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earth science Flashcards

1
Q

era

A

long period of time

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2
Q

lithosphere

A

outermost rigid layer of rock

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3
Q

asthenosphere

A

uppermost mantle “plastic-like” aka fluid

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4
Q

mesosphere

A

more rigid mantle

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5
Q

mantle

A

mesosphere and asthenosphere

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6
Q

outer core

A

liquid iron-nickel alloy

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7
Q

inner core

A

solid iron

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8
Q

convection

A

heat transfer through a moving fluid

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9
Q

seismograph

A

records the wave that are created by the motion of the plates

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10
Q

p-wave

A

fastest type of waves
compression wave

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11
Q

s-wave

A

secondary waves
slower than p waves
rock up and down inside the earth

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12
Q

l-wave

A

surface waves
slowest waves
do the most damage

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13
Q

catastrophism

A

theory stating that changes to earth’s surface are abrupt
ex. earthquakes, floods, volcanoes

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14
Q

unconformity

A

a boundary separating rock strata of different ages

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14
Q

intrusion

A

intrudes into a layer of older rock
-younger than the rock that surrounds it

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14
Q

uniformitarianism

A

theory stating changes to earth’s surface are slow and constant
ex. erosion

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15
Q

strata

A

layer of sedimentary rock with recognizable characteristics

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16
Q

law of superposition

A

oldest rocks will be the layer at the bottom

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17
Q

mold fossil

A

imprint of an organism

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18
Q

fossil

A

preserved remains or impressions of ancient life

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19
Q

trace fossil

A

things like footprints, nests, poop

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20
Q

cast fossil

A

minerals fill the mold, creating a replica of the form

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21
Q

sedimentary rock

A

formed when sediments are compacted and cemented together

22
Q

petrified fossil

A

minerals replace all or part of an organism

23
metamorphic rock
formed from intense heat and/or pressure
24
igneous rock
formed by cooling and solidifying of magma
24
rock cycle
describe how each rock type can transform into the others when geological conditions change
25
index fossils
identifying fossils easily + definitively recognizable appear for only a short period of time
26
isotope
element that has the same number of protons, but different number of neutrons
27
radioactive decay
energy given off by some elements decreases in intensity as new elements form
28
half-life
time it takes for a substance to halve its decay intensity
29
plate tectonics
theory that the lithosphere consists of crustal plates that slowly move across earth's mantle and interact at their boundaries
30
paleomagnetism
study of magnetic properties of rock formed in past geological eras
31
epicentre
spot on the earth's surface directly above the focus
31
focus
point where the plate releases their energy - where the earth quake starts
32
Richter scale
number assigned to an earthquake based on the amount of vertical ground movement at its epicentre
33
cyanobacteria
photosynthetic blue-green algae -single celled organisms that produced oxygen as a waste product
34
Cambrian explosion
first appearance of a wide variety of animals with hard body parts ex. many trilobites
35
Ordovician period
dominated by large invertebrates like trilobites, living in the oceans -life starts to move from water to land
36
Silurian period
evolution of jawed vertebrates
37
Devonian period "age of fishes"
life in oceans is still dominant
38
petroleum formation
hydrocarbons in the organic waste are converted into liquid and became trapped between layers of rock
39
carboniferous period "age of the amphibians"
environment allowed for insects + early amphibians -first reptiles
40
Permian period
high level of diversity present in both plants and animals
41
mesozoic era "age of reptiles"
huge diversification of reptiles into niches left open by the Permian mass extinction
42
Triassic period
dinosaurs are the dominant animals early mammals appear
43
jurassic period
rapid development of dominance of dinosaur birds appear
44
cretaceous period
dinosaurs are still dominant first appearance of flowering plants
45
K-T extinction
massive impact caused -giant fire/earthquakes -darkness from debris/soot
46
tertiary period
tropical rainforests become temperate forets
47
glaciation
period in which land is covered by glaciers
48
continental ice sheet
large more than a kilometer deep
49
mountain glacier
high elevations mountain regions only
50
ice age
ice sheets cover parts of the northern and southern hemisphere
51
climate
average of daily and seasonal weather events that occur in a region over a long time period
52
weather
state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and humidity for a particular place anytime
53
compression waves
longitudinal wave

science 20 (2 decks)

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