Final Exam Flashcards
substance with a pH less than 7.0
acid
any structural or behavioral change that helps an organism survive in its particular environment
**adaptation **
Large area of air that has a uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure
air mass
The contamination of air by harmful substances including gases and smoke
**air pollution **
The force that a column of air applies on the air or a surface below it
air pressure
A measure of how bright an object appears from Earth
**Apparent Magnitude **
layer of permeable rock that allow water to flow through
aquifer
A small, rocky object that orbits the sun
**asteroid **
the partially melted portion of the mantle below the lithosphere
asthenosphere
The study of the origin, development, distribution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe
astrobiology
The average distance from Earth to the Sun- about 150 million km
Astronomical unit
Earth’s air, which is made up of a thin layer of gases, solids, and liquids; forms a protective layer around the planet and is divided into five distinct layers
**atmosphere **
tiny building block of matter, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons
**atom **
the number of protons in an atom
atomic number
a substance with a pH above 7
base
Area of subsidence; region with low elevation
basin
states that 13.7 billion years ago, the universe began with a huge fiery explosion
Big Bang Theory
Sedimentary rock that was formed by organisms or contains the remains of organisms
**Biochemical rock **
An organism that is sensitive to environmental conditions and is one of the first to respond to changes
bioindicator
All the organisms that live in a region
biota
An object whose gravity is so great that no light can escape
Black Hole
Winter storm that lasts at least 3 hours with temperatures of -12 degrees C or below, poor visibility, and winds at least 50km/h.
blizzard
**A mix of fresh water and sea water **
Brackish water
large, circular shaped opening formed when the top of a volcano collapses
caldera
The fossilized outline of an organism or part of an organism
Carbon film
A fossil copy of an organism made when a mold of the organism is filled with sediment or mineral deposits
cast
Idea that conditions or creatures on Earth change in quick, violent events.
Catastrophism
A process in which minerals dissolved in water crystallize between sediment
Cementation
Era of recent life that began about 66 million years ago and continues today; includes the first appearance of Homo Sapiens about 400,000 years ago.
Cenozoic Era
Sedimentary rock that forms when minerals crystallize directly from water
Chemical rock
The process that changes the composition of rocks and minerals due to exposure to the environment
Chemical weathering
group of chemical compounds used in refrigerators, air conditioners, foam packaging, and aerosol sprays that may enter the atmosphere and destroy ozone.
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
The orange-red layer above the photosphere of a star
Chromosphere
Small, steep sided volcano that erupts gas rich basaltic lava.
Cinder cone
Sedimentary rock that is made up of broken pieces of minerals and rock fragments
Clastic Rock
The breaking of a mineral along a smooth, flat surface
Cleavage
average weather pattern in an area over a long period of time; can be classified by temperature, precipitation, and vegetation
climate
sedimentary rock formed from decayed plant material; the world’s most abundant fossil fuel
coal
An oxygen-poor environment where, over a period of time, decaying plant material changes into coal
coal swamp
The attraction along molecules that are alike
cohesion
A process in which the weight from the layers of sediment forces out fluids and decreases the spaces between sediment grains.
Compaction
volcano built by alternating explosive and quiet eruptions that produce layers of tephra and lava; found mostly where Earth’s plates come together and one plate sinks below the other.
composite volcano
The squeezing force at a convergent boundary
Compression
Detailed computer programs that solve a set of complex mathematical formulas
Computer model
process by which water vapor changes to a liquid
condensation
Transfer of thermal energy due to collision of particles.
Conduction
careful use of resources to reduce damage to the environment through such methods as composting and recycling materials.
conservation
variable that does not change in an experiment.
constant
Formation of a metamorphic rock caused by magma coming into contact with existing rock
Contact metamorphism
Wegener’s hypothesis that all continents were once connected in a single large landmass that broke apart about 200 million years ago and drifted slowly to their current positions.
continental drift
standard for comparison in an experiment.
control
space object made from dust and rock particles mixed with frozen water, methane, and ammonia that forms a bright coma as it approaches the Sun.
comet
transfer of heat by flow of material
convection
Layer of a star where hot gas moves up toward the surface and cooler gas moves deeper into the interior
convection zone
The boundary between two plates that move toward each other
Convergent plate boundary
The loss of color in corals that occurs when stressed corals expel the colorful algae that live in them
coral bleaching
The dense metallic center of the earth.
core
causes moving air and water to turn left in the southern hemisphere and turn right in the northern hemisphere due to Earth’s rotation
Coriolis Effect
The wide, outermost layer of a star’s atmosphere
corona
A method used by geologists to fill in the missing gaps in an area’s rock record by matching rocks and fossils from separate locations
correlation
highest point of a wave
crest
Comparing what you already know with information you are given in order to decide whether you agree with it
Critical thinking
The brittle, rocky outer layer of the earth.
crust
solid in which the atoms are arranged in an orderly, repeating pattern
crystal
The process by which atoms form a solid with an orderly repeating pattern
crystallization
chlorophyll containing, photosynthetic bacteria thought to be one of Earth’s earliest life forms.
cyanobacteria
Matter that emits no light at any wavelength
dark matter
The breaking down of dead organisms and organic waste
Decomposition
destruction and cutting down of forests- often to clear land for mining, roads, and grazing of cattle-resulting in increased carbon dioxide levels.
deforestation
A large deposit of sediment that forms where a stream enters a large body of water
delta
mass/volume
density
factor being measured in an experiment
dependent variable
Laying down or settling of eroded material.
