Final Exam Review Flashcards by Kaylyn Johnston

which group is arranged in correct order of increasing certainty or confidence?

a. Hypothesis, law, theory
b. Theory, hypothesis, law
c. Hypothesis, theory, law
d. Law, theory, hypothesis
e. Theory, Law, hypothesis

c. Hypothesis, theory, law

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The slow lateral movement of large segments of the outer solid earth is

a. Mainly due to the earth’s rotation
b. One obvious feature of plate tectonics
c. Gravitational attraction of the Sun and Moon
d. Associate it with the earthquakes but not volcanoes
e. Speeding up because of human-induced changes
f. Caused by contraction of the earth as it cools

b. One obvious feature of plate tectonics

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How can the earth systems help with deal with the problems of human induced global change?

We can use this information to inform humans on the consequences so that we may implement corrective actions

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The growth of the planet by gathering in pieces from the whirling primordial disk is commonly called

a. Supernova
b. Planetary accretion
c. Solar nebula
d. nuclear fusion
e. The rock cycle
f. Gravitational collapse

b. planetary accretion

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From what we know today, all the following things make the earth unique among the planets, except:

a. the active biosphere
b. abundance of H2O in all three forms
c. the tectonically active surface
d. the dense core of iron
e. abundance of oxygen in atmosphere

d. The dense core of iron

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Most of the rock samples brought back from the moon

a. indicated that the moon is much younger than her
b. indicated that the moon is far older than the earth
c. show only subtle differences from familiar earth rocks
d. resemble meteorites more than they resemble earth rocks
e. contained many fossils never seen before on earth

c. Show only subtle differences from familiar earth rocks

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We commonly quote a figure of 4.6 billion years for the age of the earth, although we still haven’t found an age date this old for any rock sample of our planet, and few age states that even come close. However, rocks from the moon yield such old ages comparatively easy. Why? Explain in a few words

Unlike the earth, the moon has no atmosphere to weather rocks or plate tectonic activity to destroy rocks

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The first comprehensive and vigorously debated hypothesis of continental drift was developed by

a. Frank B.Taylor
b. Alfred Wegener
c. Harry Hess
d. Neil Armstrong
e. Leonardo da Vinci
f. Frederick Vine

b. Alfred Wegener

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New continental crust is produced chiefly at

a. mid ocean ridges
b. intracontinental rift valleys
c. convergent plate margins
d. transform faults
e. hotspots

a. Mid ocean ridges

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The most accurate reconstruction of Pangaea would result from matching together along the

a. shorelines of continents
b. traces of transform faults
c. bases of continental slopes
d. centres of oceanic trenches
e. summits of oceanic ridges

a. Shorelines of continents

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A Himalayan or alpine type boundary would be

a. convergent, with continental crust on both sides
b. divergent, with continental crust on both sides
c. transform, with continental crust on at least one side
d. convergent, with continental crust against oceanic crust
e. Convergent, with oceanic crust on both sides

a. convergent, with continental crust on both sides

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Why did it take so long for the idea of drifting continents or mobile lithosphere to gain general acceptance?

The continental drift hypothesis provided no mechanism to explain how the continents moved

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To be classified as a mineral in the geological sense, a substance must meet all the following requirements except

a. be naturally formed
b. Possess economic or nutritional value
c. Have a definite chemical formula
d. Have a definite crystal structure
e. be a solid material

b. Possess economic or nutritional value

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Can we consider ice to be a mineral or rock? Explain briefly

If ice is formed naturally then it is a mineral

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the magma type that forms in the mantle and moves up into mid ocean ridges is

a. andesite
b. basalt
c. granite
d. peridotite
e. diorite

b. basalt

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An erosion surface between sequences of beds that dip in different directions is a

a. disconformity
b. right lateral fault
c. angular unconformity
d. nonconformity
e. hiatus
d. varve

c. angular nonconformity

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A sample of granite is analyzed by 40k/40 Ar dating and found to be 500 million years old. How old is the shale bed that has been introduced by this granite?

a. Younger than 500 million years
b. 500 million years
c. Older than 500 million years
d. pleistocene
e. cretaceous
f. Jurrasic

c. Older than 500 million years

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Identifies three human activities in the region where you live that are causing changes in the environment

Deforestation
Burning of fossil fuels
Water pollution

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Briefly, what is the difference between a geocentric and heliocentric solar system?

A geocentric solar system puts the earth at the center of the universe whereas a heliocentric solar system puts the sun at the center of the universe

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Briefly, what is the difference between physical and chemical weathering?

Physical weathering affects the structure of a rock, not composition

Chemical weathering alters the chemicals the rocks are composed

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Briefly, what is the difference between the relative and absolute age of a rock layer?

Relative age refers to the age of a rock layer compared to other layers.

Absolute age refers to the actual time in years

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Briefly, what is the difference between magma and lava?

