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jaheruth2412
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Describe how the fossil is biased. (What conditions promote preservation)
organisms with hard parts and marine environments lead to better preservation.
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Why are there so many terrestrial fossils in Badlands Natl Park?
Rivers from the black hills rapidly carried sediment which preserved the terrestrial organisms.
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What is a reef and how does it form?
Wave resistant structure that is built from plant/animal skeletons. (Stony Coral soak up calcium -- CO2 + Calcium)
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What are the conditions required for reef formation?
Warm, clear nutrient rich water and sunlight.
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What are the geological processes involved in cave formation?
Ground Water Table (separates saturated and unsaturated rocks) dissolves carbonate rocks.
Cave shape is determined by characteristics of the rocks (un/soluable beds)
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What is a speleothem?
Minerals deposited in caves (Stalactite/Stalagmites)
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How are speleothems named?
Shape and place of formation
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Mammoth Cave vs Carlsbad Cavern (Size, Shape, Speleothems) What impacts these differences.
- M: Long and Narrow, Bedded, Few but active speleothems
- C: Huge deep rooms, Massive, Lots but inactive Speleothems
- Climate and Structure
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Geometry of Folds (Anticlines, Synclines, Domes, Basins)
- Anticline (Rainbow)
- Syncline (Smile)
- Dome
- Basin
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What type of stress causes folding in rocks.
Compression
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Relative age of fold rock units (anticlines vs synclines)
- Anticlines: Older rocks exposed
- Synclines: Younger rocks exposed
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How are joints different from faults?
Joints are a crack in a rock and faults happen from movement in the crust.
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Hanging wall vs Foot wall
Hanging wall is on top, would walk on foot wall.
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Type of motion from looking at hanging/foot walls.
Compression, Extension, Shear
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How can the age of faults be determined?
Structural analysis, detailed mineralogy, Chemical analyses
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What does Orogeny mean?
Mountain building
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What type of tectonic activity and stresses form mountain ranges?
- Compressional Folding
- Compressional Faulting
- Extensional Faulting
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What is the greenhouse effect?
Greenhouse gasses are caught in the atmosphere and they capture infrared radiation and re-emit it to the earth. Leads to more heat.
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What kinds of info do scientists use to study climate change?
O18-O16 ratio, CO2 captured in polar ice, evolutionary changes in species, Shell composition of microscopic marine organisms, dist and type of glacial deposits.
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What are the Milankovitch Cycles and how do they affect glaciation of the earth?
Tilt, Eccentricity (Orbital path), Wobble/Procession. This affects how much solar radiation is present.
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When was the most recent glacial advance.
Pliestocine 2 million years ago
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Erosional features produced by alpine and continental glaciation
striation (grooves) cirques (holes) u-shaped valleys, horns (mountain looking), hanging valley (has waterfalls)
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Depositional features by alpine and continental glaciation
till (sediment carried by glacier), outwash (sediment from glacial water), Kettles (hole of sediment/water left by glacier)
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