Final test Flashcards
A star in which light cannot escape because of the immense gravitational pull at its surface is called a
black hole
Which of these is the largest moon in the solar system
ganymede
What is the primary component of Venus’ atmosphere
CO2
Which of the jovian planets have rings
Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune
Which planet has the highest average surface temperature, and why?
Venus, because of its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere
Where did Saturn’s rings likely come from
Either a moon that never formed, or a moon destroyed by tidal forces
Cosmic background radiation refers to
uniformly distributed residual radiation that resulted from the Big Bang
Between planets is the asteroid belt found?
Between mars and Jupiter
A star’s color tells us
its surface temperature
The measure of a star’s brightness as it is measured form Earth is called its _____
apparent magnitude
According to calculations made by modern astronomers, the age of the universe is close to
14 billion years
Why do comet’s tails always point away from the Sun?
Because of the solar wind
Which of the following is furthest from the Sun?
a comet in the Oort cloud
Astronomers have decided that, rather than being a planet, Pluto is really just a large member of
the Kuiper belt
Dark energy
Would be considered to be the opposite of gravity, is energy that exerts an outward pressure, causing space time to expand, and is the phenomenon responsible for the acceleration of the universe
The star nearest the Earth is
the Sun
If one object has a large redshift and another object has a small redshift, what can we conclude about these two objects
The one with the large redshift is moving away from us faster than the one with the small redshift
Most meteors seen as shooting stars are about the size of
grains of sand
Which explanation best describes why Earth observers always see the always see the same face of the moon
The moon’s rate of spin matches the rate at which the Moon revolves around Earth
How do asteroids differ from comets
Asteroids are rocky bodies and are denser than the comets, which are made of icy material
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the outer plants?
They have very few, if any satellites
Supernovae are one of the most extreme events in the know universe. They are caused by
the implosion of a white dwarf, which has run out of all its fuel
When the Sun passes between the Moon and the Earth, we have
met our end
What is the likely cause of the 98 degree tilt of Uranus ‘a axis?
a collision with a large body early in the solar system’s evolution
Dark-Matter is matter that
cannot be seen or felt, but can be measured through its gravitational effects
Luminosity is
the total amount of light energy that star emits into space
What is the most abundant component (82%) of Jupiter’s atmosphere?
Hydrogen
The Big Bang
marked the beginning of space and time
The “Big Bang” refers to the
point in time in which the known (and perhaps knowable) universe came into being.
Cosmology is the study of the overall structure and evolution of
the universe
_____ has the Great Red spot on its surface
Jupiter
The reason we don’t have eclipses monthly is because of the
different orbital planes for Earth and the moon
Nebular theory pertains to the formation of
the solar system
Which body in the solar system has the highest level of volcanic activity?
Io
In a museum collection you can likely see a
meteorite but not a meteoroid
What makes the North Star, Polaris, special?
It appears very near the north celestial pole
Edwin Hubble discovered that the farther away a galaxy is the
faster it is receding from us
Rank the five terrestrial worlds in order of size from smallest to largest
Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth
What are Saturn’s rings composed of
Chunks of ice and rock
The planet with a mass most like Earth’s is
Venus
Explain why it is so rare for someone to see a solar eclipse, yet fairly common to have witnessed a lunar eclipse
It is rare for someone to see a solar eclipse because it happens during the daytime, there is a small window of time to see it, have a very small shadow, and you have to been on the right place on earth when the Sun, moon and Earth are in line to see it.
List the planets in order, starting with the Sun and moving outward
Sun, mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
Describe the current theory for the formation of Earth’s moon
Current theory of how the moon was form is from a collision of a Mars sized object hitting Earth. The moon is deb re from that collision. Te moon is slowly moving farther away from earth causing the Earth to slow down making our days longer because we are losing gravitational forces
We see the constellation as distinct groups of stars. Discuss why they would look entirely different from some either location in the universe, far distant from Earth
The group of constellation we see from Earth look different from other location in the universe because you have moved the point that you are looking from. The Stars stay in the same place, your change you angle that they are being seen makes then look different.
Compare and contrast the properties of the inner planets versus the outer planets.