Magma is composed of molten rock, stored in Earth’s crust

Lava is magma that reaches the surface through a volcano vent

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The proportion of space in a rock that can be occupied by fluids is

A. Hydraulic pressure

B. Capacity

C. Permeability

D. Porosity

E. Recharge

D. Porosity

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Rock materials that hold back and prevent groundwater movement in useful quantities are

A. Water tables

B. Artesian systems

C. Aquicludes

D. Zones of aeration

d. aquicludes

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What causes a cone of depression to form around a producing water well?

When water from a well is withdrawn from an unconfined aquifer faster than the local flow of groundwater, the deficit may cause a cone of depression

List the titles of the six major storage areas for water from highest content to lowest content

1. Oceans 2. glaciers 3. Underground 4. Lakes, rivers 5. Atmosphere 6. Biosphere

A fjord is a a. Lake developed in a cirque b. Pre-glacial Valley c. Glacial Valley that extends to the sea d. Brief warm period during the Ice Age e. Scandinavian glacial Ridge

c. Glacial Valley that extends to the sea

Describe how icebergs form

Frontal calving at coastal glacier occurs and a large chunk falls off into deep water

what precautions have to be taken when building on permafrost?

Don't disturb grounds too much Raise house, insulate floor

A glacial retreat indicates a. Accumulation = ablation b. Accumulation \< ablation c. Accumulation \> ablation d. A change in the gravitational constant e. Eminent volcanic activity

b. Accumulation \< ablation

Sea water is salty to the following extent a. 35% by weight b. 3.5 parts per thousandd.2.35% by weight c. 3.5% by weight d. 2.35% by weight e. 2.35 parts per thousand

c.3.5% by weight

Why are tsunamis less noticeable or dangerous in the open ocean, compared to what they can do in coastal areas?

Tsunamis in the open ocean are only 1 to 2 m high. However, as the crest moves on shore, water can pile up rapidly to a height of 30 m and travel great distances inland

how could you recognize that a coastal area is either emergent or submergent?

Emergent is when water level is lower relative to the coast Submergent is when water line is higher relative to the coast

Air capacity to hold water vapor a. Is reduced by adding carbon dioxide b. Decreases with rising temperature c. Increases with rising temperature d. Is unaffected by air temperature e. Is increased by addition of O-Zone

c.Increases with rising temperature

High altitude, wispy, feather like clouds are a. Stratus b. Altocumulus c. Cumulus d. cirrus e. cumulonimbus

d.cirrus

The highest layer of the atmosphere is the

Thermosphere

air temperature changes caused by compression or expansion with no input or output of heat energy are called

Adiabatic

the strong uplifting of warm, humid air in cumulonimbus cloudsIs the cause of

Thunderstorms

why do hurricanes weekend after they move Over land

Hurricane draws its energy from warm ocean water, it's windspeeds will diminish and the hurricane will quickly dissipate once it moves onshore, away from its energy source

chinook, fohn, and Santa Ana our local names for

Warm, dry downslope winds

Explain the El Niño cycle

Tradewinds slacken or even reverse Warm water accumulates in the east and Central Pacific High rainfall in Central Pacific, drought in Indonesia Affects whether across most of the globe

A helium filled balloon is 1 m in diameter at sea level. It is released, and rises up. If it did not burst, it will be 6.7 m in diameter at a height of 40 km. Briefly explain why the diameter has changed

As the balloon rises in altitude there is less air pressure allowing it to expand

describe two types of climate proxy records, and explain how they are related to changing climate

Tree rings– determines past climate from trees Lake/Ocean sediments – species preserved in the sediments are useful proxies

The earth's seasonal climatic extremes could be amplified the most by

Increasing both orbital eccentricity and axial tilt

the totality of the first organisms, and in addition, organic matter that has not yet been completely decomposed the words above explain the concept of the

Biosphere

explain the difference between weather and climate

Whether is the day day to d stays of the atmosphere, it's short term Climate is the weather of a place averaged overtime

What percentage of the iceberg floats below water surface, and how does this relate to the density of ice compared to the density of water?

90% of iceberg floats below the water surface. Ice is less dense than water

what type of rocks form from layers of sand and mud

Clastic sedimentary

List three possible methods by which banded iron formations could have formed

1. Effect of Asteroid Earth Impact 2. Atmospheric oxygenation 3. Snowball Earth hypothesis E - A - S

When the Earth's tilt is minimal, which would probably be true

There will not be greater seasonal variation between summer and winter

Chemical weathering causes insoluble materials to be picked up from regolith and rock, leaving the soluble minerals behind True or false

False

fossil fuel use results in environmental impacts at every stage, from extraction, refining, and transport to combustion True or false

True

how does the diagram below explain the occurrence of rain and clouds on the ocean side of the mountain range, and the dry zone on the landward side?

