Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Earth and Space Science > Mid Term > Flashcards

Mid Term Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Earth science

A

The scientific study of all aspects of Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

scientific method

A

The way a scientist approaches a problem; steps include observing, formulating a hypothesis, testing, and evaluating results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

hypothesis

A

A plausible, but yet to be proved, explanation for how something happens.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

theory

A

A hypothesis that has been tested and is strongly supported by experimentation, observation, and scientific evidence.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

system

A

A portion of the universe that can be separated from the rest of the universe for the purpose of observing changes that happen in it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

feedback mechanisms

A

Reactions that enhance (positive) or retard (negative) change in an open system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Earth system science

A

The study of Earth as a closed system composed of interacting open systems and how the open systems may be changed as a result of human activities.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

core

A

Earth’s innermost compositional layer, where the magnetic field is generated and much geothermal energy resides

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

mantle

A

The middle compositional layer of Earth, between the crust and the core.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

crust

A

The outermost compositional layer of the solid Earth: part of the lithosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

lithosphere

A

Earth’s outermost rocky layer, comprising the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

asthenosphere

A

A layer of weak, ductile rock in the mantle that is close to melting but not actually molten.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

plate tectonics

A

The movement and interactions of large fragments of Earth’s lithosphere, called plates.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

oceanic crust

A

The thinner, denser, and younger part of Earth’s crust, underlying the ocean basins.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

continental crust

A

The older, thicker, and less dense part of Earth’s crust; the bulk of Earth’s land masses.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

natural resources

A

Useful materials obtained from the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, or biosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

renewable resource

A

A resource that can be replenished or regenerated on the scale of a human lifetime.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

nonrenewable resource

A

A resource that cannot be replenished or regenerated on the scale of a human lifetime.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

hydrologic cycle

A

A model that describes the movement of water through the reservoirs of the Earth system; the water cycle.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

evaporation

A

The process by which water changes from a liquid to a vapor.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

transpiration

A

The process by which water taken up by plants passes directly into the atmosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

condensation

A

The process by which water changes from vapor into a liquid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

deposition

A

The process by which water changes from a vapor into a solid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

precipitation

A

The process by which water that has condensed in the atmosphere falls back to the surface as rain, snow, or hail.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

surface runoff

A

Precipitation that drains over the land or in stream channels.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

infiltration

A

The process by which water works its way into the ground through small openings in the soil.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

stream

A

A body of water that flows downslope along a clearly defined natural pathway.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

channel

A

The clearly defined natural passageway through which a stream flows.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

gradient

A

The steepness of a stream channel.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

discharge (1)

A

The amount of water passing by a point on the channel’s bank during a unit of time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

load

A

The suspended and dissolved sediment carried by a stream.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

floodplain

A

The relatively flat valley floor adjacent to a stream channel, which is inundated when the stream overflows its banks.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

alluvium

A

Unconsolidated sediment deposited by a stream.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

drainage basin

A

The total area from which water flows into a stream.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

divide

A

A topo-graphic high that separates adjacent drainage basins.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

flood

A

An event in which a water body overflows its banks.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

groundwater

A

Subsurface water contained in pore spaces in regolith and bedrock

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

water table

A

The top surface of the saturated zone.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

porosity

A

The percentage of the total volume of a body of rock or regolith that consists of open space.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

permeability

A

A measure of how easily a solid allows fluids to pass through it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

percolation

A

The process by which groundwater seeps downward and flows under the influence of gravity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

recharge

A

Replenishment of groundwater.

43
Q

discharge (2)

A

The process by which subsurface water leaves the saturated zone and becomes surface water.

44
Q

spring

A

Where the water table intersects the land surface, allowing groundwater to flow out

45
Q

aquifer

A

A body of rock or regolith that is water-saturated, porous, and permeable

46
Q

aquiclude

A

A layer of impermeable rock

47
Q

cave and cavern

A

Underground open space; a cavern is a system of connected caves.

48
Q

continental drift

A

The slow, lateral movement of continents across Earth’s surface.

49
Q

paleomagnetism

A

The study of rock magnetism in order to determine the intensity and direction of Earth’s magnetic field in the past.

50
Q

seafloor spreading

A

The processes by which the seafloor splits and moves apart along a midocean ridge and new oceanic crust forms along the ridge.

51
Q

plate tectonics

A

The movement and interactions of large fragments of Earth’s lithosphere, called plates.

52
Q

fault

A

A fracture in the lithosphere along which movement has occurred.

53
Q

divergent margin

A

A boundary along which two plates move apart from one another.

54
Q

convergent margin

A

A boundary along which two plates move toward one another

55
Q

subduction zone

A

A boundary along which one plate of lithosphere descends into the mantle beneath another plate.

56
Q

transform fault

A

An approximately vertical fracture in the lithosphere along which two plates slide past each other.

57
Q

conduction

A

The process by which heat moves through a solid body without deforming it.

