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earth and planetary science > 100 key concepts > Flashcards

100 key concepts Flashcards

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1
Q

what is studied in earth and planetary science?

A

Geology, astronomy, meteorology

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2
Q

what is the human population of the earth?

A

7.75 billion people

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3
Q

what is the formula for density?

A

mass divided by volume

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4
Q

a substance will float in a liquid if

A

its density is less than the density of the liquid

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5
Q

what tool is used to measure the mass of an object?

A

A balance or scale

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6
Q

the caves and sickholes common in SE minnesota is known as what type of topography

A

karst topography

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7
Q

what type of bedrock is common around rochester

A

limestone and sandstone

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8
Q

what do the limestone and sandstone layers around rochester tell geologist of this area’s past

A

area was once underwater for thousands of years

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9
Q

what native nation gave us constellations that include wintermaker, curly tail, the loon, and the moose

A

Ojibwe

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10
Q

what natural disaster brought the mayo brothers to rochester in 1883

A

a tornado

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11
Q

what are rocks made of?

A

combination of minerals

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12
Q

the idea that rocks continuously change from one kind to another is called

A

the rock cycle

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13
Q

name 3 classifications of rocks

A

igneous
sedimentary
metamorphic

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14
Q

how are igneous rocks formed

A

cooling and hardening of magma

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15
Q

how are sedimentary rocks formed

A

the deposition and cementing of sediments

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16
Q

how are metamorphic rocks formed

A

changes in other rocks

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17
Q

two main rocks of earth’s crust

A

granite and basalt

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18
Q

what is moh’s hardness scale

A

scale that rates minerals from softest to hardest (1-10)

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19
Q

what is the hardest mineral known

A

diamond

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20
Q

upper 8-12 inches of the ground is called the

A

topsoil

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21
Q

what is weathering in soil

A

process of breaking down rocks

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22
Q

process of which moves soil from one place to another

A

erosion

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23
Q

two main ingredients of soil

A

weathered rocks and organic matter

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24
Q

part of earth made of crust and upper mantle is called

A

lithosphere

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25
Q

what does the theory of plate tectonics tell scientist

A

the crust of the earth is broken into pieces/plates that move

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26
Q

3 type of plate boundaries

A

divergent
convergent
transform

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27
Q

the last super continent was called

A

pangaea

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28
Q

how do plates move along a divergent plate boundary

A

move apart

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29
Q

how do plates move along a convergent plate boundary

A

move together

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30
Q

how do plates move along a transform plate boundary

A

slide past each other

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31
Q

the only plate boundary found in the u.s

A

along pacific coast or california

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32
Q

the shaking and trembling of earth’s crust is called

A

earthquake

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33
Q

types of volcanoes

A

shield
cinder cone
composite

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34
Q

3 landforms created from rivers

A

v shape valleys
canyons
deltas
bluffs
waterfalls
gorges

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35
Q

3 landforms created by glaciers

A

mountains
volcanoes
trenches
rift valleys

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36
Q

3 landforms created by waves

A

beaches
cliffs
caves
spits

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37
Q

what do contours show on a topographic map

A

points of similar elevation

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38
Q

4 primary eras of earth’s past

A

pre cambrian time
paleozoic era
mesozoic era
cenozoic era

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39
Q

what era accounts for 90% of earth’s past

A

pre cambrian time

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40
Q

what does the law of superstition tell scientists

A

states if rocks are formed in layers, the rocks on the upper layer is younger than the ones below it

41
Q

estimated age of the earth

A

4.6 billion years old

42
Q

how can the exact age of a rock be measured

A

analyzing the amount of radioactive decay that has occurred in the rock

43
Q

what event killed the dinos

A

asteroid crashing into earth

44
Q

visible portion of the moon is increasing is

A

waxing

45
Q

visible portion of the moon is decreasing is

A

waning

46
Q

how long is a moon cycle

A

less than a month

47
Q

what causes the daily rise and fall of oceans

A

gravitational pull of the moon to the earth

48
Q

earth orbits the sun in an oval shape called

A

an ellipse

49
Q

the date when the earth is closest to the sun

A

jan 1st

50
Q

the date when the earth is farthest from the sun

A

july 4th

51
Q

what causes seasons

A

tilt of the earth when orbiting the sun

52
Q

what is the day called with 12 hours of day and 12 hours of darkness

A

equinox

53
Q

when is the angle of noon is the sun the highest in the sky

A

summer solstice

54
Q

when is the angle of noon is the sun the lowest in the sky

A

winter solstice

55
Q

which direction does the sun rise in the equinox

A

east

56
Q

which direction does the sun set on the equinox

A

west

57
Q

what areas of the sun are the coolest

A

sun spots

58
Q

how long is a year

A

365 days, revolves around the sun one time

59
Q

what does the earth do in one day

A

rotates on it’s axis

60
Q

all the planets orbit the earth plane is called

A

ecliptic

61
Q

what force keeps the planets around the sun

A

gravity

62
Q

first four planets are called

A

terrestrial planets

63
Q

jupiter and the rest of the planets are called

A

gas giants

64
Q

3 characteristics of terrestrial planets

A

rocky
small
few moons

65
Q

3 characteristics of gas giants

A

made of gas
massive
many moons
rings

66
Q

what is a space rock that reaches earth

A

meteorite

67
Q

what is made of bits of ice and methane

A

comet

68
Q

who proposed the model of the solar system with the sun in the center

A

copernicus

69
Q

what process produces energy in stars

A

atoms fusing together to make elements

70
Q

what does the star colors tell us

A

how hot it is

71
Q

what does the spectrum tell us abt the star

A

what its made of

72
Q

what is the final fate of our sun

A

dwarf star

73
Q

what is a black hole

A

final state of a large star, intense gravity sucking in everything even light

74
Q

star groups/patterns are called

A

constellations

75
Q

what star sits in the north

A

north star/polaris

76
Q

what is a light year

A

distance light travels in a year

77
Q

earth is what part of the galaxy

A

milky way

78
Q

unequal heating of earth causes

A

weather

79
Q

what do we call the extra energy needed to change the phase of a material without changing its temp

A

latent heat

80
Q

what is created by the differences in air pressure

A

wind

81
Q

why does warm air rise

A

less dense than the surrounding air

82
Q

3 main cloud types

A

cirrus
stratus
cumulus

83
Q

puffy cloud growing vertically

A

cumulus

84
Q

layer of cloud covering the sky

A

stratus

85
Q

thin and wispy cloud made of ice crystals

A

cirrus

86
Q

in weather, what does a front separate

A

different types of air

87
Q

what is weather like in high pressure areas

A

clear skies
cooler
less humid

88
Q

what is weather like in low pressure areas

A

cloudy
warm
humid
rainy and snowy

89
Q

what type of front brings rapid changes in weather, large storms

A

cold front

90
Q

what front brings gradual change in weather, long periods of perceipitation

A

warm front

91
Q

what scale is used to measure strength of a tornado

A

fujita scale

92
Q

high speed wind bands are called what

A

jet stream

93
Q

how to tell the distance of a lightning strike

A

every 5 seconds that pass = 1 mile

94
Q

long term averages in temp and precipitation determine the areas

A

climate

95
Q

what is desalination

A

process of removing salt from water so we can drink it

96
Q

2 places the most fresh water is found

A

ice caps and glaciers

97
Q

underground layer of rock that holds water

A

aquifer

98
Q

what is the water cycle

A

recycling process describes the travels of water from underground to the surface atmosphere

earth and planetary science (3 decks)

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