Science Interim December 2014 Flashcards
Fossil
The preserved remains, shapes, or evidence of once living organisms.
Law of Uniformitarianism & James Hutton
The theory proposed in the 1700s by James Hutton that Earth’s features form only due to small changes over long periods of time.
Natural Gas
A fossil fuel of hydrocarbon in the form of a gas. It forms in pockets around petroleum.
Petroleum
A fossil fuel of hydrocarbon in the form of a liquid. It forms the same way as natural gas. As sea creatures die and get buried in sediment, it turns into rock. Some of the remains become petroleum which is stored in the permeable rock within the Earth’s crust.
Coal
A fossil fuel of hydrocarbon in the form of a solid. It forms when swamp plants die, sink to the bottom of the swamp. If they do not decay completely, coal can begin to form.
Controlling Variable
Where all factors are kept the same except one.
Manipulated Variable
The factor that you want to change or test.
Responding Variable
The result of the change.
Igneous Rock
Forms fro hot, liquid rock, or magma, which cools and solidifies.
Sedimentary Rock
Forms at or near the Earth’s surface, through the process of erosion.
Metamorphic Rock
Forms from heat and pressure deep beneath the Earth’s surface.
Rock Cycle
A series of processes on Earth’s surface and interior that slowly change rocks from one kind to another.
When do changes to Earth’s surface happen?
Slowly and over long periods of time.
How can you explain the fossils of starfish found on top of a mountain?
Provides evidence of how life, climate and Earth’s surface have changed over time.
If you found a tropical fossil in northern Canada, what can you infer from the climate of Canada?
It once had a warmer climate.
