ENV100Y5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Asthenosphere, Himalayas, Metamorphic Rock
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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In a closed system, energy can be exchanged between the system and its surroundings: stromatolites a calcareous mound built up of layers of lime-secreting cyanobacteria and trapped sediment, found in precambrian rocks as the earliest known fossils. Intrusive (plutonic rock): magma cools and crystallizes slowly, well below earth"s surface, ex. granite. Extrusive (volcanic rock): magma ejected from a volcano, cools and solidifies quickly, ex. basalt: sedimentary rock: sediment is particles of rock transported by wind, water, ice or gravity. It forms in the near-surface or surface environment. Lithification is the formation of rock through compaction and cementation: metamorphic rock: rock that is modified from extreme heat or pressure. It changes their crystals and appearance (chemistry and physical). A positive feedback loop is self-reinforcing (self-perpetuating), a vicious cycle. The output from the system acts as an input that drives the system further in the same direction, toward one extreme or the other.
