Chapters 1-8 Flashcards
What is science a way of?
Learning about the world.
What is a possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question?
Hypothesis
When you explain or interpret the things that you observe you are what?
Inferring
A well-tested explanation for a wide range of observations or experimental results is a what?
Scientific theory
A factor that can change in an experiment is called what?
A variable
An experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time is called what?
Controlled experiment
In an experiment, the one variable that is purposely changed to test a hypothesis is called the what?
Manipulated variable
The factor that may change in response to the manipulated variable is called the what?
Responding variable
The sharing of ideas and experimental findings with others through writing and speaking is called what?
Communicating
What would an oceanographer most likely study?
Hydrosphere
What would an astronomer study?
Space and planets in solar system.
What would a geologist study?
Lithosphere as well as the Earth’s history
An environmental scientist would study what?
The biosphere and how humans affect the Earth
What would a meteorologist study?
Atmosphere as well as Earth’s weather and climate
What wears away the Earth’s surface?
Destructive forces
What builds up the Earth’s surfaces?
Constructive forces
What are models used for by scientists?
To represent processes that are too large or to small to observe
Why do scientists use a simulation model?
To imitate something in the real world
What do people use to change the world around them to meet their needs or to solve practical problems?
Technology
On topographic map, contour lines connect what?
Points of equal (the same) elevation
Contour intervals tell you what?
How change in relief there is between each contour line
An index contour can be used to what?
T find the elevation of a feature on a topographic map
How is the index contour marked
In even number of units I.e. 100m or 1550m
The topography of an area depends on these 3 things
Landforms, elevation and relief
Relief is what?
The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area
What are landforms?
Physical structure of land such as mountains, plains, plateaus, rivers and lakes valleys
What is elevation?
How high the area is above sea level
What is a landform made up of?
Flat or gently rolling land
What is an example of a relief?
Plain
What is the main difference between a coastal plain and an interior plain?
Elevation
A landform of flat or gently rolling land at high elevation is a what?
Plateau
Landform with great relief and elevation is a what?
Mountain
What is a hemisphere?
One half of the sphere that makes up the Earth’s surface
Northern/Southern hemispheres are determined by the what?
Equator( the imaginary line that circles the Earth halfway between the poles and is at 0 Latitude)
Western/Eastern hemisphere is determined by what?
Prime meridian (the imaginary lines that runs North/South through Greenwich England and is 0 Longitude)
How high does the Longitude lines number to?
180 degrees
Latitude lines are measured up to what number?
90 degrees
A map is a what?
Model of all Earth’s surface as seen from above
A map’s scale relates to what?
Distance on the map to distance on Earth’s surface
What is a key on the map?
A list of all the maps symbols
A framework of lines that helps show landmasses correctly on a flat surface is called what?
Map projection
What are the lines that ru. Up and down the map called?
Longitude lines
What are the lines that run across the map left to right called?
Latitude lines
A Mercator map projection has distortion toward what?
Poles and latitude and longitude lines in a rectangular grid
A Equal map projection has distortion near what?
Edges, straight latitude lines and curved longitude lines
A Conic map projection has little distortion when what?
Showing a small area, straight longitude lines and curved latitude lines
What process do map makers use to convert the location of map points to numbers?
Digitizing
Satellite images are made up of what?
Thousands of tiny dots called pixels which store data about the land surfaces
A group of mountain ranges in one area is called what?
Mountain system
Mountain systems can make up what?
Mountain belts
What is a scientific law?
A statement of what scientists expect to happen every time under a certain set of conditions
A system is a what?
Group of parts that work together as a whole
For safety reason you should never carry out what alone?
Field investigation
Someone who studies the solar system is called what?
Astronomer
A person trained to to use both technology and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems is called what?
An engineer
A large area of land where topography is similar is called what?
Landform region
The elevation between one contour line and the next is called what?
Contour interval
A landform that is high elevation and more or less level surface is called what?
Plateau
When writing a location based upon latitude and longitude which do you write first?
Latitude first with the degrees and the direction followed by the longitude With the degrees and direction
What is density?
Property of a mineral that compares its mass to volume (mass/volume)
A narrow channel or slab of a mineral that is sharply different from surrounding rock is called what?
A vein
The minerals that make up most of Earth’s crust is called?
Rock forming minerals
The mineral quartz is used to make what?
Glass as well as in some electronics
The rocks what is the look and feel of the rock?
Texture
A prospector is a person who searches for what?
