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Honors Earth Science > First Semester Vocab - Final > Flashcards

First Semester Vocab - Final Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

abyssal plain

A

incredibly flat features a part of deep ocean basins

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2
Q

asthenosphere

A

beneath the lithosphere; known as the weak sphere

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3
Q

continental margin

A

portion of the seafloor adjacent to major landmasses. it may include the continental shelf, continental slope, and continental rise

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4
Q

continental shelf

A

gently sloping platform of material that extends seaward from the shore. it is considered a flooded extension of the continents

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5
Q

continental slope

A

the steep gradient that leads to the deep ocean floor and marks the seaward edge of the continental shelf

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6
Q

deep ocean basin

A

between the continental margins and oceanic ridges

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7
Q

deep ocean trench

A

an elongated depression in the seafloor produced by bending the oceanic crust during subduction

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8
Q

lithosphere

A

(sphere of rock) consists of the entire crust and uppermost mantle and forms Earth’s relatively cool, rigid, outer shell

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9
Q

nebular hypothesis

A

proposes that the bodies of our solar system evolved from an enormous rotating cloud called the solar nebula

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10
Q

oceanic (mid ocean) ridge

A

a continuous elevated zone on the floor of all major ocean basins and varying in width from 500 to 5000 km (300-3000 miles). the rifts at the crests of the ridges represent divergent plate boundaries

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11
Q

seamount

A

an isolated volcanic pea that rises at least 1000 meters (3000 feet) above the deep ocean floor

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12
Q

axial precession

A

a slow motion of earth’s axis that traces out a cone over a period of 26,000 years

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13
Q

ecliptic

A

the yearly path of the sun plotted against the background of stars

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14
Q

equatorial system

A

a method of locating stellar objects much like the coordinate system used on earth’s surface

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15
Q

mean solar day

A

the average time between two passages of the sun across the local celestial meridian

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16
Q

perturbation

A

gravitational disturbance of orbit of one celestial body by another

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17
Q

plane of the ecliptic

A

the imaginary plane that connects Earth’s orbit with the celestial sphere

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18
Q

sidereal day

A

the period of earth’s rotation with respect to the stars

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19
Q

sidereal month

A

a time period based on the revolution of the moon around the earth with respect to the stars

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20
Q

synodic month

A

the period of revolution of the moon with respect to the sun, or its cycle of phases

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21
Q

com

A

the fuzzy, gaseous component of a comet’s head

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22
Q

cryovolcanism

A

the eruption of magmas derived from the partial melting of ice rather than silicate rocks

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23
Q

lunar regolith

A

a thin, gray layer on the surface of the moon, consisting of loosely compacted, fragmented material believed to have been formed by repeating meteoritic impacts

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24
Q

maria

A

smooth areas of the moon formerly thought to be seas

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25
Q

bright line (emission) spectrum

A

the bright lines produced by an incandescent gas under low pressure

26
Q

chromatic aberration

A

the property of a lens whereby light of different colors is focused at different places

27
Q

continuous spectrum

A

an uninterrupted band of light emitted by an incandescent solid, liquid, or gas under pressure

28
Q

dark line (absorption) spectrum

A

a continuous spectrum with dark lines superimposed

29
Q

solar flare

A

a sudden and tremendous eruption in the solar chromosphere

30
Q

solar wind

A

subatomic particles ejected at high speed from the solar corona

31
Q

spicule

A

a narrow jet of riding material in the solar chromosphere

32
Q

active continental margin

A

usually narrow and consisting of highly deformed sediments. they occur where oceanic lithosphere is being subjected beneath the margin of a continent

33
Q

biogeneous sediment

A

seafloor sediment consisting of material of marine organic origin

34
Q

continental volcanic arc

A

mountains formed in part by igneous activity associated with the subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath a continent

35
Q

deep sea fan

A

a cone shaped deposit at the base of the continental slope. the sediment is transported to the fan by turbidity currents that follow submarine canyons

36
Q

gas hydrate

A

usually compact chemical structures made of water and natural gas

37
Q

graded bedding

A

a sediment layer that is characterized by a decrease in sediment size from bottom to top

38
Q

hydrogenous sediment

A

seafloor sediments consisting of minerals that crystallize from seawater. an important example is manganese nodules

39
Q

passive continental margin

A

margins that consist of a continental shelf, slope, and continental rise. they are not associated with plate boundaries and therefore experience little volcanism and few earthquakes

40
Q

rift valley

A

a region of earth’s crust along which divergence takes place

41
Q

submarine canyon

A

a seaward extension of a valley that was cut on the continental shelf during a time when sea level was lower, or a canyon carved into the outer continental shelf, slope, and rise by turbidity currents

42
Q

tablemount

A

submerged, flat topped seamounts

43
Q

terrigenous sediment

A

seafloor sediments derived from terrestrial weathering and erosion

44
Q

turbidite

A

turbidity current deposit characterized by graded bedding

45
Q

turbidity

A

types of deposits

46
Q

turbidity current

A

a downslope movement of dense, sediment laden water created when sand and mud on the continental shelf and slope are dislodged and thrown into suspension

47
Q

abrasion

A

a grinding and scraping of rock surface by the friction and impact of rock particles carried by water, wind, or ice

48
Q

barrier island

A

a long, elongate ridge of sand that parallels the coast

49
Q

baymouth bar

A

a sandbar that completely crosses the bay, sealing it off from the open ocean

50
Q

beach drift

A

the transport of sediment in a zig zag pattern along a beach caused by the uprush of water from obliquely breaking waves

51
Q

beach nourishment

A

the process by which large quantities of sand are added to the beach system to offset losses caused by wave erosion

52
Q

berm

A

the dry, gently sloping zone on the back shore of a beach at the foot of the coastal cliffs or dunes

53
Q

diurnal tidal pattern

A

tidal pattern exhibiting one high tide and one low tide during the tidal day; a daily tide

54
Q

groin

A

a short wall built at a right angle to the shore to trap moving sand

55
Q

mixed tidal pattern

A

a tidal pattern exhibiting two high tides and two low tides per tidal day with a large inequality in high water heights, low water heights, or both. coastal locations that experience such a tidal pattern may also show alternating periods of diurnal and semidiurnal tidal patterns

56
Q

neap tide

A

lowest tidal range, occurring near the times of the first - and third quarter phases of the moon

57
Q

rip current

A

a strong narrow surface or near surface current of short duration and high speed flowing seaward through the breaker zone at nearly right angles to the shore

58
Q

tidal current

A

the alternating horizontal movement of water associated with the rise and fall of the tide

59
Q

tidal delta

A

a delta like feature created when a rapidly moving tidal current emerges from a narrow inlet and slows, depositing its load of sediment

60
Q

tombolo

A

a ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland or to another island

61
Q

wave cut cliff

A

a seaward facing cliff along a steep shoreline formed by wave erosion at its bass and mass wasting

62
Q

wave cut platform

A

a bench or shelf in the bedrock at sea level, cut by wave erosion

Honors Earth Science (3 decks)

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