Final Exam Flashcards
1
Q
the amount of uniformity in the size of rock particles
A
sorting
2
Q
Finger lakes form where ___.
A
moraines block existing streams
3
Q
What affects the depth of the water table below ground?
A
surface topography,
permeability of the aquifer,
rainfall
4
Q
the area where water from the surface can move through permeable rock to reach an aquifer
A
recharge zone
5
Q
What are two land features formed by hot groundwater?
A
geysers & hot springs
6
Q
the aquifer zone that lies between the water table and the Earth’s surface
A
zone of aeration
7
Q
How are wells, springs, and artesian formations similar?
A
All bring groundwater to Earth’s surface.
8
Q
A cavern is a natural cavity in rock that forms as a result of ___.
A
dissolution of minerals
9
Q
What affects the flow of groundwater through an aquifer?
A
porosity,
gradient,
permeability
10
Q
Open spaces in rock must be connected in order for the rock to be ___.
A
permeable
11
Q
Pumping water from a well causes a ___.
A
cone of depression
12
Q
calcite formations standing on the floor of a cavern
A
stalagmites
13
Q
What formation could be produced by hot springs when water mixes with sediment?
A
mud pot
14
Q
uncollapsed rock between sinkholes can form arches
A
natural bridges
15
Q
Which features are all produced by glacial erosion?
A
cirque, arête, horn
16
Q
What is a continental glacier?
A
A mass of ice that is not confined by local topography.
17
Q
What are all formed by glacial deposition?
A
erratic, till, glacial drift, moraine, drumlin
18
Q
How can an iceberg be formed?
A
tidal action that breaks a large block of ice from an ice shelf
19
Q
What explanation is the cause of glacial periods according to the Milankovitch theory?
A
cyclical changes in Earth’s movement relative to the sun
20
Q
a bowl-shaped depression in a glacial drift deposit
A
kettle
21
Q
the natural steepness of a slope
A
gradient
22
Q
the process by which glaciers flow slowly as grains of ice deform under pressure and slide over each other
A
internal plastic flow
23
Q
a sloping layer of permeable rock sandwiched between two layers of impermeable rock
A
artesian formation
24
Q
the process by which a glacier slides due to the melting of ice at its base
A
basal slip
25
the ability of rock to let water pass through its pores
permeability
26
a large crack in a glacier
crevasse
27
a long period of cooling during which the continents are repeatedly glaciated
ice age
28
the percentage of the total volume of rock consisting of open spaces
porosity
29
irregular landforms created by chemical weathering on soluble rock characterized by caverns and sinkholes
karst topography
30
a large rock transported by a glacier
erratic
31
a circular depression that forms when rock dissolves
sinkhole
32
water beneath Earth's surface
groundwater
33
a deep, bowl-shaped depression produced by glacial erosion
cirque
34
a body of rock that stores underground water and allows it flow
aquifer
35
changes in the shape of Earth's orbit between nearly circular and elongated
eccentricity
36
the upper boundary of the zone of saturation
water table
37
an almost motionless mass of permanent ice and snow
glacier
38
Both rivers and glaciers can shape landscapes through the processes of erosion and ___.
deposition
39
When a glacier deposits till in the form of a ridge, on the ground, or on the glacier itself, a ___ is formed.
moraine
40
Another name for a continental glacier is ___.
ice sheet
41
Loess deposits are ___.
fertile and good for farming
42
About how much of the solar energy that reaches Earth is absorbed by the land, oceans, and atmosphere?
70%
43
small, closely packed rocks left behind by deflation
desert pavement
44
What type of dune forms at a right angle to the wind?
transverse
45
During high tides, sand deposited on a beach can form a raised section called a ___.
berm
46
a sea cliff that becomes worn into a nearly level platform
wave-cut terrace
47
Most submergent coastlines have beaches that are ___.
short, narrow, and rocky
48
Most sand grains are made of ___.
quartz
49
Berms are high and deep in winter because storms erode sand from the seaward side of the berm and deposit it ___.
offshore to form an underwater ridge called a sand bar
50
What are formed by wave erosion?
sea cave, sea arch, sea stack
51
What pairs are components of the atmosphere?
1. nitrogen/ oxygen
2. ozone/ argon
3. water vapor/ particulates
52
Solar radiation that is not reflected back into the atmosphere is absorbed by ___.
surface materials
53
What make up the global wind belt?
trade winds,
westerlies,
polar easterlies
54
Local wind patterns are affected by local conditions and ___.
temperatures
55
Because of the Coriolis effect, an object that travel north from the equator will curve to the ___.
