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Science Sec.2- MG > Earth pt.1- MG > Flashcards

Earth pt.1- MG Flashcards

1
Q

What are Earth’s 4 spheres?

A

Lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere

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2
Q

What is the lithosphere and what does it consist of?

A

It’s a solid sphere made of solid rock. Includes mountains, plateaus, volcanoes, etc. Made up of Earths crust and the upper part of the mantle.

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3
Q

Which one of Earths spheres covers the majority of earths surface?

A

The hydrosphere

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4
Q

What is the hydrosphere and what does it consist of?

A

A water sphere made from all of Earth’s water no matter what state it’s in (oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.)

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5
Q

What is the atmosphere and what does it consist of?

A

Air sphere thats made from a layer of gas the surrounds Earth.

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6
Q

What is the biosphere and what does it consist of?

A

All life on Earth (plants, animals, bacteria, etc.)

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7
Q

What are 4 methods humans impact the lithosphere?

A

Urbanization, mining, deforestation, agriculture

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8
Q

What is relief?

A

Relief describes the shape of the lithospheres surface (plains, valleys, plateaus, shields, hills, mountains, etc.)

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9
Q

What are the 6 types of reliefs?

A

plains, valleys, plateaus, shields, hills, mountains

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10
Q

What’s the distribution of water on earth? (% freshwater and saltwater)

A

Saltwater makes up 97.2% of earths water (oceans and seas) but freshwater only makes up 2.8%.

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11
Q

Fill in the blank: the hydrosphere and atmosphere are in ____ contact, since part of the ____sphere is actually water vapour in the ____sphere

A

Direct,hydro,atmo

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12
Q

What are the 3 roles that involve interactions between the hydrosphere and the atmosphere?

A

1) cycle of evaporation and condensation
2) cycle of evaporation and condensation causes heat transfers to occur
3) protection of living organisms

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13
Q

Explain the cycle of evaporation and condensation

A

Oceans get energy from sun’s rays. This leads to evaporation (liquid-gas). Once the water is in a air, it rises and condenses (gas-liquid) and releases energy; which increases the temperature of the air.

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14
Q

What causes almost all of the meteorological events on earth?

A

The cycle of evaporation and condensation.

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15
Q

Explain the cycle of evaporation and condensation.

A

The evaporation and condensation cycles cause heat transfers between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the continents. The heated air is transported by atmospheric circulation (aka wind).

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16
Q

Fill in the blank (protection of living organisms): the ____ amount of percentage of the sky that is covered in clouds, the less ____ reaches the ground. The more opaque the cloud, the less ____.

A

Larger, UV, UV

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17
Q

How are clouds created?

A

When water vapour in the air turns into liquid water drops. Condensation.

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18
Q

What are the 4 layers of the atmosphere?

A

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

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19
Q

What gases make up the air and their percentages?

A

Nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), other gases (0.97%), and carbon dioxide (0.03%)

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20
Q

What are 4 examples that humans impact the atmosphere?

A

Planes and helicopters, hobbies (ex. Skydiving), living organisms, and energy (wind-electricity)

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21
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

Natural cycling of water through its different states (solid, liquid, gas)

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22
Q

Why is the water cycle considered a cycle?

A

Bc the water begins in the ocean, leaves, and then returns to go through the process again.

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23
Q

T/F The water moves between all four spheres: the hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and the biosphere

A

True.

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24
Q

What are the 7 phenomena that occur to water during the water cycle?

A

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, runoff, infiltration, groundwater flow

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25
Q

What is evaporation in the water cycle?

A

When the water (liquid) gets energy from the sun and turns it into water vapour (gas) which rises up into the atmosphere.

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26
Q

What is condensation in the water cycle?

A

It occurs repeatedly above the ocean when the water vapour (gas) in the atmosphere (that formed due to evaporation) cools down and becomes a liquid and forms clouds.

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27
Q

what can happen to a liquid before becoming a cloud, if the temperature is cold enough?

A

It can turn into a solid.

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28
Q

Fill in the blank: condensation can also occur above the ground where it is called ____ or ____.

A

Mist or fog.

29
Q

What are clouds made out of?

A

Tiny droplets of water.

30
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Clouds are made from tiny droplets of water. When these droplets become too heavy, they fall. (Rain, snow, hail, etc)

31
Q

Fill in the blank: Some precipitation is in a ____ state like rain, while other forms of precipitation is in a ____ state like snow or hail.

A

Liquid, solid

32
Q

What is transpiration in the water cycle?

A

Form of evaporation that takes place inside of organisms. Occurs when plants release a lot of water vapour (gas) through the plant’s stomata which are tiny, close le pores on the surfaces of leaves.

33
Q

What is runoff in the water cycle?

A

Water from precipitation often follows the slope of the land. It occurs when water stays on the surface of the ground without soaking in and moves along the surface. Water can run down mountains until it meets a body of water. This runoff water accumulates in streams, lakes, or rivers.

34
Q

Due to what element of the water cycle do valleys form?