Ore deposit
A minor works to do what?
Remove the ore from the Earth
What is smelting?
Process of removing useful metals from ore containing the metals
What is the process of smelting?
Crushed, mixed with limestone and coke and then put in blast furnace
The heating of the ore to a very high temperature in the blast furnace does what?
Heat the iron so that it melts and separates from the other elements in the ore
What do you do with the Molten metal?
Collect it
How would you describe gemstones?
Hard colorful minerals that have brilliant or glassy luster
What are Gemstones used for?
Jewelry as well as some electronics and industrial tools
What is an alloy?
A mixture of two or more elements in which at least one element is a metal
Steel is an example of a useful what?
Alloy
There are 5 properties of a mineral. Name them
Hardness, density, streak, crystal structure and luster
True or false…color alone can be used to identify a mineral?
False! Only a few minerals always have their own characteristic color
Who invented a system to describe and compare hardness of minerals?
Friedrich Mohs
There are 5 ways to describe a mineral’s luster. Name them
Earthy, shiny, waxy, metallic and pearly
A mineral that splits apart easily along flat surfaces has the property called?
Cleavage
When rocks break in random patterns its called a what?
Fracture
The size of a mineral’s crystals depends on what?
The rate of cooling of the magma or solution from which the mineral formed
There are 6 types of crystal shapes. Name them
Cubic, hexagonal, tetragonal, triclinic, orthorhombic and monoclinic
Can minerals form when hot water solution cools and the minerals crystallize?
Yes
A vast majority of minerals are what?
Compounds
There are 3 main groups of rocks. Name them
Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
How does Igneous rock form?
From magma or lava that cools
Igneous rocks are classified how?
According to their origin, texture and mineral make up
Porphyry is an igneous rock that has large crystals surrounded by what?
Smaller crystals
Obsidian is also a igneous rock but it lacks crystal structure and is more like what?
Glass
True or false…Igneous rocks are either extrusion or intrusive?
True
Extrusive rocks form from lava that cools rapidly where?
Earth’s surface
Intrusive rocks form from magma cooling where?
Beneath Earth’s surface
What are the 3 types of Sedimentary rocks?
Clastic, organic and chemical
What are examples of Sedimentary rock? There are 6
Conglomerate, sandstone, limestone, shale, breccia, as well as coal
How do you know a substance is Organic?
If it came from materials that were once living
Organic rock form from what?
Layering of the remains of once living things
Give 2 examples of organic rock
Coal and limestone
Erosion and deposition play roles in what?
The formation of sedimentary rock
What is Erosion?
Wearing away of rock on Earth’s surface
How does deposition happen?
When sediment for erosion slows down and settles in layers
What is compaction?
More layers form the upper layers compact the lower layers
What is Cementation?
When dissolved minerals seep between the particles of compacted sediment and as the minerals crystallize the rock is cemented together
Metamorphic rock form when what happens?
Other types of rock undergo some type of change due to pressure and heat
True or false….Do most metamorphic rock form underground?
True
Do heat and pressure deep in the Earth change any rock into a metamorphic rock?
Yes
True or False… Slate is a metamorphic rock formed from shale
True
Metamorphic rocks that have their grains arranged in parallel layers or bands are called what?
Foliated
Slate, gneiss and schist are examples of what rock?
Foliated metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rocks with grains arranged in a random pattern are called what?
Non-foliated
Marble and quartz are examples of what rock?
Non-foliated metamorphic rock
How are Coral Reefs formed?
From skeletons of marine animals that live together in warm shallow ocean water
Limestone that begins as coral can be found on what?
Continents
Ore is a rock that contains a metal or mineral that can be what?
Sold at a profit
Igneous rock may have similar mineral composition yet have different what?
Texture
What is the series of processes that change rock from one type to another?
Rock cycles
Table salt is a what?
Halite
What is a Scientific Theory?
A well tested concept that explains a wide range of observations
Geologists study what?
The forces that make and shape the planet Earth
Indirect evidence used by geologists to study the structure of the Earth include what?
Rocks from the mantle, rocks from the deep crust and seismic waves
True or False…Geologists use the speed and the path a seismic wave takes to reveal information about the structure of Earth
True
Heat can transfer in 3 ways. What are they?
Radiation, transfer and convection
Radiation is a method of heat that doesn’t need what to occur?
Matter
Transfer of energy by direct contact is called what?
Conduction
Transfer of heat in a fluid is called what?
Convection
In a convection current the warmer less dense fluid rises to the top and the cooler denser sinks where?