58
Q

convection

A

A form of heat transfer in which hot material circulates from hotter to colder regions, loses its heat, and then repeats the cycle.

59
Q

tectonic cycle

A

Movements and interactions of the lithosphere by which rocks are cycled from the mantle to the crust and back; includes earthquakes, volcanism, and plate motion, driven by convection in the mantle.

60
Q

earthquake

A

A sudden motion in Earth caused by the abrupt release of slowly accumulated energy.

61
Q

seismology

A

The scientific study of earthquakes and seismic waves.

62
Q

elastic rebound theory

A

The theory that continuing stress along a fault results in a buildup of elastic energy in the rocks, which is abruptly released when an earthquake occurs.

63
Q

seismic wave

A

An elastic shock wave that travels outward in all directions from an earthquake’s source.

64
Q

paleoseismology

A

The study of prehistoric earthquakes.

65
Q

seismograph

A

An instrument that detects, measures, and records vibrations of Earth’s surface.

66
Q

seismogram

A

The record made by a seismograph.

67
Q

body wave

A

A seismic wave that travels through Earth’s interior.

68
Q

surface wave

A

A seismic wave that travels along Earth’s surface.

69
Q

focus

A

The location where rupture commences and an earthquake’s energy is first released.

70
Q

P wave

A

The first, or primary, wave to be detected by a seismograph.

71
Q

compressional wave

A

A seismic body wave consisting of alternate pulses of compression and expansion in the direction of travel; P wave or primary wave.

72
Q

S wave

A

The second kind of body wave to be detected by a seismograph

73
Q

shear wave

A

A seismic body wave in which rock is subjected to side-to-side or up-and-down forces, perpendicular to the direction of travel; S wave or secondary wave.

74
Q

epicenter

A

The point on Earth’s surface that is directly above an earthquake’s focus.

75
Q

Richter magnitude scale

A

A scale of earthquake intensity based on the heights, or amplitudes, of the seismic waves recorded on a seismograph.

76
Q

moment magnitude

A

A measure of earthquake strength based on the rupture size, rock properties, and amount of displacement on the fault surface.

77
Q

seismic discontinuity

A

A boundary inside Earth where the velocities of seismic waves change abruptly.

78
Q

refraction

A

The bending of a wave as it passes from one material into another material, through which it travels at a different speed.

79
Q

reflection

A

The bouncing back of a wave from an interface between two different materials.

80
Q

stress

A

The force acting on a surface, per unit area, which may be greater in certain directions than others.

81
Q

pressure

A

A particular kind of stress in which forces acting on a body are the same in all directions.

82
Q

tension

A

A stress that acts in a direction perpendicular to and away from a surface.

83
Q

compression

A

A stress that acts in a direction perpendicular and toward a surface.

84
Q

shear

A

A stress that acts in a direction parallel to a surface.

85
Q

strain

A

A change in the shape or volume of a rock in response to stress.

86
Q

elastic deformation

A

A temporary change in the shape or volume from which a material rebounds after the deforming stress is removed.

87
Q

ductile deformation

A

A permanent but gradual change in the shape or volume of a material, caused by flowing or bending.

88
Q

brittle deformation

A

A permanent change in shape or volume, in which a material breaks or cracks.

89
Q

normal faults

A

A fault in which the block above the fault surface moves down relative to the block below.

90
Q

reverse fault

A

A fault in which the block on top of the fault moves up and over the block on the bottom.

91
Q

thrust fault

A

A reverse fault that cuts Earth’s surface at a shallow angle.

92
Q

transform fault

A

An approximately vertical fracture in the lithosphere along which two plates slide past each other.

93
Q

uniformitarianism

A

The concept that the processes governing the Earth system have operated in a similar manner throughout Earth’s history and that past events can be explained by phenomena and forces observable today.

94
Q

relative age

A

The age of a rock layer, fossil, or other natural feature relative to another feature.

95
Q

stratigraphy

A

The science of rock layers and the processes by which strata are formed.

96
Q

numerical age

A

The age when a rock layer or natural feature was formed, in years before the present.

97
Q

unconformity

A

A substantial gap in a stratigraphic sequence that marks the absence of part of the rock record.

98
Q

paleontology

A

The study of fossils and the record of ancient life on Earth; the use of fossils for the determination of relative ages.

99
Q

correlation

A

A method of equating the ages of strata that come from two or more different places.

100
Q

geologic column

A

The succession of strata, fitted together in relative chronological order.

101
Q

radioactivity

A

A process in which an element spontaneously transforms itself into another isotope of the same element, or into a different element.

102
Q

half-life

A

The time needed for half the parent atoms of a radioactive substance to decay into daughter atoms.

103
Q

radiometric dating

A

The use of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes to determine the numerical ages of minerals, rocks, and fossils.

104
Q

magnetic reversal

A

The period of time in which Earth’s magnetic polarity reverses itself.

Earth and Space Science (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions