ENV234H1 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Oak Ridges Moraine, Laurentide Ice Sheet, Till
28 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Geological analysis allows us to gain knowledge of the past, which allows for a better understanding of the present and future. Geology is the study of structure, processes and chronology of the earth. Processes (quickest to slowest): earthquake cycle, volcanic eruptions, global weather systems, climate, glacial periods, plate tectonics, mantle convection and mountain building. Climate change was significant during the cenozoic/quaternary (over the past 65my). Unconformities are when some of the deposited rock record is missing from geological deposits. Missing time was either eroded away or never deposited in the first place. Absolute dating with isotopes: half-life is the amount of time it takes to reduce the number of parent atoms by 50% from the original number. The ratio of daughter products from the parents tells how much time has elapsed. The great unconformity: 5. 0 x 10^8 year span. The big gap: 3. 998 x 10^8 year span. Ordovician shallow sub-tropical marine sediments (l2) carbonates and shales.