East
56
Interactions between solar radiation and the ionosphere cause ___.
auroras
57
What are common sources of particulates?
volcanic dust,
salt particles,
pollen
58
Radiation whose wavelengths are among the shortest are ___.
x rays
59
In general, the Coriolis effect is noticeable only on objects that move very fast or travel ___.
long distances
60
the force per unit area that is exerted on a surface by the wight of the atmosphere
atmospheric pressure
61
sediment deposited along the shore of an ocean or lake
beach
62
movement of water parallel to and near the shoreline
longshore current
63
process by which wind moves sand grains in a series of jumps and bounces
saltation
64
the layer of the atmosphere in which temperature decreases as altitude increases; where weather conditions exist
troposphere
65
the curving path of an object from an otherwise straight path due to Earth's rotation
Coriolis effect
66
bay where salt and fresh water mix
estuary
67
the coldest layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature decreases as altitude increases
mesosphere
68
process by which wind removes the top layer of fine, dry soil particles
deflation
69
the waves that make up all forms of radiation, or solar energy
electromagnetic waves
70
large hole that forms at the base of a sea cliff
sea cave
71
the fraction of solar radiation that is reflected off the surface of an object
albedo
72
formation created when waves cut through a headland
sea arch
73
the zone of indefinite altitude, which extends thousands of kilometers above the ionosphere
exosphere
74
resistant rock formations that project out from the shore
headland
75
the phenomenon that makes the sky appear blue and the sun red at sunset
scattering
76
rock pitted, grooved, or polished by wind abrasion
ventifact
77
Most barrier islands migrate toward the ___.
shore
78
A narrow region of shallow water between the shoreline and a barrier island is a ___.
lagoon
79
When a sea arch collapses, a ___ forms.
sea stack
80
The warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth, which occurs when carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and radiate infrared radiation, is known as the ___.
greenhouse effect
81
fog that is common along coasts, where warm, moist air over water moves over land
advection fog
82
when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a warm front and lifts the warm air mass off the ground completely
occluded front
83
What might happen if enough energy is absorbed by liquid water?
the water will change to a gas
84
an instrument that measures precipitation by bouncing radio waves off rain or snow
doppler radar
85
A cloud whose name has the prefix nimbo- or the suffix -nimbus is ___.
rain-producing
86
In cloud seeding, silver-iodide crystals are used as ___.
freezing nuclei
87
the mass of water vapor in a unit of air relative to the mass of the dry air
absolute humidity
88
A drop of liquid precipitation that is 2 mm in diameter is ___.
rain
89
When ice melts, latent heat ___.
is released
90
clouds that often bring thunderstorms
cumulonimbus
91
precipitation that occurs when rain falls through a layer of freezing air close to the ground
sleet
92
The dew point is where the rate of evaporation ___ the rate of condensation.
equals
93
When air moves slowly, it takes on the temperature and humidity of its region, becoming a ___.
air mass
94
When a bend forms in a cold, it begins the process of forming an area of low pressure with rotating winds that move toward the rising air of the central low-pressure region. This storm is called a ___.
midlatitude cyclone
95
What are the types of air masses?
1. maritime polar
2. maritime tropical
3. continental polar
4. continental tropical
96
What do scientist use to convey information on a weather map?
colors and symbols
97
What measure lower-atmospheric weather conditions?
thermometer,
barometer,
wind vane
98
What do meteorologists use to help them make forecasts from data they have input into computers?
computer models
99
Storms along a cold front are usually short-lived and sometimes violent, while storms along a warm front ___.
produce precipitation over a large area and are occasionally violent
100
An air mass that originates in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean and brings warm, moist air to a region is classified as ___.
maritime tropical
101
a system that uses reflected radio waves to determine the velocity and location of objects
radar
102
An air mass that originates in the southwestern United States and brings dry, warm air to a region is classified as ___.
continental tropical
103
a usually brief, heavy storm that brings rain, strong winds, lightning, and thunder
thunderstorm
104
cooling a substance below its freezing point, condensation point, or sublimation point without changing its state
supercooling
105
a weather event in which air sinks and flows outward from a center of high pressure, with winds circulating clockwise in the northern hemisphere
anticyclone
106
a line of thunderstorms that forms as a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass
squall line
107
process in which small droplets join to form a large droplet
coalescence
108
decrease in temperature of an air mass as the air rises and expands
adiabatic cooling
109
a destructive, rotating column of air that has very high wind speeds and that may be visible as a funnel-shaped cloud
tornado
110
changing of a solid directly into a gas
sublimation
111
an area of low pressure characterized by rotating wind that moves toward the rising air of the central low-pressure region
midlatitude cyclone
112
a severe storm that originates over tropical seas with strong winds that spiral in toward an intense low-pressure center
hurricane
113
The altitude at which net condensation causes clouds to form is called the ___.
