Domain 3 Flashcards
waht are the terrestiral planets in the solar system?
mercury
venus
earth
mars
what are the four gas giants in the solar system?
jupiter
saturn
uranus
neptune
what is a comet?
small solar system body that orbits the sun and exhibits a tail
what are asteroids?
minor planets that are smaller than planets but larger than mmeteoroids
what is the moon cycle?
new moon
waxing crescent
first quarter
waxing gibbous
full moon
waning gibbous
last quarter
waning crescent
what happens in a lunar eclipse?
the earth passes between the moon and the sun
what happens in a solar eclipse?
the moon passes between the earth and sun
what are galaxies?
systems of stars
what causes seasons?
the Earth’s axis being tilted by 23.5 degrees
how are seasons marked?
changes in amount of sunlight
what causes seasonal weather differences between hemispheres?
Earth’s elliptical orbit
what are equinoxes?
the tilt of the Earth’s axis is not oriented towards or away from the sun
how often does the moon travel around the earth?
each month
how are standard time zones established?
geometrically subdividing the earth’s spheroid into 24 parts bordered by meridians
what is the perihelion?
Earth’s closest point to the Sun
what is an aphelion?
the Earth’s furthest point to the Sun
what do seasonal weather fluctuations depend on?
proximity to large bodies of water
what are the types of rocks?
sedimentary
igneous
metamorphic
how are sedimentary rocks formed?
deposition and consolidation of mideral and organic material
how are igneous rocks formed?
solidification of cooled magma
what is a plutonic rock?
an ignous rock that forms below the surface
what is an volcanic rock?
an igneous rock that forms on the surface
how is a metamorphic rock formed?
an existing rock type is transformed through heat and pressure
what is a protolith?
the exisiting rock form in a methamorphic rock
what are minerals?
natural chemical copounds that are the crystals that make up a rock
what is a mountain?
a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area with a peak
what is a river?
a natural flow of water towards another body of water
what is a dessert?
1/3 of the earth’s land surface with long days and extreme temperatures
what is weathering?
decomposition of earth rocks, soils, and materials through contack with the atmosphere
what are the types of weathering?
physical and chemical
what is erosion?
the caryying away of soilds through natural agents
what are strata?
the layers of sediment depoisitied in a quiet environment
what are fossils?
traces of ancient life preserved in strata
what is the geological time scale?
a time scale of geological eras and their information
what are the layers of the earth?
crust
upper manthle
mantle
outer core
inner core
what causes earth movements?
forces within the earth when temperature and pressure differences cause instability
what are plate techtonics?
large sclae movvements of the earth’s lithosphere and cause of the continental drift
what are the parts of the crust?
litosphere and asthenosphere
what are the tectonic plates?
the lithosphere moving on the asthenosphere
what are the types of plate boundaries?
convergent/collision
divergent/spreading
transform
what is the pacific ring of fire?
an area of frequent earthquakes and voclanic erruptions in the Pacific Ocean
how do tectonic plates create mountains?
compressional forces, isostatic uplift, and intrusion of igneous matter forces surface rock upwards
what is a volcano?
a rupture in the Earth’s surface allowing elements to escapr from bellow the surface
where are volcanos commonly found?
the diverging or converging of tectoni plates
what drives the water cycle?
the sun
what are the phases of the water cycle?
evaporation
condensation
precipitation
percolation
what is evapotranspiration?
water from plants and soil rise into the atmosphere
what is percolation?
majority of the precipitation infiltrates into the groud and aquifiers
what is precipitation?
condesnsed water vapor falls to the earth’s surface
what is canopy interception?
precipitation that is intercepted by plant foliage
what is subserface flow?
the flow of water undergrownd
what is evaporation?
the transofrmation of water form liquid to gas as it moves from the ground to the atmosphere
what is condensation?
water vapor transofmed into liquid water in the air producing clouds and fog
why does weather occur?
temperature and moisture differences between different locations
what causes pressure differences?
surface temperature differences
what are the weather differences between land and water?
land absorbs and radiates heat faster
water releases heat over long periods of time
what causes mountain/valley breezes?
the mountain peaks and slopes generate temperature differences
how is El Nino characterized?
warm current of fnutrient-poor tropical weather
how is La Nina characterized?
unusually cold ocean temperatures in the easter equatorial pacific
what is an estuary?
semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or strems flowing in and connection to the open sea
what are characteristics of estuaries?
biological diversity
sedimentation
ecosystems
what are the major oceanic divisions?
Pacific
Atlantic
Indian
Southern
Artic
what are tides?
the rising of the earth’s ocean surface
what causes tides?
tidal forces of the moon and sun and the earth’s rotation
what can tides do?
changes the depth of water bodies and produce oscillating currents
what what is a semidiurnal tide?
two high waters and two low waters each day
what is a diurnal?
one tidal cycle per day
what is spring tide?
the max range of the tide
what happens if a tidal force is produced by the sun?
it is 46% as large as produced by the moon
how many tides occur a day?
2