MOIST AIR COMES OFF THE OCEAN, FORCED UPWARDS PRESSURE DECREASES CAUSING THE AIR TO COOL, PRECIPITATION AS IT MOVES OVER THE MOUNTAIN AND DECLINES, PRESSURE INCREASES, GETTING HOTTER AND DRYER IT GETS WARMER AND DRYER AS IT FALLS

A __________ is any portion of the universe that can be isolated from the rest of the universe for the purpose of observing and measuring changes

system

the ____________ is the solid earth, composed principally of rock (by which we mean any naturally formed, nonliving, firm coherent aggregate mass of solid matter that constitutes part of a planet) and regolith (the irregular blanket of loose, uncemented rock particles that covers the solid earth).

geosphere

The earth essentially operates as an open system true or false

False

Scientific laws can be disproven True or false

True

the situation where materials have a very long residence time in a reservoir is called

Sequestration

which gas in the Earth's atmosphere is the product of life?

Oxygen

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Is the capacity to do work, to move matter, to make things happen

Energy

for any planetary body, the percentage of incoming radiation that is reflected unchange is called the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Albedo

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ _____ Come from the remains of plants and animals that have been trapped in sedimentary rocks and chemically altered to form fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas

Fossil fuels

the energy stored in a compressed spring is the type of stored mechanical energy True or false

True

the ocean tides are primarily caused by changes in the sun's gravitational field True or false

False

deep inside the earth, rock becomes so hot that convection is possible True or false

True

before humans began to burn fossil fuels, there was no greenhouse effect in the earths atmosphere True or false

False

which of the following materials has the highest albedo Rocks Snow Pavements Vegetation

Snow

which of the following sources of energy is drawn from the Earth's own internal heat source Solar energy Fossil fuels Tidal energy Geothermal energy Nuclear energy

Geothermal energy

A __________ is a continuous body with planar surfaces, while a ________ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is embedded in larger rock

Crystal, Mineral grain

Diamond is one mineral that is harder than glass according to the mohs scale True or false

True

Earth is the only terrestrial planet within our solar system True or false

False

soil is a special type of regolith that contains both organic matter and minerals True or false

True

which of the following gives the correct compositional layering of the earth, from the interior to surface Crust, mantle, core Core, crust, mantle Crust, core, mantle Core, mantle, crust Mantle, crust, core

core, mantle, crust

What are the two most abundant elements of the Earth's continental crust

Oxygen and silicon

igneous rocks that crystallize underground are ________ rocks, while _______ rocks crystallize after emerging from a volcano

plutonic; volcanic

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and mars are called the __________ Planets

Terrestrial

for the principle of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_,The present is the key to the past

uniforitarianism

all the objects in the solar system orbit around Jupiter True or false

False

the innermost planet in the solar system (mercury, venus, earth, and mars) are large and gaseous True or false

False

The nebular hypothesis proposes – the solar system formed from a huge, swirling cloud of cosmic gas and dust True or false

True

the model in which the sun and planets revolve around the earth is called the

Geocentric model

if the ages of the earth and the moon are nearly identical, as believed, why are most rocks found on the moon so much older than rocks on earth?

On like the earth, the moon has no atmosphere to weather rocks or plate tectonic activity to destroy rocks

List three fundamental mechanisms of heat transfer are

conduction, Convection, and radiation

named the eight planets in order moving away from the sun

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

what are the four terrestrial planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

what are the four jovial planets?

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

what is it that divides the terrestrial planets from the Jovian planets

The asteroid belt

name four points of evidence that Alfred Wegener put forward in 1912 to support his ideas of continental drift

1. Continental fit 2. Similarities between rock and sequins and mountain ranges 3. Glacial evidence 4. Fossil evidence

Why were Alfred Wagoner's ideas rejected by the scientific community prior to the 1960s

Wegner didn't have a mechanism to explain

The ability of a rock to transmit fluids is

Permeability

Rock materials that do not hold nor transmit groundwater in useful quantities are

Aquicludes

why was the Mars bar discussed in the presentation about glaciers?

To discuss the flow of a glacier 1. First layer - surface flow, brittle 2. Second layer - internal flow, plastic-like layer being deformed 3. Third layer - basal layer, layer slips and slides around

A fjord is

Glacial Valley that extends to the sea

the boundary between a glacier zone of accumulation and its zone of ablation is the

Equilibrium line

describe briefly how icebergs form

Pieces of ice break off the front of a coastal glacier referred to as frontal calving and fall into deep water

A glacial retreat indicates

Ablation is greater than accumulation

sea water is salty to the following extent

3.5% by weight

Continental divide usually coincide with the crests of great mountain ranges True or false

True

the principle of uniformitarianism essentially states that the present is the key to the past, and we do not necessarily have to explain existing earth features solely by catastrophic events. This concept is important to all branches of science, but we also know that some events in earth's history are so large and damaging that they can cause catastrophic change True or false

True

which of the following locations are moving the fastest Mid Atlantic Ridge South east Indian rise East Pacific rise San Andreas fault

east pacific rise

What is the source of Earth's magnetic field

The moving electric field within the liquid outer core

for the Athabasca river at Fort McMurray, what source sustain the flow of water a. In the summer b. In the winter

a. Precipitation and ground water flow b. Underground water flow, snow and ice