condensation level
114
The process that causes cloud formation when a moving mass of air meets a mountain range is ___.
lifting
115
The clouds with the highest altitude in the sky are ___.
cirrus
116
Clouds that begin to form at very low altitudes, covering large areas of sky and often blocking out the sun, are ___.
stratus
117
the deepest and largest ocean on Earth
Pacific
118
the soft, fine material that covers about 40% of the ocean floor
ooze
119
The voyages of the HMS Challenger ___.
laid the foundation for oceanography
120
Biogenic sediments come from ___.
marine plants and animals
121
An atoll changes into a guyot because of ___.
wave erosion
122
What tools do scientists use to study the deep ocean?
drilling ships,
bathyscaph,
sonar
123
Sediment found close to a Pacific shore would most likely be ___;
sand
124
The Mariana Trench is best known for its ___.
depth
125
The source of most calcium carbonate in biogenic sediments is ___.
foraminifera
126
the process of removing salt from ocean water
desalination
127
As the temperature changes, the ocean and atmosphere are continuously exchanging ___.
gases
128
Trace elements in the ocean are the minerals that are ___.
smallest in amount
129
By studying variations in color in the ocean, scientists can determine the presence of ___.
phytoplankton
130
The main gases dissolved in ocean water are ___.
oxygen and nitrogen
131
When surface ocean water is warmed by solar energy, its density ___.
decreases
132
Sea sponges are an example of ___.
benthos
133
The curving of the path of ocean currents and wind belts is due to ___.
the Coriolis effect
134
Deep currents are caused by ___.
differences in density in ocean water
135
What forms when water from large breakers returns to the ocean through channels that cut through underwater sandbars?
rip currents
136
the highest point of a wave
crest
137
the force that causes tides
gravity
138
What occurs when the gravity of the sun and moon work against each other to create a small daily tidal range?
neap tides
139
shallow sea floor between the shoreline and deep-ocean basin
continental margin
140
the mass of microscopic organisms that float or drift freely in water environments
plankton
141
a layer in a body water in which water temperature drops with increased depth faster than it does in other layers
thermocline
142
cylinder of sediment collected by drilling the ocean floor
core sample
143
organisms that live on the ocean floor
benthos
144
the difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide
tidal range
145
all organisms that swim actively in open water
nekton
146
lump of minerals found on the ocean floor
nodule
147
deep v-shaped valley in the continental shelf of continental slope
submarine canyon
148
the streamlike movement of water in the ocean
current
149
a measure of the amount of dissolved solids in a given amount of a liquid
salinity
150
part of the ocean floored up of oceanic crust and a thin sediment layer
deep-ocean basin
151
the distance wind blows over open ocean water
fetch
152
formed when wind blows the crest of a wave off
whitecap
153
spreads sediments over the continental rise and abyssal plains
turbidity current
154
the ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance
density
155
the movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface
upwelling
156
A constellation's changing position in the sky, at the same time of the evening over a period of several weeks, is evidence that ___.
Earth revolves around the sun
157
When fast-moving planets pass slow-moving planets in their orbits, planes that orbit appear to be moving backward in a path called ___.
retrograde motion
158
The Coriolis effect provides evidence that ___.
Earth rotates on its axis
159
The period between successive full moons is approximately
29.5 days
160
Each of Earth's standard time zones covers about ___.
15 degrees
161
Different colors are the result of ___.
varying wavelengths of different colors of light
162
Our current calendar is most like that of the ancient ___.
Romans
163
When it is Saturday east of the International Date Line, what day is it west of the line?
Sunday
164
a type of electromagnetic radiation that has wavelengths that are longer than the wavelengths of visible light
infrared radiation
165
The Northern Hemisphere has the most hours of daylight at the ___.
summer solstice
166
The beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere is mad by the ___.
vernal equinox
167
Kepler's first law states that planets orbit the sun in paths called ___.
ellipses
168
The two inner planets that are most alike in size, mass, and density are ___.
Venus and Earth
169
Kepler's third law describes the relationship between the average distance of a planet from the sun and the planet's ___.
orbital period
170
Which planet has volcanic regions that may still be active?
Mars
171
Kepler's second law states that equal areas are covered in equal amounts of time as an object ___.
orbits the sun
172
Which planet has the most complex ring system?
Saturn
173
Which planet has seasons like Earth's because its axis tilts at an almost identical angle?
