abc geology book

5/21/2018 ABC Geology Book

1/27

ABC Geology BookBy: Allison Cramer


2/27

ArkoseDefinition: A type of sandstone that containsfeldspar and quartz.Sentence: I found some arkose on the beach andtried to sell it, but nobody wanted it.

Facts:

Contains at least 25% feldspar.

Fizzes with hydrochloric acid

Its color is typically gray to reddish.


3/27

BathymetryDefinition: The measurement of ocean depths andthe preparation of maps of the ocean floor.Sentence: My sister in college is studying

bathymetry.

Facts:

The underwater equivalent of hypsometry.

The name comes from greek.

Maps are typically made for nautical safety.


4/27

CinderDefinition: A volcanic rock fragment.Sentence: As I walked up the volcano, I found

some pieces of cinderlying around.

Facts:

Can float on water.

An igneous rock.

Colors vary from red to brown to black.


5/27

DiatomDefinition: A single-celled plant that lives in theshallow water of lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans.Sentence: If you went swimming in the ocean, you

wouldnt find any diatoms, because they are tootiny to see.

Facts:

Many diatoms secrete silica that contributes to

sea floors and lake beds.

One of the most common types of plankton.

Part of the foundation of the oceanic food chain.


6/27

EonDefinition: The major divisions of the geologictime scale.Sentence: One eonago, there were no people onthe earth.

Facts:

Eons are divided into eras.

Each eon is about a billion years.

The word eon comes from aeon which means

age or forever.


7/27

FjordDefinition: A U-shaped valley under the sea.Sentence: As the submarine explored the sea, it

encountered afjord.

Facts:

Fjords were carved by glaciers a long time ago.

Above most fjords are strong currents.

Most fjords are deeper than the adjacent sea.


8/27

GullyDefinition: A small channel formed by runningwater.Sentence: John steered his kayak along the wide

flooded gully.

Facts:

Artificial gullies can be formed during hydraulic

mining for gold or tin ore.

The term gully was first used in 1657.

Gullies are most likely to form on hillsides

without much vegetation.


9/27

HematiteDefinition: Hematite is the mineral form of an ironoxide.Sentence: When Susie went to Yellowstone

National Park, she found some chunks of

hematite.

Facts:

Hematite can be black, dark gray, silver, brown,

or red.

Hematite has a reddish streak.

Has a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5.


10/27

IntrusionDefinition: A rock formed beneath the surface ofthe earth.Sentence: Lisa found an igneous rock nowhere

near any volcanoes and figured it must be an

intrusion.

Facts:

The devils tower national monument is an

example of a well-known intrusion.

Sometimes, intrusions push other rocks out of the

way to make it to the surface of the earth.

Many mountain ranges are mostly formed by

intrusive rock.


11/27

JadeDefinition: A translucent gemstone consisting ofeither jadeite or nephrite.Sentence: My aunts wedding ring has ajadestonein it.

Facts:

Typically green in color.

Very durable.

Used in a variety or jewelry.


12/27

KettleDefinition: A water-filled depression formed by aburied block of ice melting.Sentence: My brother loves to swim in kettles.

Facts:

Kettles are formed in glacial deposits.

The buried blocks of ice are left by retreating

glaciers.

Most kettles have a depth no greater than 10

meters.


13/27

LaharDefinition: A mudflow composed of water andvolcanic ash.Sentence: My neighbors cat died in a lahar.

Facts:

Lahars can be triggered by flash melting on a

volcanic mountain or by heavy rainfall.

Lahars can occur very suddenly.

Lahars travel at high speeds.


14/27

MantleDefinition: A major division of the earths internalstructure.Sentence: My nephew has decided someday he

wants to journey into the mantleof the earth.

Facts:

Between the crust and the core.

Made up of liquid and solid rock.

Temperatures range from 500C to over 4,000 C.


15/27

NebulaDefinition: A cloud of interstellar dust that isbarely visible from earth.Sentence: Howard looked up at the stars and saw

a nebulaamong them.

Facts:

Among the dust in nebulae are many different

types of gases.

