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Geology
Final
48
Geology
Undergraduate 2
12/14/2010

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Cause of Cretaceous transgressions and regressions
Definition
somethings that causes sea levels to rise and fall
(no evidence of continent rise or fall)
(sediment supply to shoreline varies on much shorter [than 15 million years] timeline)
Term
time scale of cretaceous transgressions and regressions
Definition
10's of millions of years
Term
Transgression vertical sequence
Definition
Limestone
Shale
Sandstone
old land surface
Term
Regression vertical sequence
Definition
sandstone
shale
limestone
old land surface
Term
3 causes for shoreline moves
Definition
1. absolute rises and falls in sea level
2. rising or falling of land surface
3. changes in sediment supply to the shoreline
Term
Causes of sea-level rise and fall
Definition
•Glaciationdue to climate change -(occurs on 10,000 to 400,000 year time frames) affects amount of water in the oceans
•Changes in seafloor spreading rates(occurs on 10’s of million of year time frames) affect the volume of the ocean basins
Term
slow forming crust
Definition
low ridge, little water displaced
Term
quick forming oceanic crust
Definition
high ridge, lots of water displaced
Term
Cretaceous ocean crust production
Definition
extensive. Slow and fast at times
Term
What created transgressions and regressions of the
oceans onto and off of continents throughout
geologic time?
Definition
Changes in rates of sea floor spreading
Term
Cretaceous coals located in:
Definition
Rocky mountain area
Term
Pennsylvanian coals located in:
Definition
Pennsylvania/ midwest area, Bituminous coal
Term
Low-angle thrust faults displace rocks for up to:
Definition
200km
Term
when did the rocky mountains form? also known as what?
Definition
Paleocene. Laramide Orogency
Term
when did the rocky mountains begin to form?
Definition
65 +/- 5 millions years ago
Term
why can the great plains be farmed?
Definition
The sandstones in the Oligo-Miocene Ogallala Fm. form the largest freshwater aquifer on the great plains
Term
when did life begin?
Definition
about 3.75 billion years ago
Term
what percent of earth's history is the Precambrian?
Definition
88.2%
Term
Oldest know rock
Definition
Acasta Gneiss 4.04 billion years ago
Term
Oldest known mineral
Definition
4.4 Ga zircon in a sandstone from JackHills Australia
Term
indirect evidence of like in precambrian
Definition
Stromatolites, the oldest examples of which are 3.8 billion years old,
Term
oldest fossil
Definition
3.2 billion years ago
Term
advantages of being a eukaryote
Definition
can eat things to get energy instead of making it.
Create a greater variety of shapes and sizes (can go multi-cellular) than cells without a nucleus and other features
Term
diverse microbial life, but no animals
Definition
.85 bya
Term
difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Definition
prokaryotes can live with OR WITHOUT oxygen while eukaryotes require oxygen
Term
earth's initial atmosphere
Definition
Initial atmosphere should have been rich in He and H, and contained noble gasses. (i.e. –it contained the lightest elements)
Term
source of the “secondary” ocean & atmosphere:
Definition
volcanoes.
Volcanic gasses are
rich in H2O, CO2,
N, SO2 and CH4
Term
if O2 is absent, iron is:
Definition
Fe2+ (pyrite)
Term
if oxygen is abundant, iron is:
Definition
Fe3+ (rust)
Term
oxygen appears a lot more:
Definition
2.5 Ga
Term
major source of oxygen as we know it
Definition
photosynthensis
Term
Evidence for precambrian life:
Definition
-stromatolites, a type of trace fossil –since 3.8 billion years ago-fossils of single-celled prokaryotes -since 3.2 billion years ago-fossils of single-celled eukaryotes -since 2.1 billion years ago
Term
The oldest direct fossil evidence for a group of large, multicellular animals occurs in rocks:
known as?
Definition
570 my ago
"Ediacara fauna“
Term
Cambrian explosion
Definition
545 my ago
there is the “sudden”development of shells, which in turn, leads to the “sudden”occurrence of numerous types of fossils in rocks.
Term
what marks the beginning of the Paleozoic era?
Definition
The Cambrian explosion
Term
how long did the cambrian explosion last for?
Definition
~60 million years
Term
3 benefits of shells
Definition
•provides attachments for muscles, thus better locomotion•provides support for soft body parts, thus body size can increase•provide protection from predators
Term
what did the erosion of the Rockies produce?
Definition
Lots of sedimentary rocks that filled the gaps in the mountains. created oil deposits
Term
key features of vertebrates
Definition
– Stiff elongate support structure (bones, cartilage)
– Central nervous system
– Blood
– Gills or lungs to “breathe” oxygen
– Appendages (limbs, fins) for locomotion
Term
difficulties needed to be overcome to live on land
Definition
• locomotion
• reproduction
• lungs
• regulate body’s water
Term
when did amphibians develop?
Definition
Late devonian
Term
#1 Advancement of Reptiles
Definition
development of the shelled-egg, which allowed reptiles to reproduce independent of water
Term
When did reptiles originate?
Definition
late pennsylvanian
Term
when did mammals evolve?
Definition
Triassic
Term
oldest known chordate fossil
Definition
525 Ma
Term
What is an extinction?
Definition
the total disappearance of a species or higher taxon from the rock record
Term
5 mass extinctions
Definition
1. End of Ordovician
2. Late Devonian
3. end of Permian
4. end of Triassic
5. end of Cretaceous
Term
what organisms are most affected by extinction?
Definition
Large carnivores
tropical species
highly specialized species
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