Inner planets are smaller, made up of rock, and are closer together with less moons than outer planets. Outer planets are made up of gases, much larger and have rings around them and have many moons. All of these planets orbit the same direction and are on the same orbital plane
A _____ cross-valley profile is typical of canyons and valleys eroded and deepened by alpine or alley glaciers
U-shaped
The capacity a material has for transmitting fluids is known as its
permeability
If you were to examine the profile of a typical river, you would produced in the water table. Such a depression is an
cone of depression
The Mohorovicic discontinuity marks the change in rock density elasticity between the
mantle and the crustal surface
In the meandering river, erosion is most notable
on the outer side of the meander
When rock is subjected to compressive force, it may fault. If rocks int the hanging wall are pushed up over rocks in the footwall, it is called a
reverse fault
The formations of rock hanging from the roofs of caves are called
stalactites
The water table is found at the
top of the zone of saturation
Divergent boundaries are areas of
tensional forces that stretch the crust and generate a spreading center
The founder of the theory of continental drift is credited to
Alfred Wegener
The Core of the Earth is probably composed of
an iron-nickel alloy
A good example of present-day passive continental margin is the
east coast of North America
The release of water vapor to the atmosphere by plants is called
transpiration
Isostasy is
crustal equilibrium relative to the mantle
Because S-wave do not travel through Earth’s outer core, scientists inferred that the outer core is
Molten liquid
Deep-oceanic trenches are most abundant around the rim of the _____ ocean basin
Pacific
Of the three agents of erosion-water,wind, and ice-the one with ability to move only the smallest particles
wind
When an earthquake occurs, energy radiates in all direction from its source. The source is also referred to as the
focus
The former late Paleozoic super continent is known as
Pangaea
A syncline is
a fold in which the layers dip toward the axis
The ocean crust
becomes progressively older away from the mid-ocean ridges
Streams transport great quantities of sediment. The most effective transport of sediment occurs in
turbulent flow
The Earth’s lithosphere
consist is of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle
Two boundaries associated with seafloor spreading centers are
Divergent and transform fault boundaries
The position on Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake source is called
epicenter
Which of the following energy sources is thought to drive the lateral motions of Earth’s lithosphere plates?
Export of heat from deep in the mantle to the top of the asthenosphere
Compressive force cause the crust to
buckle and fold, thereby shortening the crustal surface
The most Powerful agent of erosion is
glacial action
Seismic waves are classified as body waves and surface waves. An example of a body eave is a
Primary wave (P wave)
Approximately how much more energy is released in a 6.5 richer magnitude earthquake than in one with magnitude 5.5?
30 times
The Earth’s magnetic field is attributed to the
flow of molten fluid in Earth’s outer core
______ is the volume of voids or open space in a rock or unconsolidated material
Porosity
Most of the Earth’s seismic activity, volcanism and mountain building occur along
plate boundaries
When a perched water table intersects the surface on a hillside, result is
a spring
Which on of the following is an example of an isostatic movement
Numerous after socks associated with deep-focus earthquake
According to plate tectonic theory, the San Andreas fault is a
transform fault
Magnetic surveys of the ocean floors reveal
alternating strips of normal and reversed polarity paralleling the mid Atlantic ridge
According to theory of seafloor spreading, molten rock is rising up along
the mid-ocean ridges
Cooler, older, oceanic lithosphere sinks into the mantle at
subduction zones along convergent plate boundaries
Briefly describe the different types of plate boundaries
Convergent plate boundaries are two plate colliding (oceanic to oceanic, oceanic to continental, continental to continental)
Divergent Plate are plates that are being pulled apart and molten fills the space
Transform plate are plates sliding pass one another
Describe the properties of P-waves and S-waves
Both P and S waves are body waves. P waves travel faster and through liquid. P waves are like a bell compressing and expanding . S waves are slower not able to pass trough the outer core (Liquid) they move side to side
Discuss the various lines of evidence used to support the early hypothesis of Continental Drift
Fossil evidence and climate evidence on Africa and South America. The way the land masses fit together like a puzzle. Same rock types and features.
What factors determine whether precipitation will become running water or infiltrate?
