Earth Science Midterms

Question 1

Difference between observation and inference

Answer 1

An observation uses your five senses, while an inference is a conclusion we draw based on our observations.

Question 2

How to put a number into scientific notation

Answer 2

Take a very large or small number and move the decimal point right after the last digit number for large numbers and the first digit number for small numbers, then write that number multiplied by 10 to the exponent of the amount of times you moved the decimal point, that exponent is negative if it is a small number and it is positive if it is a large number.

Question 3

Base units for Mass, Length and Volume

Answer 3

Length:
meter
Volume:
cubic meter and liter
Mass:
gram

Question 4

How to calculate density, mass and volume

Answer 4

D = M/V
M = D * V
V = M/D

Question 5

How does density change when a uniform material is broken up

Answer 5

Density remains the same

Question 6

What is the equator and what does it separate

Answer 6

An equator is an imaginary line around the middle of a planet or other celestial body.
An equator divides the planet into a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere.

Question 7

What is the prime meridian and what does it separate

Answer 7

The prime meridian is the line drawn north to south at 0°.
The prime meridian divides Earth into the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere.

Question 8

What are isolines

Answer 8

Used to represent elevation on a map by connecting points of equal elevation

Question 9

What does a topographic map show us about land

Answer 9

It shows us the elevation of different parts of the land by using isolines

Question 10

How do you calculate gradient

Answer 10

Change in elevation divided by distance

Question 11

how to determine steep and gentle slopes on a topographic map

Answer 11

Closely spaced contour lines represent steep slopes, conversely, contour lines that are spaced far apart represent gentle slopes.

Question 12

how to determine which way a river is flowing on a topographic map

Answer 12

a river is always flowing downhill, so away from the highest elevation

Question 13

Difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources

Answer 13

Renewable resources are able to be created and/or are not limited while non renewable resources are limited

Question 14

example of greenhouse gasses

Answer 14

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor

Question 15

Difference between physical and chemical weathering

Answer 15

chemical weathering involves the chemical makeup of the rock actually changing, whereas in physical weathering the rock is broken into smaller pieces but it remains chemically the same.

Question 16

different types of physical weathering

Answer 16

abrasion, frost wedging, exfoliation and biological activity

Question 17

different types of chemical weathering

Answer 17

carbonation, oxidation and hydrolysis

Question 18

abrasion

Answer 18

The grinding away of rock by friction with other rocks

Question 19

frost wedging

Answer 19

the process by which water seeps into cracks in a rock, expands on freezing, and thus enlarges the cracks

Question 20

exfoliation

Answer 20

a process in which large flat or curved sheets of rock fracture and are detached from the outcrop due to pressure release

Question 21

biological activity

Answer 21

break down of rock by organisms

Question 22

Carbonation

Answer 22

occurs when CO₂ from the atmosphere slowly enters concrete over time, reacting with some of the reaction products of cement hydration and water in the pores

Question 23

oxidation

Answer 23

occurs when oxygen combines with another substance and creates compounds called oxides

Question 24

hydrolysis

Answer 24

occurs when water dissolves minerals in rocks, resulting in new compounds

Question 25

how is soil formed

Answer 25

produced from rocks (parent material) through the processes of weathering and natural erosion

Question 26

different soil horizons

Answer 26

Soil horizon A is the layer that is made up of minerals. E is the soil horizon that’s comprised of eluviated soil, or soil layers that have gained materials from other layers by water movement. Soil horizon B is made up of subsoil. C is the soil horizon that contains parent material. Finally, R is the soil horizon that’s bedrock.

Question 27

soil type in New York

Answer 27

Honeoye soil

Question 28

what impacts the rate of weathering

Answer 28

climate, time, surface area and composition

Question 29

agents of erosion

Answer 29

running water, wind, glaciers and gravity (mass movement)

Question 30

most important agent of erosion

Answer 30

water

Question 31

what does erosion by gravity look like

Answer 31

bent tree trunks

Question 32

what does erosion by water look like

Answer 32

V shaped valleys

Question 33

what does erosion by wind look like

Answer 33

rock pillars

Question 34

what does erosion by glaciers look like

Answer 34

U shaped valleys

Question 35

how do you know which way the wind is blowing from the sand dune

Answer 35

The upwind side has a gentle slope and shows wind direction.

Question 36

Watershed

Answer 36

a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean

Question 37

What separates watersheds

Answer 37

Ridges and hills

Question 38

how do streams change shape

Answer 38

through time as erosion, deposition, and transport of sediment occurs

Question 39

Different types of drainage patterns

Answer 39

Dendritc, annular, rectangular, and radial

Question 40

why do drainage pattern occur

Answer 40

Their shape or pattern develops in response to the local topography and subsurface geology

Question 41

What are the different parts of the water cycle

Answer 41

evaporation, condensation, and precipitation

Question 42

difference between porosity and permeability

Answer 42

porosity is a measurement of space between rocks whereas permeability is a measurement of how easy it is for fluids to flow between rocks

Question 43

What makes the ocean salty

Answer 43

Salt in the ocean comes from two sources: runoff from the land and openings in the seafloor