Chapter 14 - Geology and Nonrenewable Resources

material that the core is mostly made of

rich in iron, silicon, oxygen, and magnesium

outermost and thinnest zone of the earth

underlies the continents

underlies the ocean basins

earth’s crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle

floats and rides on top of the aesthenosphere

movement of lithospheric plates on top of the aesthenosphere

the plates move apart - this occurs at mid-ocean ridges (new crust)

the plates move together (destroying crust)

• at most ___ boundaries, the oceanic plate is subducted, sliding underneath the continental crust

the plates move in opposite parallel directions

The faulting or later abrupt movement of stress in the earth’s crust that causes solid rock to deform until it suddenly factures and shifts along the fracture

a measure of earthquake magnitude

occurs where magma reaches the earth’s surface through a central vent or crack

are vibrations in the earth’s crust caused by sudden shifts along a fault

vibrations that travel through the earth that are caused by Earthquakes

waves that travel through liquids, solids and gases

waves that travel only through solids and are slower than P waves

waves that are the slowest and occur when P and S waves meet the surface

is any activity that includes the movement of magma towards or onto the earth’s surface

include subduction zones, mid-ocean ridges, hot spots and the ring of fire

magma under pressure at high temperatures causes the magma above to be pushed towards the surface and out the vent (opening of the volcano)

magma on the surface of the Earth that begins to harden

the Funnel shaped pit at the top of the volcanic vent

occurs when the magma chamber below collapses, creating a basin shaped depression

an element or inorganic compound that occurs naturally and is solid

any material that makes up a large, natural, continuous part of the earth’s crust

can form below or on the earth’s surface when molten rock material (magma) cools

forms from sediment that is weathered, transported, and deposited before pressure creates it

is produced when a preexisting rock is subjected to high temperatures, high pressures, chemically active fluids, or a combination of these

a concentration of naturally occurring solid, liquid, or gaseous material in or on the earth’s crust that can be extracted and processed into useful materials at an affordable cost.

are removed by subsurface mining where tunnels and chambers are excavated to reach deposits

are removed by surface mining

machines dig holes and remove ores

draglines scrape up underwater mineral deposits

overlying soil and rock is removed to access deposit

terraced strip mining

the top of the whole mountain is removed

when the costs of finding, extracting, transporting, and processing the remaining deposits exceed the returns

recycle or reuse existing supplies, waste less, use less, find a substitute, or do without

is the time it takes to use up 80% of the reserves at a given rate

• scarring and disruption of the land surface

• collapse or subsiding of the land

• air pollution from dust and toxics

• acid mine drainage

• water pollution from sedimentation and toxics