Mars
174
What separates the outer planets from the inner planets?
the asteroid belt
175
Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Neptune's Great Dark Spot are both ___.
raging storms
176
a region of the solar system that is just beyond the orbit of Neptune and contains small bodies made mostly of ice
the Kuiper belt
177
planet-like bodies that circle stars other than Earth's sun
exoplanets
178
a group of stars organized in a recognizable pattern
constellations
179
instrument invented by Isaac Newton to solve the problem of color separation
reflecting telescope
180
the point in time when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator
equinox
181
unit of measure that equals approximately 150 million km
astronomical unit
182
the motion of a body around another body in space
revolution
183
an astronomer who believed that the planets moved in epicycles as they revolved in larger circles around Earth
Ptolemy
184
unit of measure that equals 9.46 x 10^12 km
light year
185
instrument used by Galileo to see craters on the moon for the first time
refracting telescope
186
a type of planet that has a deep, massive atmosphere made mostly of gas and is denser than an inner planer
gas giant
187
the day on which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible
solstice
188
a scientist who hypothesized that a moving body will stay in motion and resist a change in speed or direction until an outside force acts on it
Newton
189
the spin of a body on its axis
rotation
190
an astronomer who proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system
Copernicus
191
a planet that is made of solid rock and has impact craters and a metallic core; another name for inner planet
terrestrial planet
192
the point in a planet's orbit at which the planet is closest to the sun
perihelion
193
a collection of stars, dust, and gas that are held together by gravity
galaxy
194
a spherical region that surrounds the solar system and contains billions of comets
oort cloud
195
On what moon of Jupiter did an engineer discover volcanoes by studying images from the Voyager spacecraft?
Io
196
Characteristics of Ganymede and Callisto are, respectively, ___.
a magnetic field & craters
197
What planet has rings that are divided into hundreds of small ringlets, each containing billions of pieces of rock and ice?
Saturn
198
The gravitational interaction of Earth, the moon, and the Sun causes ___.
tides
199
Notable characteristics of Io and Europa are, respectively, ___.
volcanoes & an ice crust
200
What happens when the shadow of one celestial body falls on another celestial body?
an eclipse
201
What are the names of the two tiny, irregularly shaped rocky moons of Mars, which may be captured asteroids?
Phobos & Deimos
202
What are the types of meteorites?
1. stony
2. iron
3. stony-iron
203
A meteor is produced by a meteoroid that ___.
burns up in Earth's atmosphere
204
What kinds of bodies do scientists monitor, hoping to predict and avoid future collisions?
near-Earth asteroids
205
How long is the average sunspot cycle?
11 years
206
What is the hottest layer of the sun's atmosphere called?
corona
207
Production of energy in the sun is the result of ___.
nuclear fusion
208
How do sunspots form?
magnetic fields reduce energy transfer in the convective zone
209
What elements make up most of the sun's atmosphere?
hydrogen & helium
210
particles thrown off the sun's corona that can affect Earth's magnetic field
coronal mass ejection
211
What occurs during nuclear fusion in the sun?
Hydrogen nuclei combine to produce a helium nucleus.
212
Einstein's equation E=mc^2 helps scientists understand the sun's energy because the equation ___.
explains how mass is converted to huge amounts of energy
213
Auroras form when charged particles from he solar wind ___.
react with particles in Earth's upper atmosphere
214
Why do stars seem to move in the night sky?
because Earth is in motion
215
By analyzing the light that a star emits, astronomers can determine ___.
its composition and temperature
216
Supernovas are ___ than novas.
thousands of times more violent
217
What is apparent magnitude?
the brightness of a star as it appears from Earth
218
What is absolute magnitude?
the true brightness of a star
219
What are constellations?
apparently fixed, recognizable patterns of stars and the regions of space around them
220
What can parallax be used to calculate?
the distance to a star within 1,000 light-years of Earth
221
Bubbles discovery that there is red shift in the spectra of galaxies led to an understanding that the universe is ___.
expanding
222
a group of stars that is elongated in shape with two branching arms
elliptical galaxy
223
visible surface of the sun; innermost layer of the sun's atmosphere
photosphere
224
layer of sun's atmosphere that glows with a reddish color
chromosphere
225
a group of stars of no particular shape; rich in dust and gas
irregular galaxy
226
a small object that orbits the sun, whose composition is similar to that of the inner planets
asteroid
227
glowing cloud of gas that arches over the sun's surface
prominence
228
a neutron star that emits radio waves
pulsar
229
a star group with a nucleus of bright stars and arms that spin around the center
spiral galaxy
230
a small, rocky body that travels through space
meteoroid
231
dark, cooler area of the sun's surface
sunspot
232
a bright streak that occurs when a meteoroid burns up in Earth's atmosphere
meteor
233
region of the sun from which energy moves upward
convective zone
234
a meteoroid that survives Earth's atmosphere and hits Earth's surface
meteorite
235
outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere
corona
236
object at the center of some galaxies that produces energy at a hight rate
quasar
237
a small orbiting body of rock, ice, and cosmic dust that has ion and dust tails
comet
