sábado, 9 de abril de 2011

CLUES TO EARTH"S PAST

Fossil:
are the remains, imprints, or traces of prehistoric organism.






Permineralized:
are fossils in wich the spaces in side are filled with minerals.






Carbon film:
is a thin carbon residue is left, forming a silhouette of the original organism.




 


Mold:
the hard part of a might decay or dissolve, leaving behind a cavity in the rock.






Cast:
mineral-rich water or other sediment might enter the cavity, form a new rock, and produce a copy.






Index Fossil:
are the remains of especies that existed on earth for relatively periods of time.





Principle super Deposition:
in undisturbed of rocks, the oldest rocks are on the bottom and the rocks become progressively younger toward the top.






Relative Age:
it age comparison to other things.







unconformity:
gaps in rock sequences.





Absolute age:
is the age, in years, of arock or other object.






Radioactive decay:
isotopes are unstable and break down into other isotopes and particles.










half-life:
is the time it takes for half of the atoms in the isotope to decay.







Radiometric dating:
by measuring the radio parent isotope to the daughter product in a mineral knowing the half-life of the parent in many cases you can calculate the absolute age of the rocks.







Uniformitairanism:
states that eath processes occuring today are similar to those occured in the past







martes, 5 de abril de 2011

WATER EROSION AND DEPOSITION

Runoff:
 Water that doesn"t soak into the ground or evaporate but intead flows across Earth"s surface.








channel:
 Water moving down the same path that create a groove.






Sheet erosion:
 occurs when water that is flowing as sheets picks up and carries away sediments.



Drainage  basin:
 is the area of land from wich stream or river that collects runoff.


Meander:
curve that grows to become a broad.




growndwater:
 Water that soaks into the ground collects in these pores and empty spaces.




permeable:
that water can pass throught them. 
                 
impermeable:
water cannot pass throught them


aquifer:
a layer of permeable rock that lets water move freely.


water table:
are pores in the rocks that are filled with water is the zone of saturation.


spring:
is a water table that is so close to earth surface of water that flows and make a spring.   
                               
geyser: 
is hot spring that erupts periodically.


cave:
crack in the limestone that enlarge until an undergrownd opening.