SG E1.docx - EAPS 100 Study Guide Exam 1 Chapters 0 1 2 ...

EAPS 100 Study Guide Exam 1
Chapters 0, 1, 2, and 5
Chapter 0
Different Spheres of the Earth (definition, major compositions)
- Atmosphere
o Envelope of gas that surrounds earth
o Elevation of 10,000 km, thins away
o Main components: N2, O2, other gases
- Geosphere
o Solid earth
o Topography: surface features of land
o Bathymetry: underwater features of land
- Hydrosphere
o 70% of surface is water (96% in oceans)
o Fresh water – minor on land surface, more groundwater, glaciers at polar
regions/high elevations
- Biosphere
o Surface, can modify the landscape
o Varies spatially and temporally
Energy and Exchanges
- Internal energy: heat, thermal energy
o Rocks melt, volcanoes
o Earth’s interior soft enough to flow
 Round earth, tectonic activities
- External energy: reach surface from outside, mostly sun
o Warm
o Convection of atmosphere and hydrosphere
 Winds, currents, waves
Earth’s Interior (structure, features for each layer, continental vs oceanic)
- Crust (least dense)
o Very thin
o Oceanic crust: less thick, primarily basaltic
o Continental crust: thicker, primarily granitic
- Mantle (denser)
o Largest part of earth in volume
o Solid – hot and soft to flow (like candle)
o Upper mantle: moho to 660 km – transition 410-660
o Lower mantle: 660-2900 km
- Core (most dense)
o Outer core: liquid, generates magnetic field
o Inner core: solid, over 4,700 C

- Geothermal Gradient: rule of increasing temp with depth
Lithosphere & Asthenosphere
- Lithosphere
o Rigid, can break, can’t flow, shape/size unchanged (ex: box/stick)
o Crust & uppermost mantle (outer 100-150 km)
- Asthenosphere
o Plastic: deformation permanent without breaking, solid but soft, can flow (ex:
magma/lava)
o Part of mantle
o Ability to flow makes all plates tectonic activities possible
Chapter 1
Mineral Definition
- Mineral: naturally occurring inorganic solid that possesses orderly crystalline structure
and definite chemical composition
- Requirements (determine if mineral is a mineral)
o Naturally occurring
o Solid
o Inorganic
o Ordered crystalline structure
o Characteristic chemical compositions
Mineral Property Definition/Usage
- Color: not reliable, huge range, trace impurities
- Luster: way mineral surface scatter light
o Metallic luster
o Nonmetallic – vitreous (glassy), earthy (dull), pearly, silky, resinous, greasy
- Crystal shape: way crystal grows when unobstructed
o Early crystals seed for future growth, encounter other growing crystals, restricted
by space
- Streak: color after mineral is powdered
o More reliable, may be different than mineral color, not all produce streak
- Hardness: ability of mineral to resist abrasion
o Mohs Scale of Hardness: rubbing mineral against material of known hardness
(scale of 1-10)
- Cleavage and fracture
o Cleavage: tendency of mineral to break along flat parallel surfaces due to weak
chemical bonding
o Fracture: breaks along random, irregular surfaces
o Number of cleavage directions/angles can be 1-4 or 6
o Conchoidal fractures: special for quartz, no cleavage, breaks along numerous
small smooth curved surfaces
- Other properties
o Reactions to HCI acid Effervesce, bubble

o Magnetism
o