Chapter 6 Flashcards

1
Q

At what speed does the earth move around the sun

A

Almost 20 miles per second

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2
Q

What causes the earths shape

A

Gravity, and it’s spin which makes its equator bulge

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3
Q

What are the most common elements found in earths surface

A

Oxygen,silicon,aluminum,iron,calcium, and magnesium

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4
Q

What is density, and what is the density of the earth

A

Density is how much mass is peaked in a given volume, earths density is around 5.5 g/cm3

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5
Q

What are earthquakes

A

They are seismic waves that move through the earth

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6
Q

How do we probe the earths/other planets interior

A

We use a sonogram to detect seismic waves and their speeds/properties to determine things such as density and materials

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7
Q

What are the two types of seismic waves

A

P waves and S waves

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8
Q

What are P waves

A

P waves compress material and easily travel through solid and liquid

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9
Q

What are S waves

A

S waves only travel through solids

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10
Q

How do we know earths core is a liquid?

A

We only detect P waves but no S waves when on the other side of the earth from the origin of the seismic waves

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11
Q

What are the layers of the earth

A

Crust,mantle,liquid core, solid core

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12
Q

What is the crust

A

It is a thin low density layer mainly made of silicates

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13
Q

What is the mantle

A

It is hot, thick, not quite liquid silicates

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14
Q

What is the liquid core

A

It is a liquid mixture of iron,nickel, and sulfur

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15
Q

What is the solid core

A

It is a hot solid mixture of iron and nickel

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16
Q

What is differentiation

A

The fact that the earths layers go from densest at the center to least dense at the surface

17
Q

What is the estimated temperature of the earths core

A

6500 K

18
Q

How do we determine the age of the earth

A

Radioactive decay

19
Q

What is the shifting of large blocks of the earth called

A

Plate tectonics

20
Q

What protects the earth from outer space radiation

A

It’s magnetic field

21
Q

What is polarity

A

The connection between north magnetic poles and south magnetic poles

22
Q

What generates the earths magnetic field

A

Currents flowing in its molten iron core

23
Q

What is the magnetosphere

A

The magnetic region that affects particle motion and protects the earth

24
Q

Do charged particles get trapped in the magnetosphere

A

Yes, in a region called the van Allen radiation belts

25
Q

What causes an aurora

A

Charged solar particles streaming past the magnetic field

26
Q

What is the composition of the earths atmosphere

A

78.08% nitrogen and 20.95% oxygen

27
Q

What is the greenhouse effect

A

It is infrared energy radiating from the earth due to the heat let in by the atmosphere that gets trapped and cannot escape back into space

28
Q

What part of the atmosphere shields from solar UV radiation the most

A

The ozone layer

29
Q

What is the changing in direction of earths spin axis called

A

Precession