Ground type Slope of the surface How much vegetation Where the water table is located - above or below the lakes and streams rainfall rate
Describe or draw the layering of the Earth based on two ways we define the layers by behavior and by composition
Crust-surface mantle Lithosphere is rigid plates move on this layer astenosphere solid but plastic outer core -liquid inner core solid iron
The two most abundant elements on Earth’s crust are
silicon and oxygen
Color is not a reliable means for mineral identification because
minerals come is a variety of colors, and chemicals impurities in the mineral can affect color
The property of a mineral to break along plates of weakness is referred to as
cleavage
Mineral that have the same combination of elements but with different atomic arrangement are called
poly-morphs
Mohs scale is defined on the basis of minerals that have different
hardness
Similar to the crystallization of silicate minerals, the crystallization of evaporate minerals occurs in a step-by-step process. The evaporate minerals that are the most difficult to dissolve
precipitate first followed by the mineral that disolve more easily
Chemical sedimentary rocks are formed from
precipitation of minerals from a water solution
The first minerals to crystallize are those with the
higher melting point
What mineral is the hardest known substance in nature?
Diamond
The resistance of a mineral to abrasion is known as
Hardness
All silicate minerals contain which two elements
silicon oxygen
The ion at the center of a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron is surrounded by
four oxygen
The faster that magma cools, the size of the crystal that form
decrease
Intrusive rock
none of above
Rocks that contain crystal are roughly equal in size and can be identified worth the unaided eye are said to exhibit ______ texture
coarse-grained
Igneous rock is formed
by crystallization of molten rock
Chemical weathering would be most effective ____
in a warm, humid climate
Which one of the following is NOT related to chemical weathering?
Hydrolysis
Sedimentary rocks
all the above (may be economically important, may contain fossils, hold important clues to Earth history)
Clastic sedimentary rocks are classified (named) primarily on the basis of
Particle size
Coal beds originate in
freshwater coastal swamps and bogs
_____ is a strong, parallel alignment of different mineral bands in a metamorphic rock
Foliation
The primary agent of contact metamorphism is
heat
An nonconformity is a buried _____
surface of erosion separating younger strata above from older strata below
Consider the names of the ears in the geologic time scale. What is meant by “Zoic”?
life, living things
The ____ is the idea or concept that ancient life forms succeeded each other in a definite, evolutionary pattern and that the contained assemblage of fossils can determine geologic ages of strata
Principle of faunal succession
The ear of “ancient life” is the ____ era
Paleozoic
What is the age of the Earth accepted by most scientists today?
4.5 billion years
Radiometric dating is based on
proportions of radioactive isotopes and their decay products
The process wherein an element changes spontaneously into a different element by changes in the nucleus of an atom is called
radioactive decay
Granitic pebbles with a radiometric age of 300 million years are embedded in a sedimentary rock. A dike, dated at 200 million years, intrudes into the sedimentary rock. With all this information we can estimate the age of the sedimentary rock to be
between 200 and 300 million years old
Life forms in the Precambrian include
stromatolites and certain primitive blue green algae
Which of the following events did not occur during the Paleozoic era?
evolution of mammals
The high concentration of iridium at the end the Mesozoic Era is most likely attributed to
meteorite impact
Dinosaurs were abundant during the
Mesozoic era
The Cenozoic Era is known as the
age of the mammals
By the close of the Paleozoic, all the continents had fused into the single super continent of
Pangaea
The beginning of the _____ era is marked by the appearance of the first life forms with hard parts.
Paleozoic
Which one of the following represents the most recent expanse of geological time?
Cenozoic
What is the definition of a mineral?
Natural occurring, a solid, definite chemical make up, inorganic
What is the difference between intrusive and extrusive rocks?
Intrusive igneous rock is formed inside the from molten. An Extrusive igneous rock form on the surface from cooling lava. They have a different in crystal size due to the rate of cooling.
On the back of the page draw or describe the rock cycle
Molten cools to form igneous rock, then weathering/erosion form sediment then is compaction and cementation to form sedimentary rocks. Heat and Pressure form metamorphic rocks. Metamorphic and sedimentary rock form igneous.
The earths earliest atmosphere was lacking in
free oxygen
Most of Earth’s water is in the
ocean
Fresh water enters the ocean by
runoff from streams and rivers, precipitation, and melting of glacial ice.
