100 Key Concepts in Earth Science Flashcards
What is Studied in Earth and Planetary Science ?
Geology, Astronomy, and Meteorology.
What is the Human population of the Earth?
7.75 billion people
What is the formula for density?
Mass divided by Volume
A substance will float in a liquid if :
Its density is less than the density of the liquid
What tool is used to measure the mass of an object?
A balance or scale
What tool is used to measure the mass of an object?
A balance or scale
What are rocks made of?
A combination of minerals
The idea that rocks continuously change from one kind to another is called:
The Rock Cycle
Name three classifications of rocks.
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
How are Igneous rocks formed?
From the cooling and hardening of magma.
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
From the deposition and cementing of sediments.
How are metamorphic rocks formed?
From changes in other rocks
The two main rocks of the Earth’s Crust are:
Granite and Basalt
What is Moh’s Hardness Scale?
A scale which rates minerals from softest (1) to hardest (10)
What is the hardest mineral known?
Diamond
The upper 8 – 12 inches of the ground is called the:
Topsoil
What is weathering?
The process of breaking down rocks
The process which moves soil from one place to another
Erosion
The two main ingredients in soil are:
Weathered rocks and Organic matter
What do we call the part of Earth made up of the crust and upper mantle?
Lithosphere
What does the Theory of Plate Tectonics tell scientists?
That the crust of the Earth is broken into pieces (called plates) that move.
The 3 types of plate boundaries are:
Divergent, Convergent, and Transform Fault
The last super continent was called:
Pangaea
How do plates move along a Divergent Plate Boundary?
The plates move apart.
How do plates move along a Convergent Plate Boundary?
The plates move together
How do plates move along a Transform Fault Boundary?
The plates slide (grind) past each other.
The only Plate Boundary in the
United States is found:
Along the Pacific Coast
The shaking and trembling that results from sudden movement of part of Earth’s crust is called:
An Earthquake
Three types of volcanoes are:
Shield, Cinder Cone, and Composite
Three land forms created from rivers are:
V-Shaped valleys, canyons, deltas, oxbow lakes, gorges, floodplains, bluffs, or waterfalls
Three landforms created by glaciers are:
U-Shaped valleys, kettle lakes, ridges, hills, or moraines.
Three land forms created by plate movement are:
Mountains, Volcanoes, Rift Valleys, Trenches, Island arcs, or Fault lines
Three land forms created by waves are:
Beaches, cliffs, caves, sea stacks, isthmus, peninsulas, straits, or spits
What do Contours show on a topographic map?
Points of similar elevation
