Earth And Space Flashcards
Crust
1% of Earth, 10-80km
Mantle
75% of Earth, 3500 km. Made up of iron, magnesium, and calcium
Core
2300 km outer core, 1200 km inner core. Made of iron-nickel alloy
Lithosphere
Crust and upper mantle. 30 separate plates that move slowly upon the asthenosphere beneath
Igneous
Hardening of molten rock/magma. Granite, pumice, basalt, obsidian.
Sedimentary
Sedimentation, rocks cemented together. Shale, sandstone, gypsum, dolomite, coal
Metamorphic
Existing rock altered through temperature, pressure, or chemical processes. Marble, slate, gneiss, quartzite.
Precambrian eon
4.6 billion - 570 million, period before fossil record
Water/hydrologic cycle
Evaporation> transpiration> condensation> precipitation
Carbon cycle
Carbon released through human emissions and respiration, reabsorbed by plants and soil
Troposphere
Lowest level of atmosphere where weather takes place
Stratosphere
Ozone layer. Responsible for absorbing sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
Mesosphere
90km, temperature drops -90C, falling stars
Thermosphere
Temperature raises as high as 2000C because there’s little to deflect solar radiation
Warm front
Warm air mass overtakes cold. Can cause rain, snow, sleet, or freezing rain.