Physical Geology: An Overview of Minerals, Rocks, and Landscapes, Quizzes of Forestry

Download Physical Geology: An Overview of Minerals, Rocks, and Landscapes and more Quizzes Forestry in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 Geology DEFINITION 1 Describes the composition and structure of the earth, especially land masses, and explain how it got that way. TERM 2 Physical Geology DEFINITION 2 Includes: the study of minerals and rocks geomorphology TERM 3 Minerals DEFINITION 3 naturally occurring compounds with distinctive physical properties TERM 4 Rocks DEFINITION 4 assemblages of minerals TERM 5 Geomorphology DEFINITION 5 Study of landscape features and formation TERM 6 Historical Geology DEFINITION 6 Pieces together the history of the earth, from physical and biological clues (fossils), including the origin of modern landscapes TERM 7 Igneous Rock DEFINITION 7 One of the three basic classes of rock Form in the molten mantle of the earth from magma, which either cools slowly beneath the surface (intrusive/plutonic) or rapidly when ejected from a volcano or surface magma flow (extrusive/volcanic) TERM 8 Intrusive (Plutonic) Rocks DEFINITION 8 Type of igneous rocks that have large visible mineral crystals Examples: Granite, Diorite, Gabbro (see "Rocks" flashcards) TERM 9 Extrusive (Volcanic) Rocks DEFINITION 9 Type of igneous rocks that have much finer mineral grains than intrusive rocks due to rapid cooling Examples: Rhyolite, Andesite, Basalt (see "Rocks" flashcards) TERM 10 Metamorphic Rock DEFINITION 10 One of the three basic classes of rock Result of re-melting of igneous or sedimentary rock, commonly caused by tectonic events (plate collisions) that crush and heat rocks under pressure Examples: Slate, Quartzite, Marble, Schist, Gneiss, Amphibolite (see "Rocks" flashcards) TERM 21 Earth's Crust DEFINITION 21 Solid upper part of mantle; divided into plates composed of denser, high iron rocks that less dense rocks, continents, float on) TERM 22 Continental Drift DEFINITION 22 Localized heating in mantle causes liquid pockets that move closer to the crust and cools, then moves closer to the core and melts --> this causes the crust to move TERM 23 Mountains DEFINITION 23 Form when two continent bearing plates collide head-on smashing and squeezing rocks between them Often these rocks are metamorphosed in the process Sometimes molten magma is squeezed up from the lower mantle to form new igneous rocks TERM 24 Physiography DEFINITION 24 Types of landforms that exist on the earth's surface (See "Geologic History of Georgia" flashcards to see how the current physiography of Georgia formed) TERM 25 Landscape DEFINITION 25 Unit of land area, characterized by distinctive and/or uniform topography and having more-or-less typical geology and geologic history, soil types, and hydrologic conditions TERM 26 Relief/ Topography DEFINITION 26 Describes the shape of the surface of the landscapes (whether steep or flat or something in between), and the soils and hydrology that may occur there of the landscape High relief= steep (more streams with steeper gradient) Moderate relief= rolling (greatest soil thickness and depth) Low relief= nearly level TERM 27 Formations of landscapes DEFINITION 27 Both steeper and level landscapes (younger land forms) weather and erode over long geologic time periods to form rolling landscapes (oldest and most stable land forms) Steep landscapes(tectonic/mountainous) are eroded down Level landscapes are nearly always depositional, adding new material TERM 28 Infiltration DEFINITION 28 Rain soaks into ground TERM 29 Runoff DEFINITION 29 Rain does not soak into ground TERM 30 Climate DEFINITION 30 Rainfall amount, distribution, and temperature Plays a large role in creating landscapes TERM 31 Alluvium DEFINITION 31 Eroded, soil-like material laid down on the floodplains of major rivers (depositional) TERM 32 Karst DEFINITION 32 Landscapes formed on limestone and has caves because limestone dissolved TERM 33 Muck DEFINITION 33 a peaty soil material formed from plant debris that accumulate in the low areas where the water table comes right to the surface TERM 34 Saprolite DEFINITION 34 Porous soil-like material (weathered rock) TERM 35 Aeolin DEFINITION 35 Wind blown TERM 46 Soil Series DEFINITION 46 Certain sequence of horizons with certain properties defining a certain type of soil Given names based off the town where the soil was first described TERM 47 Soil DEFINITION 47 Mantle of weathered rock that covers the earth's land surface Medium for plant growth Affected by specific soil-forming processes (weathering, leaching, humus additions)--> these properties create distinctive soil properties form horizons TERM 48 pH of Rain Water DEFINITION 48 pH= 5.5 TERM 49 Hydrologic Cycle DEFINITION 49 Water moves though landscapes in a series of processes and there is a balance between inputs of water (precipitation) and outputs (Evaporation and transpiration) TERM 50 Formula of Hydrologic Cycle DEFINITION 50 Formula: P=Q+ET+(change in S) P=precipitation E=evaporation (to the atmosphere) T= transpiration (to the atmosphere) Q= discharge (of water in soil) S= storage (of water in soil) Change in S= change in storage, which is an increase or decrease over time TERM 51 Watershed DEFINITION 51 Land area within the boundaries of which all water drains to a single outlet point TERM 52 Water Table DEFINITION 52 Saturated zone in the subsoil Springs may occur where a water table outcrops to the surface Note: water the percolates into the soil and below may continue to flow (leak) through the bedrock to some deeper water table below, or may follow a flow path different from the surface watershed divides TERM 53 Stream Order DEFINITION 53 Defines the size of the stream based on how many other streams intersect it, counting only perennial streams A first has no perennial tributaries, a second order is made up of intersecting first order, etc. (largest rivers= seventh or eighth order, moderate rivers= four or five order) Stream networks in the landscape tend to form distinctive patterns based on how streams intersect and the stream density (length of stream per area) TERM 54 Dendritic Pattern DEFINITION 54 Streams intersect at acute angles and form a random branch-like network over the landscapes Most common (and most common in Piedmont) TERM 55 Rectangular Pattern DEFINITION 55 Ridges often direct major streams through valleys with smaller streams running up hill slopes Often determined by geology Common in the Valley and Ridge province of GA TERM 56 Trellis Pattern DEFINITION 56 Develops in loose erodible soils where major streams quickly cut down into the landscape and feeder streams branch out laterally Common in some parts of the Coastal Plains of GA TERM 57 Where does mountain-building energy come from? DEFINITION 57 The heat at the core of the earth, originally derived from the gravitational energy and radioactivity decay TERM 58 Where does mountain eroding energy come from? DEFINITION 58 The erosive power of rainfall TERM 59 Where does the impact energy of raindrops and erosive power of flowing water come from? DEFINITION 59 From the sun, which evaporates water from the surface into the atmosphere, from which it falls back to earth as rainfall TERM 60 What wears down the mountains and powers the erosive part of the rock cycle? DEFINITION 60 Hydrologic cycle How it works: The photons of light from the sun hit a water surface, and are absorbed by some of the water molecules, which raises them to a higher energy level- and as they become more energetic, they have the baility to escape the liquid phase and enter the gas phase... once in the vapor phase (gas), if the temperature decreases, the water molecules cool off and lose their energy, condensing back into liquid phase- as rainfall