Earth Science - 11 Flashcards
TEMPERATURE
it influences how quickly atoms, molecules, or organisms move, for example: low temperature can help slow down chemical reaction and high temperature can cause important biological molecules to break down.
WATER
one of the important ingredients in different biological processes, absence of these will interfere reactions necessary for life.
ATMOSPHERE
provides protection from the sun and meteorites. CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) & CH4 (Methane) help trap heat and prevent our planet from freezing, O3 (Ozone Layer) shields the Earth’s surface from UV rays, it also provides chemical needed such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
ENERGY
energy is needed to support life, other organism such as chemosynthetic organism: they rely on chemical energy to support various biological processes
NUTRIENTS
an essential factor used to build and maintain organism’s body structure.
Earth is comprised of four major smaller systems known
as subsystems.
atmosphere
geosphere
hydrosphere
biosphere
ATMOSPHERE
- from the greek word ‘atmos’ meaning gas and sphaira (globe/ball)
- composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon and the remaining 0.10% is UV rays
- it is affected by the earth’s gravity thus the altitude increases the
amount of gases in the atmosphere decreases. - composed of 5 layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere.
GEOSPHERE
- from the greek word ‘geos’ meaning ground
- the solid part of the earth, divided in 3 layers: crust, mantle, and core.
- naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals, organic material or natural glass called rocks
- loose particles of rocks that enveloped the surface of the Earth called regolith.
HYDROSPHERE
- from the greek word ‘hydro’ meaning water
- composed of all the water on earth in any form.
- cryosphere: the frozen part of this subsystem
- plays an important role in absorption and redistribution of solar radiation.
BIOSPHERE
- from greek word ‘bios’ meaning life
- composed of all living things and the areas where they are found.
- animals, microbes, marine organisms, and plants.
- here organisms play an important role in the food web.
Crystal Habit
- refers to the overall shape or growth pattern of the
mineral. it can be described as equant, elongate, and platy.
Equant
- three dimensions of the mineral have about the same length, as that of a cube or sphere (garnet).
Elongate
- forms prismatic or prism-like crystals that are thicker than the needle as in a pencil. (indicolite).
Platy
- looks like a flattened and thin crystal like plate (wulfenite).
Luster
- light is reflected from its surface. it can be described as opaque,
transparent, dull, or shiny
Metallic Luster
- is opaque and very reflective like gold and silver.
Non-Metallic Luster
- dull, silky, greasy, and pearly like silicates.
Cleavage and Fracture
- cleavage is the tendency of minerals to break along very smooth, flat, and shiny surfaces.
- fractures can break along random irregular surfaces.
- it has 5 classifications: conchoidal, uneven, hackly,
splintery, and earthy.
Hardness
- the measure of the mineral’s resistance to scratching.
- harder minerals will scratch softer minerals.
Color
- is one of the most obvious properties of a mineral but not reliable alone. Some minerals come in just one color, some come in many
Streak
- refers to the color of the mineral in its powdered form, it is a more reliable property than color as streak shows the true color of minerals.
Metallic Sulfide
- minerals form into sulfuric acid when exposed to air and water.
Igneous Rocks
- are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
- can be classified into two:
> intrusive where large crystals of minerals formed through the slow process of crystallization in a magma (granite, diorite, gabbro, pegmatite, & peridotite)
> extrusive where it is a faster rate of solidification on the surface of the earth ( andesite, basalt, dacite, obsidian, pumice, & rhyolite)
Sedimentary Rocks
- is formed by the deposition and cementation of mineral or organic particles on bodies of water at the earth’s surface.
- can be classified into:
> clastic - formed from the mechanical weathering debris of rock (sandstone, siltstone, and shale.)
> chemical - formed when dissolved materials precipitate from the solution ( rock salt, iron ore, chert, flint, some dolomites.)
> organic - formed from the build-up of plant or animal debris (coal and fossiliferous limestone.)