Before galaxies were discovered, people referred

to them as nebulae.

Nebulae often form star-forming regions.


16/27

OpaqueDefinition: Opaque is something that light cant passthrough.Sentence: Uncle Willys kitchen table is opaque.

Facts:

Minerals with a metallic luster are usually opaque.

Planck and Rosseland opacity are two different

ways of measuring opacity.

Something thats opaque cant transmit light, so it

either reflects, scatters, or absorbs light.


17/27

Paleontology

Definition: The study of ancient life through

fossils.

Sentence: Last week, I met a famous

paleontologist who works inpaleontology.

Facts:

Paleontology is a historical science.

Paleontology is the science that is in between

biology and geology.

Paleontology was established around 1800.


18/27

Quartzite

Definition: A metamorphic rock mostly composed of

quartz.

Sentence: The stone table was made of quartzite.

Facts:

Quartzite is produced when heat, pressure, and

chemical activity are applied to sandstone.

Quartzite is a non-foliated rock.

Quartzite is usually white or grey.


19/27

Radiolarian

Definition: A one-celled marine animal.

Sentence: My little brother thought a radiolarianwas a type of animal.

Facts:

Radiolarians have a siliceous skeleton.

Radiolarians occupy shallow portions of the water

column.

Radiolarians have a time range from Cambrian to

present.


20/27

Sinkhole

Definition: A depression in the land that results

from the collapse of underground voids.

Sentence: I made sure to tell everyone to watch

out for the sinkhole.

Facts:

Sinkholes can also result from the slow

settlement of underground voids.

Underground voids collapse or slowly settle

because of solution weathering.

The rock dissolved in the underground void isusually limestone.


21/27

Tarn

Definition: A small mountain lake or pool.

Sentence: When my family visited the mountains,

we went to swim in a tarn.

Facts:

Tarns are formed in cirques carved out by

glaciers.

Glacial debris may form a natural dam below the

tarn.

The word tarn come from the Old Norse word

for pond.


22/27

Upwelling

Definition: When cold water moves from the floor

of a body of water to a shallow area.

Sentence: While swimming in the lake, there was

an upwellingthat made the water too cold toswim in.

Facts:

Upwellings are caused by the wind.

The water that rises is usually much more

nutrient-enriched then the water it replaces.

25% of marine fish catches come from upwellings.


23/27

Vein

Definition: A fracture in something that has been

filled with mineral material.

Sentence: There was a veinof quartz in thecement patio outside my house.

Facts:

Veins form when mineral constituents are

deposited through rain.

Veins form either from open-space filling or

crack-seal growth.

Veins need pressure, open spaces, or fractures toform.


24/27

Wash

Definition: A wash is a dry creek bed that

occasionally fills with water.

Sentence: When its dry, my brother likes to ride

his dirt bike along the nearby wash.

Facts:

Washes can be natural or man-made.

Washes are usually in sloped places with desert

climates.

Washes can be formed by flash floods.


25/27

Xerophyte

Definition: A plant that can survive in a very dry

climate.

Sentence: When my friend and I found a cactus in

the desert, my friend said Look! Its axerophyte!

Facts:

Xero means dry.

Phyte means plant.

Xerophytes can be found in the desert, in the

arctic, and even in the rain forest.


26/27

Yardang

Definition: A streamlined hill parallel to the wind,

produced mostly by wind erosion.

Sentence: As we crossed the desert, we not only

found a cactus, but also a yardang.

Facts:

One material that yardangs can be made out of is

bedrock.

When yardangs are viewed from above, they

resemble the hull of a boat.

The word yardang is from turkish origin, meaningsteep bank.


27/27

Zirconium

Definition: A hard mineral that is used as a

gemstone.

Sentence: My grandmother has some old Christmas

ornaments made out of zirconium.

Facts:

Has a high index of refraction.

Its atomic mass is 91.224.

Its very soft.

abc geology book

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formed byintrusive rock

igneous rock nowherenear

volcanic rock fragment

ocean floor

adjacent sea

surface ofthe earth

theshallow water of