A

Runoff

35
Q

What is infiltration in the water cycle?

A

Occurs when water from precipitation goes into small holes in the ground instead of staying in the surface. This is how plants get water from the soil.

36
Q

What is groundwater flow in the water cycle?

A

Water the soaks into the ground can sometimes move through the ground. It’s called groundwater flow when it moves.

37
Q

What are tectonic plates?

A

Large pieces of the lothosphere (solid rock) that float on partially melted rocks from earths mantle.

38
Q

What are the 3 types of tectonic plates?

A

Oceanic, continental, mixed (most tectomic plates are mixed)

39
Q

Whats the difference between the continental and oceanic PLATES?

A

Oceanic plates = bottom of the ocean

Continental plates = form the continents

40
Q

Whats the difference between the continental and oceanic CRUSTS?

A

The oceanic crust (which sits on the oceanic plate) is thinner and denser than the continental crust (which sits on the continental plate)

41
Q

What/who was Alfred Wegener and his theory?

A

He was a scientist who developed a theory called the “origin of continents”. His theory states the some parts of the continents were joiined a very long time ago.

42
Q

What is pangea?

A

When the continents were all once connected and formed one “super continent”

43
Q

What is continental drift?

A

When the “supercontinent” separated into 2 continents which later split apart and moved to become the continates we mnow today.

44
Q

How do tectonic plates move?

A

The heat inside the Earth causes the partially melted rock of the mantle to move via convection currents (circular currents created by Earth’s mantle). The the partially melted rock moves, it causes the tectonic plates to move since theyre resting on top.

45
Q

What are possible outcomes that can occur when tectonic plates move?

A

They can collide, move apart, or rub against each other

46
Q

What can a collision between two tectonic plates cause?

A

Formation of montains, mountain ranges, volcanoes, tsunami, or earthquakes

47
Q

What is a result when tectonic plates rub against each other?

A

Faults, earthquakes (bc a lot of energy is released)

48
Q

What is subduction?

A

When an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate, the oceanic plate is pushed down into the mantle, where part of it melts. The oceanic plate goes down instead of the continental bc its more dense. When one plate goes under another, this process is called subduction.

49
Q

What is orogenesis?

A

Series of processes that lead to the formation of mountains. Mountain ranges usually form when 2 tectonic plates collide

50
Q

Whats a volcano?

A

opening in Earth’s crust where magma from the mantle rises to the surface

51
Q

What can be formed from the accumulation of lava and ash released from a volcano?

A

Mountain that can erupt again

52
Q

Where are volcanoes found?

A

Subduction zones, ring of fire, hot spots

53
Q

What is a subduction zone?

A

Place where tectonic plates meet

54
Q

Where is the ring of fire located?

A

Edges of the pacific ocean and several tectonic plates, where several subduction zones existed

55
Q

Where/what are/is hot spots?

A

Located in the middle of tectonic plates. In hot spots, the crust is very thin, so its easier for magma to rise to the surface and cause vocanoes to erupt

56
Q

What are the steps to a volcanic eruption?

A
  • magma accumulation and pressure increase
  • eruption
  • lava flows
  • lava cools and forms a rock
57
Q

Explain magma accumulation and pressure increase before a volcanic eruption.

A

Magma accumulates in a resevoir underneath the volcano called the magma chamber. Inside the magma chamber, gases combine, and create an explosive mixture and the pressure increases inside the magma chamber.

58
Q

Explain what happens in a volcanic eruption.

A

The pressure becomes too great, the top of the vent explodes which is known as eruption. Gas and magma are forced to the surface. Most of the magma escapes from the main vent but some volcanoes have secondary vents.

59
Q

What are the 2 main types of volcanoes?

A

Shield/strato volcanoes

60
Q

What does viscous mean?

A

Describes how thick something is

61
Q

Describe a sheild volcano (3 details)

A
  • look like shields (large with gradual slopes and a wide peak)
  • Thin lava (flows easily)
  • Eruptions are less violent and explosive than stratovolcanoes
62
Q

Describe stratovolcanoes (3 details)

A
  • high mountains with steep slopes
  • thick lava (flows slowly)
  • Violent eruptions
63
Q

Whats the difference bwteen active/extinct volcanoes?

A

Active: can erupt at any time

Extinct/dormant: havent erupted or shown any signs of activity in a very long time.

64
Q

What is an earthquake?

A

Shaking movement of the ground caused by a volcanic eruption, by the sudden movement of rocks along a fault or by other simular events

65
Q

What is a fault?

A

Fracture or zone of factures between 2 blocks of rock (crack in the ground)

66
Q

What is the focus of an earthquake?

A

Its the starting point of an earthquake

67
Q

What is an epicenter?

A

Area on the surface directly above the focus

68
Q

What is erosion?

A

Wearing away and transformation of soil and rock by glacier, running water, and weather (rain, wind, freezing, and melting). They can also reform rocks (ex. Plateau —> shield)

Science Sec.2- MG (6 decks)

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