The bottom
Where do the currents occur?
In the mantle and the outer core of the Earth
True or False… The Earth doesn’t have a magnetic field around it.
False..the Earth does have magnetic field
When does the magnetic field around the Earth switch directions?
Every 800,000 years
What is the name of the supercontinent?
Pangaea
The layers of the Earth include:
Crust, upper mantle, (lithosphere, asthenosphere) lower mantle, outer core, inner core
As you go deeper into the Earth, 2 things happen. What are they?
Pressure and temperature increase
What is the relatively soft layer of the upper mantle called?
Asthenosphere
Is the outer core of Earth liquid?
Yes
What is the inner core made up of?
Metals, iron and nickel
Does the lithosphere include all of the crust and part of the mantle?
Yes
True or False…The mantle and the outer core have convection currents caused by the heat of the interior of the Earth?
True
If the Earth’s interior cools down what will happen?
The convection currents in the mantle will stop
The asthenosphere is part of what?
The mantle that can bend like plastic
Oceanic crust is mostly what?
Basalt
Continental crust consists mainly of what?
Rock granite
Earth’s lithosphere is broken into separate sections called what?
Plates
What is it called when 2 plates come together?
Convergent boundary
A transform boundary is what?
Where two plates slip past each other
Where does a Rift Valley form
Along a divergent boundary on land
What is a fault?
A break in Earth’s crust where rocks have slipped past each other
Alfred Wegener first proposed what?
The theory of Continental drift
Evidence of continental drift comes from what?
Land features, fossils and climate
Fossils of tropical plants found on an island in the Arctic Ocean are evidence for what?
Wegener’s hypothesis of Continental drift
Was Wegener’s theory rejected?
Yes
What is a fossil?
Any trace of an ancient organism preserved in rock
Scientist rejected Wegener’s theory because why?
He could not explain what force pushes and pulls continents
What did Harry Hess do?
Studied sea floor spreading and suggested that Wegener’s theory was probably correct.
The process that continually adds new material to the ocean floor is what?
Sea floor spreading
During sea floor spreading what occurs?
Molton material erupts through the valley of the mid-ocean ridge
This eruption of molten material forms a new what?
Rock which pushes older rock outward away from the ridge
As oceanic crust moves away from the mid-ocean ridge what happens?
It cools and becomes denser
What is Density?
A measure of how much mass there is in a volume of a substance (mass/volume)
The place where the oceanic crust returns to the mantle is called what?
A deep ocean trench
Subduction is what?
Process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath trenches, takes place at deep ocean trenches
What is Sea floor spreading causing?
The Atlantic Ocean to get wider and the Pacific Ocean to get smaller
What is the evidence for sea floor spreading?
Matching patterns of magnetic strips in the ocean floor, volcanic eruptions along mid ocean ridges, older rock found farther from mid ocean ridges and young found closer
What is Sonar used for?
It’s a device that bounces sound waves off underwater objects
Sonar was used to map what?
The mid ocean ridges and deep ocean trenches of Earth
Plate tectonics is the theory that explains what?
The formation, movement, and subduction of Earth’s plates
Plate tectonics is driven by what?
Energy from Earth’s interior
True or False… There are very few earthquakes every day
False…there are thousands worldwide every day
What is the layer called where earthquakes occur?
Lithosphere
A ____________design decreases the amount of energy that reaches the building during an earthquake
Base isolated
A _______that acts on rock to change its shape or volume is called stress
Force
A break in the crust where plates slip past each other is called what?
Fault
Where do most faults occur?
Along plate boundaries
A __________forms when rocks on either side of the fault move sideways past each other
Strike slip fault
The type of stress that pushes masses of rock sideways in opposite directions is called what?
Shearing
Shearing creates a strike slip fault and will occur where?
Along a transform boundary
The type of stress that pulls rock apart is what?
Tension and this will form a normal fault
When the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall is what?
A normal fault
A type of stress that pushes rock together is called what?
Compression. This will cause a reverse fault
When the hanging wall moves upward relative to the footwall what is this?
Reverse fault
The motion of rocks along a fault is dependent upon what?
Friction between both sides of the fault
Seismic waves are?
P waves S waves and Surface waves
What is a P wave?
Primary wave
What is an S wave?
Secondary waves
What are some things you know about P waves?
They are fastest, travel through medium, arrive at seismograph first. They are longitude waves. They travel by compressing and expanding like an accordian
What do you know about S waves?
