
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Definition
a shallow, sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. |
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