Welcome

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Welcome ! Geology 101 Physical Geology Ken Spre
nke, Ph.D.
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Montserrat--Volcano Other places like this? -Haw
aii, Seattle,Idaho Falls, Yellowstone, Moscow,
Idaho????? VOLCANOES ARE JUST ONE PART OF THE E
ARTH SYSTEM
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The Earth from Apollo 17 -Internal engine make
s the continents -External engine makes the wea
ther.
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Acts of humans affect the Earths systems

-Costa Rican Clear Cut
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System Interrelated parts and processes, inputs
and outputs. Car example (engine, trannie, brake
s are parts and processes) (input is gasoline
output is movement and pollution)
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The Earth System is dynamic with many parts.
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Every aspect of geology has economic or
environmental relevance.
Geology comes from the Greek words geo and logos.
Geology is defined as the study of the Earth.
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Damming the rivers that fed the Aral Sea was done
for economic reasons.
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But the Aral Sea is a closed basin which lost
water only by evaporation.
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The environmental effects are disastrous as the
lake continues to evaporate without new input
from the rivers.
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Geology affects how humans see the world in
music and art..
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Geology affects how we laugh..
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and geology affects how we die.
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Geology is an important aspect of sustainable
development. Overpopulation is ultimately a
geology ploblem.
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For Next Lecture Read Chapter 1. We will
explore the Earths dynamic system.
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Welcome ! Geology 101 Lecture 2 Earths Dynami
c System
Ken Sprenke, Ph.D.
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Traditional branches of Geology
Physical Geology- Study of Earth materials and
Earth processes. Historical Geology- Study of t
he history of Earth and life. In modern geology
, it is difficult to separate these two branches.
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The nebular theory for the origin of Solar System
and Earth
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Is the nebular theory really a theory or is it
just ahypothesis?
A hypothesis is an intelligent guess ( a
provisional explanation).
A theory is an explanation that has a large body
of supporting evidence. To be scientific, a
theory must be testable.
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A) Accretion of rock fragments from the solar
nebula
B) Heating of Earth by compression and
radioactivity.
C) Differentiation into crust, mantle, and core
as heavy material sinks and light material rises.
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Process of differentiation Separation of
components in a mixture as cooling takes place.

• The ICE BEER analogy
• Ice-liquid slurry
• Liquid portion contains concentrated C2H5OH
  (Alcohol) that sinks.
  
• Solid part is ice that floats.
• Suds is very light gas that escapes.

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Differentiated Earth Note that brittle
lithosphere includes the crust and uppermost
mantle. The plastic asthenosphere is in the upper
mantle. The oceanic crust is thinner than the
continental crust.
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The lithosphere is broken into plates that
diverge to form mid-ocean ridges, converge to
form subduction zones and mountains, and slide
sideways to form transform faults.
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Plate tectonics is the theory that large segments
of the outer parts of the Earth move relative to
each other.
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The interaction between plates explains
volcanoes, earthquakes, mountain ranges, ocean
basins, and recycling of rocks.
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Rock Cycle A group of processes through which
earth materials pass as they are transformed from
one type to another.
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Igneous Rock granite
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Igneous rock BASALT
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Sedimentary Rock CONGLOMERATE
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Sedimentary rock LIMESTONE
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Metamorphic rock GNEISS
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Metamorphic Rock Quartzite
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The three rock types are recycled through the
Earth by plate tectonics.
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Geologic time is the essence of geology.
The geologic time scale is the calendar geolog
ists use to talk about the past.
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The Cenozonic Era is the age of mammals.
The Quaternary Period is the age of homo sapien
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The mezozoic era was the age of dinosaurs.
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The Paleozoic era was the age of plants.
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The atmosphere became oxidized at this time.
Accretion of nebular material ceased at this time
Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago.
The Precambrian was the age of bacteria.
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Geological Philosophies Principle of Uniformit
arianism The present is the key to the past.
The same processes that operate today also
operated in the past. Uniformitarianists are of
ten challenged by catastrophists who claim that
sudden calamities have dominated the geological
record.
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Next Lecture Read Chapter 2 Minerals