Arrive at seismograph after P waves, they begin as transverse waves and can only travel through solid medium. They vibrate the ground both side to side and up and down
Surface waves are a combination of what 2 waves?
P and S waves
What do you know about surface waves?
Much slower than either P or S waves, will do a lot of damage to structure of Earth. They move both up and down as well as side to side, can cause the Earth to move like ocean waves
What is the Epicenter of an earthquake?
Area on the surface of the Earth directly above the focus
Where does an earthquake become triggered?
At the focus point beneath the Earth’s surface
By drawing circles to show distances from 3 seismograph stations, geologists can locate what?
Epicenter of an earthquake
Folding of the crust result from compression and can produce what?
Anticlines and synclines
Magnitude relates to what?
The strength of an earthquake
An instrument used to measure and record ground movements during an earthquake is called what?
Seismograph
_________occurs when an earthquake’s shaking turns loose soil into mud
Liquefaction
Tsunami is not a seismic wave but does what?
Result from the displacement of water caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor
What are the 3 scales that measure earthquakes?
Mercalli, richter, and moment magnitude
Mercalli scale rates what?
The level of damage caused by an earthquake
Richter scale rates what?
The magnitude of an earthquake
The Moment magnitude scale estimates what?
Total energy released by an earthquake
What 3 devices are used to monitor faults?
GPS satellites creep meters, tilt meters, and laser ranging
A large area of flat land is elevated high above sea level is known as a what?
Plateau
What United States area has the highest risk of earthquakes?
Pacific coast
What is an aftershock?
An earthquake that occurs after a large earthquake in the same area
Substance that can’t be broken down into another substance is what?
An element
A compound is what?
A substance made up of two or more elements
Any substance that can flow is called what?
Fluid, fluids include liquids (water) and gases (air)
True or False…Fluids have viscosity
True
A ________is a weak spot in the crust where Molton material or magma comes to the surface?
Volcano
Where can occur?
At converging boundaries and diverging boundaries
What is the Ring of Fire?
A belt of volcanos around the rim of the Pacific Ocean
Molton rock, gases and water in the mantle are called what?
Magma
Molton rock, gases and water that reach the surface of Earth are called what?
Lava
True or False…the more Silica that magma contains, the thicker the magma is?
True
What are the 2 types of lava?
Pahoehoe and Aa
Magma from explosive eruption is what?
Thick and sticky, high velocity and is high in silica
________is a fast moving type of lava
Pahoehoe
_______is a cool, slow moving type of lava
Aa
2 types of lava that are produced during quiet eruptions
Pahoehoe and Aa
Layers of thin, runny lava that flow over a wide area before they cool and harden can build up a what?
Lava plateau
What is a hot spot?
Area where magma melts through the crust in the middle of a plate
Hawaiian Islands are an example of what?
Volcanos that formed over hot spots
Inside a volcano, magma collects Ina pocket called what?
Magma chamber
Why does Liquid magma flow upward through crust?
Because it is less dense than the solid material around it
Force from expanding gases pushes what?
Magma chamber through the pipe and out of the vent
An explosive eruption of hot gases, ash, cinders and bombs is called what?
Pyroclastic flow
How is an earthquake termed quiet or explosive?
By the amount of silica and viscosity of the lava
What makes volcanic soils fertile?
Potassium and phosphorus
A volcano that is erupting or has shown signs that it may erupt in the future is called what?
Active
Will an extinct volcano ever erupt again?
No
How does a volcanic neck form?
When magma hardens in a volcano’s pipe and is later exposed
What is a dike?
A slab that forms when magma forces itself across rock layers
What is a sill?
A slab that forms when magma squeezes between layers of rock
________is a mass of rock that formed when magma cooled inside the crust
Batholiths
Landforms created from lava and ash include 3 volcanos and 1 plateau. What are they?
Shield,cinder cone volcano, composite, lava plateau
What is a shield volcano?
I a gently sloping mountain formed by repeated lava flows
What is a cinder cone volcano?
Cone shaped mountain formed from ash, cinders and bombs
What is a composite volcano?
Mountain formed by lava flows alternating with explosive eruptions.
What is a Lava plateau?
High level area formed by repeated lava flows
A string of volcanos that follow the curve of a deep ocean trench is called what?
Island arc
Tilt meters, ground water temperature, the release of gases from the ground, and small earthquake are all measured to monitor what?
Volcanos
Yellowstone Park is located over what?
A continental hot spot
When does a caldera form?
