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Earth & Space Science > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

surrounds and influences organisms; encompasses water, air, soil, rock

A

environment

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2
Q

tentative or untested explanation

A

hypothesis

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3
Q

tested and confirmed hypothesis

A

theory

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4
Q

theory that explains a large number of interrelated aspects of the natural world

A

paradigm

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5
Q

iron and nickel begin to melt and sink toward the center; lighter rocky components float outward, toward the surface; focuses on density/mass

A

differentiation

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6
Q

earth’s layered structure (from inner to outer)

A

inner core, outer core, lower mantle, upper mantle, crust

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7
Q

any size group of interacting parts that form a complex whole

A

system

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8
Q

sphere that contains the ocean, which is the most prominent feature; 71% of Earth’s surface, 97% of Earth’s water

A

hydrosphere

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9
Q

sphere of gas, air; thin, tenuous blanket of air; one half lies below 5.6 kilometers

A

atmosphere

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10
Q

sphere that includes all life; concentrated near the surface in a zone that extends from the ocean floor upward for several kilometers into the atmosphere

A

biosphere

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11
Q

sphere of the rigid outer layer; divisions of Earth’s surface (continents and ocean basins)

A

lithosphere

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12
Q

closed systems are

A

self-contained

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13
Q

open systems have

A

energy and matter that flow in and out of the system

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14
Q

feedback mechanisms that resist change and stabilize the system (e.g. friction)

A

negative feedback mechanisms

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15
Q

feedback mechanisms that enhance the change to the system (e.g. greenhouse gases)

A

positive feedback mechanisms

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16
Q

drives external processes such as weather, ocean circulation, and erosional processes

A

Sun

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17
Q

drives internal processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building

A

Earth’s interior radioactivity

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18
Q

resources that can be replenished (plants and energy from water and wind)

A

renewable resources

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19
Q

resources that cannot be replenished “rapidly” (metals and fuels)

A

nonrenewable resources

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20
Q

landscape developed by catastrophes; James Ussher

A

catastrophism

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21
Q

fundamental principle of geology; “the present is the key to the past”

A

uniformitarianism

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22
Q

placing rocks and events in sequence

A

relative dating

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23
Q

law that states oldest rocks are on the bottom

A

law of superposition

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24
Q

principle that states sediment is deposited horizontally (lateral continuity)

A

principle of original horizontality

25
Q

principle that states how a younger feature cuts through an older feature

A

principle of cross-cutting relationships

26
Q

principle that explains a rock contained within another (rock containing the inclusions is younger)

A

principle of inclusions

27
Q

a break in the rock record

A

unconformity

28
Q

type of unconformity; tilted rocks are overlain by flat-lying rocks

A

angular unconformity

29
Q

type of unconformity; strata on either side are parallel; erosional surface

A

disconformity

30
Q

type of unconformity; metamorphic or igneous rocks below, younger sedimentary rocks above

A

nonconformity

31
Q

matching rocks of similar age in different regions; relies upon fossils

A

correlation of rock layers

32
Q

type of fossil; cavities and pores filled with precipitated mineral matter

A

petrified

33
Q

type of fossil; cell material is removed and replaced with mineral matter

A

formed by replacement

34
Q

type of fossil; shell or other structure is buried and then dissolved by underground water

A

mold

35
Q

type of fossil; hollow space of mold is filled with mineral matter

A

cast

36
Q

indirect evidence; fossil dung and stomach contents

A

coprolites

37
Q

indirect evidence; stomach stones used to grind food by some extinct reptiles

A

gastroliths

38
Q

conditions that favor preservation

A

rapid burial and hard parts/remains

39
Q

principle that states fossils succeed one another in a definite and determinable order; proposed by William Smith

A

principle of fossil succession

40
Q

index fossils

A

widespread geographically; existed for a short range of geologic time

41
Q

variant of same parent atom; different number of neutrons and mass number

A

isotope

42
Q

spontaneous breaking apart (decay) of atomic nuclei

A

radioactivity

43
Q

an unstable isotope

A

parent

44
Q

isotopes formed from the decay of a parent

A

daughter products

45
Q

the time for one-half of the radioactive nuclei to decay

A

half-life

46
Q

used to date very recent events; half life of only 5730 years

A

carbon-14

47
Q

greatest expanse of time

A

eon

48
Q

types of eons

A

phanerozoic, proterozoic, archean, hadean (oldest)

49
Q

subdivision of an eon

A

era

50
Q

types of eras

A

cenozoic (“recent life”), mesozoic (“middle life”), paleozoic (“ancient life”)

51
Q

eras are subdivided into

A

periods

52
Q

periods are subdivided into

A

epochs

53
Q

a term usually reserved for those aspects that focus on the relationships between people and the natural environment

A

environment

54
Q

science assumes the natural world is…

A

consistent and predictable

55
Q

scientific method steps

A
  1. Make an observation
  2. Collecting facts
  3. Developing a hypothesis
  4. Conduct experiments
  5. Re-examine the hypothesis and accept, modify, or
    reject
56
Q

process of organic matter becomes a thin residue of carbon

A

carbonization

57
Q

the replica of the fossil’s surface preserved in fine-grained sediment

A

impression

58
Q

the hardened resin of ancient trees surrounds an organism

A

preservation in amber

Earth & Space Science (2 decks)

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