Earth Science Flashcards
How old is the Universe?
14 billion years old
How old is the solar system?
4.6 billion years old
TRUE OR FALSE:
Meteoroids are bigger than asteroids.
False (meteoroids are smaller than asteroids)
Who discovered that the universe is expanding?
Edwin Hubble
What theory did Edwin Hubble satisfy by his discovery?
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity
When did the Big Bang Theory occur?
13.8 billion years ago
TRUE OR FALSE:
The density of the Universe is 4.5 x 10^-31 g/cm^3.
True
TRUE OR FALSE:
The diameter of the Universe should be at least 90 billion light-years.
False (it should be at least 91 billion light-years)
What is the approximate amount of 1 light-year?
9.4607 x 10^12 km.
What comprises the universe?
Baryonic matter, Cold Dark matter, Dark energy
TRUE OR FALSE:
The universe consists of 4.6% of baryonic matter.
True
How many percent of cold dark matter is in the universe?
24%
TRUE OR FALSE:
The universe consists of 73.4% of dark energy.
False (dark energy is 71.4% in the universe)
TRUE OR FALSE:
Baryonic matter is ordinary matter.
True
What is dark matter?
Dark matter is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light.
What is cold dark matter?
Matter that has gravity but does not emit light.
TRUE OR FALSE:
Dark energy is the source of anti-gravity.
True
What are galaxies made up of?
Clusters of billions of stars
What do you call clusters of galaxies?
Superclusters
TRUE OR FALSE:
The asteroid belt can be found between Jupiter and Saturn.
False (asteroid belt can be found between Mars and Jupiter)
TRUE OR FALSE:
Meteoroids are called remnants of failed planets.
True
Why do meteoroids fail in forming as planets?
They fail to form because of the disturbance from Jupiter’s gravity.
Where does the Kuiper belt lie?
Beyond Neptune
What marks the outer boundary of the solar system?
The Oort Cloud
TRUE OR FALSE:
The Kuiper belt consists of numerous rocky and icy bodies that are meters to hundreds of kilometers in size.
True
TRUE OR FALSE:
The Oort Cloud is not composed of icy bodies.
False (the Oort Cloud is composed of icy bodies)
When did life took root on Earth?
3.8 billion years ago
What are the most abundant elements?
Hydrogen, helium, and lithium.
What term refers to the planet’s interacting physical, chemical, and biological processes?
Earth System
What are the subsystems of the earth?
Lithosphere (or Geosphere), Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere
It is made up of the earth’s crust and the top part of the upper mantle.
Lithosphere
TRUE OR FALSE:
The lithosphere is the coolest and most rigid part of the Earth.
True
What are the two kinds of lithosphere (or crust)?
Continental and Oceanic
TRUE OR FALSE:
The continental crust is denser than the oceanic crust.
False (oceanic crust is thinner and denser than the continental crust)
How thick is the oceanic crust/lithosphere?
7 to 10 km. thick
How thick is the continental crust/lithosphere?
25 to 70 km. thick
TRUE OR FALSE:
40% of the Earth’s surface is covered by continental crust.
True
What do you call the huge slabs of lithosphere?
Tectonic Plates
What are the nine major plates?
African, Antarctic, Australian, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, Indian, Pacific, North American, and South American
What is the largest plate?
The Pacific Plate: the Hawaiian Islands.
39,768,522 square miles
It is composed of natural solid materials which are aggregates of one or more minerals.
Rock
What are the different types of rocks?
Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic rocks
What type of rock is formed via weathering and transport of existing rocks?
Sedimentary rocks
TRUE OR FALSE:
Sedimentary rocks are found in rivers, oceans, lakes, etc.
True
TRUE OR FALSE:
Igneous rocks are formed when heat or pressure is applied to other rocks.
False (igneous rocks are formed by cooling and crystallization of molten rocks)
How are metamorphic rocks formed?
Metamorphic rocks are formed when heat or pressure is applied to other rocks.
What are the gases found in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%), Argon (0.9%), and CO2 and H2O (0.1%)
What are the layers of the atmosphere?
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere
What is the densest layer of the atmosphere where all the weather that we experience occurs?