When the magma chamber empties and the top of a mountain collapses
Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park is an example of what?
Geyser
What is a geyser?
Hot water and steam that erupts from the ground
What is Geothermal energy?
Energy that comes from water heated underground by magma
Natural resources are what?
Things from the environment that humans use
The loose, weathered material on Earth’s surface in which plants grow is called what?
Soil
What is a soil horizon?
Is a layer os soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below
_________can be found wherever weathering occurs
Soil
When is the value of soil diminished?
When soil loses nutrients or lost due to erosion
What is topsoil made up of?
A mixture of humus clay and other materials
Soil is made up of equal parts of what?
Clay, sand and silt called loam
The best soil for growing plants is what?
Loam, topsoil is mostly loam
Soil particles from largest to smallest are
Gravel, sand, silt and clay
Subsoil is a layer of what?
Soil made mostly of clay and other particles, with very little humus
How does humus form?
From decayed plant and animal remains
Litter is made up of what?
Loose leaves and other plant material
What caused the dust bowl?
Soil loose on the Southern Great Plains
Movement of rock particles by wind, water, ice, or gravity is called what?
Erosion
Fungi, bacteria and worms are soil what’s?
Decomposers
The process that breaks down rocks and other materials at Earth’s surface is called?
Weathering
The rate of weathering depends on the type of what?
Rock and on the climate
The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried by wind, water or ice is called….
Abrasion which is one form or mechanical weathering
Tell some of the ways mechanical weathering happens
Ice wedging, release of pressure, abrasion, and animal action
Plant roots that force cracks are also a form of what?
Mechanical weathering
If a rock has jagged edges over time what happens?
Edges become smooth due to weathering
The breakdown of rock through chemical changes is called what?
Chemical weathering
When a material contains air spaces that allow water to seep through it is called what?
Permeable
How is acid formed?
When carbon dioxide is dissolved in rainwater and sinks into soil
Oxygen weathers rocks through the process called what?
Oxidation. It causes things to rust
Most important agent of chemical weathering is what?
Water
Water dissolves rock minerals in ________weathering
Chemical
Lichens are an example of a living organism involved in _______weathering
Chemical
George Washington Carver taught what in early 1930’s?
Methods of soil conservation
What methods were they?
Crop rotation, planting different crops in a field
What is it called when you plow along the curves of a slope?
Contour plowing
Natural resources are what?
Things from the environment that humans use
The loose, weathered material on Earth’s surface in which plants grow is called what?
Soil
What is a soil horizon?
Is a layer os soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below
_________can be found wherever weathering occurs
Soil
When is the value of soil diminished?
When soil loses nutrients or lost due to erosion
What is topsoil made up of?
A mixture of humus clay and other materials
Soil is made up of equal parts of what?
Clay, sand and silt called loam
The best soil for growing plants is what?
Loam, topsoil is mostly loam
Soil particles from largest to smallest are
Gravel, sand, silt and clay
Subsoil is a layer of what?
Soil made mostly of clay and other particles, with very little humus
How does humus form?
From decayed plant and animal remains
Litter is made up of what?
Loose leaves and other plant material
What caused the dust bowl?
Soil loose on the Southern Great Plains
Movement of rock particles by wind, water, ice, or gravity is called what?
Erosion
Fungi, bacteria and worms are soil what’s?
Decomposers
The process that breaks down rocks and other materials at Earth’s surface is called?
Weathering
The rate of weathering depends on the type of what?
Rock and on the climate
The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried by wind, water or ice is called….
Abrasion which is one form or mechanical weathering
Tell some of the ways mechanical weathering happens
Ice wedging, release of pressure, abrasion, and animal action
Plant roots that force cracks are also a form of what?
Mechanical weathering
If a rock has jagged edges over time what happens?
Edges become smooth due to weathering
The breakdown of rock through chemical changes is called what?
Chemical weathering
When a material contains air spaces that allow water to seep through it is called what?
Permeable
How is acid formed?
When carbon dioxide is dissolved in rainwater and sinks into soil
Oxygen weathers rocks through the process called what?
Oxidation. It causes things to rust
Most important agent of chemical weathering is what?
Water
Water dissolves rock minerals in ________weathering
Chemical
Lichens are an example of a living organism involved in _______weathering
Chemical
George Washington Carver taught what in early 1930’s?
Methods of soil conservation
What methods were they?
Crop rotation, planting different crops in a field
What is it called when you plow along the curves of a slope?
Contour plowing