Going from continental land toward the deep ocean basin, the continental margin consists of
the shelf, the slope, and the rise
Ocean waves and currents generally form as a result of
wind
As a water approaches a shoreline, wave speed
decreases
At what water depth is an ocean wave affected by the ocean floor
at the depth equal to one half the wave’s wavelength
Which pulls on the oceans of Earth wit the greater force
The Sun
Which is most responsible for the ocean tides?
The moon
Tidal forces in general are the result of
unequal forces acting on different parts of a body
Which produces a greater tidal effect in our body, an overhead Moon or a grapefruit sitting on your head
Grapefruit
The atmosphere is divided onto several layers. Troposphere is the
Lowest layer and the thinnest layer, where the Earth’s weather’s occur
your ears pop when you ascend to higher altitudes because
air pressure is lower at higher altitudes
The lower atmosphere is directly
by the emission
Daylight and nighttime hours are equal
during equinoxes
Almost all of the Earth’s supply of energy comes from
the sun
If the Earth is closest to the Sun in January, why is much of the Northern Hemisphere cold in January?
Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun in January
The Coriolis force greatly affect the path of air circulation, and is the result of
the Earth’s rotation
In the Northern Hemisphere, air rushing into a low-pressure region
spirals in a counter clockwise direction
The Coriolis force causes all free-moving objects in the air to curve instead of traveling in a straight line path. In the Northern Hemisphere, object curve
to the right of their intended path
Air currents are sensitive to change in pressure and temperature. In general, air moves from regions of
High pressure to regions of low pressure
Most surface ocean currents are due to
winds
Amarillo lies in that portion of the earth where the winds are called the
westerlies
The amount of water vapor the air can hold depends on air temperature. At higher temperatures the air
can hold more water vapor
The Temperature to which air must be cooled for saturation to occur is called
dew point
As air temperature decrease, relative humidity
increases
As air rises, it
expands and cools
Clouds that begin to develop at the highest altitudes above the ground are generally
cirrus and cirro-stratus type clouds
When an air mass is pushed upward over an obstacle, in undergoes
orographic lifting
Atmospheric lifting resulting from the convergence of two different air masses is called
frontal lifting
When a warm air mass moves into a region occupied by a cold air mass, the contact zone is called
warm front
When a funnel cloud touches the ground, it becomes a
tornado
Although tornadoes occur in many parts of the world, they are very common
in the Central Plains
On a weather map, ______ fronts are shown by a line with blue, triangular points on one side
Cold
Usually _____ fronts produce several hours of moderate to gentle precipitation over a large region
Cold
A steep pressure gradient _____
Produces strong winds
A sea breeze usually originates during the
day and flows toward the land
The cloud from that consists of globular cloud masses that takes n a billowy or “cauliflower-like “ structure is called
cumulus
Which one of the following is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen
The spring equinox is the Northern Hemisphere occurs
March 21
The two most important heat absorbing gases in the lower atmosphere are
water vapor and carbon dioxide
The height, length, and period of a wave depend upon _____
fetch, wind speed , and the length of time the wind has blown
Describe 3 main mechanisms by which air get lifted
-frontal lifting- is when warm and cold air meet causing the warm air to rise
-orographic lifting- is warm air going over a mountain range causing precipitation on the front side and dry warm air on the other
Adiabtic lift- is a vertical lifting of warm air expanding
Explain what is meant by “neap tide and spring tide”. What are the differences between them, when do they occur and What is the cause behind each one ?
Spring tide are wen the tides are the highest of the high and tide are the lowest of the low because the the moon, earth, and Sun are all in alinement
Neap tides are when the tides are the lowest of the high and when the highest of the lows because the moon is not in alinement wit the Earth and Sun.
Explain what causes the seasons we see here on Earth
Seasons are based on the tilt of the earth. When the tilt of the Northern Hemisphere is closer to the sun it is Summer and Winter for the South Hemisphere because of the direct sun light to the Northern Hemisphere. The southern Hemisphere is receiving sun light at an angle causing to be colder
If water vapor constant as air temperature decreases, does relative humidity increase, decrease, or stay the same? Explain
Relative humidity increases when temperature decreases because the colder air contracts. The space becomes smaller so the water vapor fill up the space causing an increase in Relative humidity