Deposition
A spoken or written summary of observations
Description
Temperature at which air is fully saturated because of decreasing temperatures while holding the amount of moisture constant
Dew point
Dominant Mesozoic land vertebrates that walked with their legs positioned directly below their hips
Dinosaur
Boundary between 2 plates that move away from each other.
Divergent plate boundary
A specialized type of radar that can detect precipitation as well as the movement of small particles, which can be used to approximate wind speed
Doppler radar
The shift to a different wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum
Doppler shift
Period of below average precipitation
Drought
dune
vibrations produced when rocks break along a fault.
earthquake
study of Earth and space, including rocks, fossils, climate, volcanoes, land use, ocean water, earthquakes, and objects in space.
Earth science
The entire range of radiant energy carried by electromagnetic waves
Electromagnetic spectrum
particle with a negative charge
electron
substance that is made of only one type of atom
element
climatic event that begins in the tropical Pacific Ocean, may begin when trade winds weaken or reverse, and can disrupt normal temperatures and precipitation patterns around the world
El Niño
longest subdivision in the geologic time scale that is based upon the abundance of certain types of fossils and is subdivided into eras, periods, and epochs.
Eon
point on Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s focus.
epicenter
A division of geologic time smaller than a period
Epoch
A large division of geologic time, but smaller than an eon
era
process in which surface materials are worn away and transported from one place to another by agents such as gravity, water, wind, and glaciers
erosion
study of moral values
ethics
When Earth’s rotation is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun
Equinox
The process of a liquid changing to a gas at the surface of the liquid
evaporation
An interpretation of observations
Explanation
Life that originates outside Earth
Extraterrestrial
Igneous rock that forms when volcanic material erupts, cools, and crystallizes on Earth’s surface
Extrusive rock
surface along which rocks move when they pass their elastic limit and break
fault
Parallel ridge that forms where blocks of crust move up or down along faults
Fault-block mountain
An area of many fractured pieces of crust along a large fault
Fault zone
in an earthquake, the point below Earth’s surface where energy is released in the form of seismic waves
focus
a stratus cloud that forms when air is cooled to its dew point near the ground
fog
Rocks that contains parallel layers of flat and elongated materials
Foliated rock
remains, imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms that can tell when and where organisms once lived and how they lived.
fossils
Breaking of a mineral along rough or irregular surface
Fracture
boundary between two air masses with different temperatures, density, and moisture; can be cold, warm, occluded, and stationary
front
Huge collection of stars, gas, and dust
Galaxy
The four largest of Jupiter’s 63 moons; discovered by Galileo
Galilean moons
beautiful, rare, highly prized mineral that can be worn in jewelry
gem
The separation of a population of organisms from the rest of its species due to some physical barrier such as a mountain range or an ocean
Geographic isolation
The solid part of the Earth
geosphere
Thermal energy from Earth’s interior
Geothermal energy
Grooves in solid rock formations made by rocks that are carried by glaciers
Glacial grooves
Large mass of ice, formed by snow accumulation on land that moves slowly across Earth’s surface.
Glacier
A set of complex equations used to predict future climates
Global climate model
increase in the average global temperature of Earth
global warming
An individual particle in a rock
grain
An attractive force that exists between all objects that have mass
Gravity
A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs Earth’s outgoing infrared radiation
Greenhouse gas
natural heating that occurs when certain gases in Earth’s atmosphere, such as methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, trap heat.
greenhouse effect
Large circular system of air current
Gyre
time it takes for half the atom of an isotope to decay
Half-life
The resistance of a mineral being scratched
Hardness
Explosive growth of algae that harms organisms
Harmful algal bloom
A graph that plots luminosity v. temperature of stars
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
a mixture which is not mixed evenly and each component retains its own properties
heterogeneous mixture
A large body of circulating air with high pressure at its center and lower pressure outside of the system
High-pressure system
The current epoch of geologic time which began 10,000 years ago
Holocene epoch
a mixture which is evenly mixed throughout
homogeneous mixture
Layers of soil formed from the movement of the products of weathering
horizons
Location where volcanoes form far from plate tectonics
Hot spot
amount of water vapor held in the air
Humidity
large, severe storm that forms over tropical oceans, has winds of at least 120 km/h, and loses power when it reaches land
hurricane
Electricity produced by flowing water
Hydroelectric power
System containing all of Earth’s water
Hydrosphere
an educated guess
hypothesis
A period of time when a large portion of Earth’s surface is covered by glaciers
Ice age
mechanical weathering process that occurs when water freezes in the cracks of rocks and expands, causing the rock to break apart
ice wedging
