Geology 1010 Exam 1 Dr. Coulson Clemson-Ques ons
and answers | Updated Rated A+ | 2026
What is science?
One way of viewing the world around us ex.(historical, religious, philosophical)
What does science rely on?
Facts
What is a principle?
A fact that was a revela on in the field.
What are the 4 steps of the scien fic method?
Observa on (Step 0), Ques on, Hypothesis, Collect Data, Evaluate
What is a Theory?
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data.
What is a law?
A law is an almost irrefutable hypothesis.
What must you have to challenge scien fic ideas?
You must have data and you must use facts.
What is geology?
Study of the earth
How old is Geology?
Very young, about 200 years old.
What is Catastophism?
Everything can be explained by 6 catastrophes that shaped the Earth.
Who is the grandfather of Geology?
James Hu2on
,Where is James Hu2on from?
Scotland
Who wrote "The Theory of Earth" and when was it wri2en?
James Hu2on wrote The Theory of Earth in 1795.
What principle did James Hu2on write about in his book?
Principle of Uniformitarianism
What is the Principle of Uniformitarianism?
The processes that are going on on Earth today have been going on since the beginning of Earth.
"Present is the key to the past"
What is actualism?
Principle of Uniformitarianism but the processes don't have to happen at the same rate.
What did the solar system look like > 6 bya?
No solar system, just a nebula of H atoms.
How fast do meteorites come into our atmosphere?
40km/s or 90,000 mph
What is a nebula?
A cloud of gas and dust in outer space
What are the steps of the Nebular Hypothesis?
Step A: Gravity
Step B: Solar Disk Model
Step C: Protostar
Step D: Fusion
What is Step A of The Nebular Hypothesis?
Gravity pulled the H atoms together.
What is Step B of the Nebular Hypothesis?
Solar Disk Model: fla2ens to a disk, gas rotates.
What is Step C of the Nebular Hypothesis?
, Protostar: Early forma ons of a star.
What is Step D of the Nebular Hypothesis?
High temps create Fusion: Atoms combine by fusion
What happens to a Protostar once fusion stars happening?
A Protostar becomes a Star
What does Ga mean?
Billion years ago
What is planetary accre on?
Dust and ice begin to collide, building bigger and bigger objects. (ex. Meteors striking the Earth)
About how long ago did Earth come together?
4.5 Ga
Does planetary accre on s ll happen?
Yes! The rate is just slowed down.
What is the Theia Impact?
50 mil yrs into Earth's existence and Earth collides into another planet the size of Mars called
Theia.
What two things happened due to the Theia impact?
1. Lunar Forma on of Moon
2. Earth became a molten planet
What happened when Earth was a molten planet?
Since a lot of the rock was magma or lava it allowed the Earth to stra fy based on density. This
is why Earth has different layers. The layers then re-solidified and this is why they have different
densi es.
What does Ma stand for?
Million years ago
Explain what the Popigai Crater is in Russia, when it happened, and why it is special.
and answers | Updated Rated A+ | 2026
What is science?
One way of viewing the world around us ex.(historical, religious, philosophical)
What does science rely on?
Facts
What is a principle?
A fact that was a revela on in the field.
What are the 4 steps of the scien fic method?
Observa on (Step 0), Ques on, Hypothesis, Collect Data, Evaluate
What is a Theory?
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data.
What is a law?
A law is an almost irrefutable hypothesis.
What must you have to challenge scien fic ideas?
You must have data and you must use facts.
What is geology?
Study of the earth
How old is Geology?
Very young, about 200 years old.
What is Catastophism?
Everything can be explained by 6 catastrophes that shaped the Earth.
Who is the grandfather of Geology?
James Hu2on
,Where is James Hu2on from?
Scotland
Who wrote "The Theory of Earth" and when was it wri2en?
James Hu2on wrote The Theory of Earth in 1795.
What principle did James Hu2on write about in his book?
Principle of Uniformitarianism
What is the Principle of Uniformitarianism?
The processes that are going on on Earth today have been going on since the beginning of Earth.
"Present is the key to the past"
What is actualism?
Principle of Uniformitarianism but the processes don't have to happen at the same rate.
What did the solar system look like > 6 bya?
No solar system, just a nebula of H atoms.
How fast do meteorites come into our atmosphere?
40km/s or 90,000 mph
What is a nebula?
A cloud of gas and dust in outer space
What are the steps of the Nebular Hypothesis?
Step A: Gravity
Step B: Solar Disk Model
Step C: Protostar
Step D: Fusion
What is Step A of The Nebular Hypothesis?
Gravity pulled the H atoms together.
What is Step B of the Nebular Hypothesis?
Solar Disk Model: fla2ens to a disk, gas rotates.
What is Step C of the Nebular Hypothesis?
, Protostar: Early forma ons of a star.
What is Step D of the Nebular Hypothesis?
High temps create Fusion: Atoms combine by fusion
What happens to a Protostar once fusion stars happening?
A Protostar becomes a Star
What does Ga mean?
Billion years ago
What is planetary accre on?
Dust and ice begin to collide, building bigger and bigger objects. (ex. Meteors striking the Earth)
About how long ago did Earth come together?
4.5 Ga
Does planetary accre on s ll happen?
Yes! The rate is just slowed down.
What is the Theia Impact?
50 mil yrs into Earth's existence and Earth collides into another planet the size of Mars called
Theia.
What two things happened due to the Theia impact?
1. Lunar Forma on of Moon
2. Earth became a molten planet
What happened when Earth was a molten planet?
Since a lot of the rock was magma or lava it allowed the Earth to stra fy based on density. This
is why Earth has different layers. The layers then re-solidified and this is why they have different
densi es.
What does Ma stand for?
Million years ago
Explain what the Popigai Crater is in Russia, when it happened, and why it is special.