Troposphere
TRUE OR FALSE:
The mesosphere contains the ozone layer.
False (the stratosphere contains the ozone layer)
What absorbs and scatters the UV rays from the sun in preventing it to reach and damage the Earth’s surface?
Ozone layer
What is the coldest layer of the atmosphere?
Mesosphere
What do you call the top of the mesosphere?
Mesopause
TRUE OR FALSE:
Meteors burn up in the mesosphere.
True
It is the hottest layer of the atmosphere with a very low air density but still not outer space.
Thermosphere
TRUE OR FALSE:
Exosphere is the layer where the auroras occur.
False (thermosphere is the layer where the auroras occur)
What layer of the atmosphere forms the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space?
Exosphere
TRUE OR FALSE:
Exosphere is the thinnest layer of the atmosphere.
True
What do you call the process that occurs when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the heat from the sun?
Greenhouse effect
What are the main greenhouse gases?
Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons.
What is the study of rock layers?
Stratigraphy
What are the layers of the earth?
Crust, mantle, core
What is the boundary between the Earth’s crust and mantle?
Mohorovicic Discontinuity
What is the boundary between the Earth’s upper and lower mantle?
Repiti Discontinuity
What is the boundary between the Earth’s mantle and core?
Gutenberg Discontinuity
What is the boundary between the Earth’s outer and inner core?
Lehmann Discontinuity
TRUE OR FALSE:
The Earth’s outer core is a solid layer while the inner core is a fluid layer.
False (the outer core is a fluid layer, the inner core is a solid layer)
TRUE OR FALSE:
The Earth’s outer core is made up of molten iron and nickel.
True
What layer of the Earth is responsible for generating Earth’s magnetic field?
Outer core
What are the types of faults?
Normal, Reverse, Strike-slip fault
It is the study of the Earth.
Geology
What is the 75% that covers the surface of the Earth?
Water
What is the classification of body waves that can travel in any material?
P-waves (Primary waves)
What measures the extent of damage that is caused by an earthquake?
Mercalli Intensity Scale
What is the most common type of volcano?
Composite volcanoes (or stratovolcanoes)
What do you call the waves in stratified rocks?
Folds
What scale measures the amount of energy contained in an earthquake?
Richter Magnitude Scale
What are the types of seismic waves?
Body waves and Surface waves
What are the types of folds?
Anticline, Syncline, Monocline
What is the fold that dips away from the center?
Anticline
What is the study of earthquakes?
Seismology
What are the waves of energy that travel through the Earth’s layers?
Seismic waves
What are the parts when Pangea was separated?
Laurasia (north), Gondwana (south)
What are the regions where tectonic plates meet?
Plate boundaries
What are the types of plate boundaries?
Divergent, Convergent, Transform boundaries
This is a type of stress that is common in divergent boundaries.
Tension stress
What are the kinds of sedimentary rocks?
Clastic, chemical, organic
What are the main types of volcanoes?
Cinder cone volcano, shield volcano, composite volcano (or stratovolcano)
What are the types of stress?
Confining, Compression, Tension, Shearing stress
What type of fold dips toward the center?
Syncline
It is the type of stress that is applied to all sides of rock.
Confining stress
What is the block above the fault plane?
Hanging wall
TRUE OR FALSE:
Normal fault causes the hanging wall to move up in relation to the footwall.
False (normal fault causes the hanging wall to move down)
TRUE OR FALSE:
Surface waves are slower than body waves.
True
TRUE OR FALSE:
Water is non-polar.
False (Water is polar. It can mix with or dissolve other polar/ionic substances.)
Which subsystem of the Earth is the zone of life that includes all the ecosystems of the planet?
Biosphere
How many years has the biosphere existed?
3.8 billion years
What are the biosphere’s earliest life forms?
Prokaryotes
What are the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves of the Philippines?
Albay Biosphere Reserve, Palawan Biosphere Reserve, Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve
When was the first biosphere reserve of the Philippines designated?
1977 - Puerto Galera Biosphere Reserve
TRUE OR FALSE:
The Albay Biosphere Reserve was designated in 1990.
False (Albay Biosphere Reserve was designated in 2016. Palawan Biosphere reserve was designated in 1990.)
