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Earth Science Honors > Spring Final > Flashcards

Spring Final Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the law of superposition

A

Geology. a basic law of geochronology, stating that in any undisturbed sequence of rocks deposited in layers, the youngest layer is on top and the oldest on bottom, each layer being younger than the one beneath it and older than the one above it.

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2
Q

What is the principle of cross cutting

A

The principle of cross-cutting relationships states that an igneous intrusion is always younger than the rock it cuts across

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3
Q

What is the principle of original horizontally

A

The Principle of Original Horizontality states that layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally under the action of gravity . It is a relative dating technique.

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4
Q

What is dendrochronology

A

the science dealing with the study of the annual rings of trees in determining the dates and chronological order of past events.

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5
Q

What is absolute age dating

A

Absolute dating is the process of determining an age on a specified time scale in archaeology and geology.

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6
Q

What are isotopes

A

any of two or more forms of a chemical element, having the same number of protons in the nucleus, or the same atomic number, but having different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus, or different atomic weights.

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7
Q

What is a half life graph

A

Image from http://www.launc.tased.edu.au/online/sciences/PhysSci/done/nuclear/decay/Image1.gif.

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8
Q

What is a parent/daughter ratio

A

The radioactive element is called a radioisotope or parent isotope and the non-radioactive end product of decay is called a daughter isotope.

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9
Q

What determines the geologic time periods

A

Divisions in geologic time are based on changes in life forms and geologic events as recorded in rock layers which are lain down sequentially

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10
Q

What dominated the major eras

A

Reptile or animals like species

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11
Q

What makes a fossil

A

For a rock to become a fossil it must be…

  • organic
  • prehistoric
  • show signs of life
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12
Q

What is an unchanged fossil

A

A fossil that stays the same over long periods of time

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13
Q

What information do we get from fossils

A

By studying the fossil record we can tell how long life has existed on Earth, and how different plants and animals are related to each other.

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14
Q

What were some major events in geologic history

A

Some Major Life Events
First humans (genus Homo)
Major extinction of life on Earth, including dinosaurs
First flowering plants
First birds
First mammals
Major extinction of life on Earth
First dinosaurs
Major extinction of life on Earth, including most marine organisms
First reptiles
Major extinction of life on Earth
First amphibians
First plants and animals on land
Major extinction of life on Earth
First fish
First animals with hard parts
First multicellular organisms
First eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus)
First bacteria and archaea (cells with no nucleus)
Earliest life
Origin of the Earth

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15
Q

Layers of the atmosphere in order

A 
Highest
------------------------------------------------------
Exosphere 
Thermosphere 
Mesosphere 
Stratosphere
Troposphere
------------------------------------------------------
Lowest
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16
Q

List some gases in the early atmosphere

A

The early atmosphere was probably mostly carbon dioxide with little or no oxygen. There were smaller proportions of water vapour, ammonia and methane. As the Earth cooled down, most of the water vapour condensed and formed the oceans.

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17
Q

List some gases in the current atmosphere

A 
Besides water vapour, several other gases are also present in much smaller amounts:
Carbon monoxide (formula CO)
Neon (Ne)
Oxides of nitrogen.
Methane (CH4)
Krypton (Kr)
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18
Q

What is the energy budget

A

Earth’s energy budget accounts for how much energy comes into the Earth’s climate system from the Sun, how much energy is lost to space, and accounting for the remainder on Earth and its atmosphere.

19
Q

What is a sea breeze

A

a breeze blowing toward the land from the sea, especially during the day owing to the relative warmth of the land.

20
Q

What is a land breeze

A

a breeze blowing toward the sea from the land, especially at night, owing to the relative warmth of the sea.

21
Q

What is conduction

A

the process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential between adjoining regions, without movement of the material.

22
Q

What is convection

A

the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.

23
Q

What is radiation

A

The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high energy particles that cause ionization

24
Q

What are greenhouse gases

A

A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation

25
Q

What is the greenhouse effect

A

The trapping of the sun’s warmth in a planet’s lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation to the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet’s surface

26
Q

What is a climatograph

A

A climograph is a graphical representation of basic climatic parameters, that is monthly average temperature and precipitation, at a certain location.

27
Q

What is air pressure

A

The definition of air pressure is the force exerted onto a surface by the weight of the air.

28
Q

What is density

A

Degree of consistency measured by the quantity of mass per unit volume

29
Q

Two factors that determine climate

A

The two most important factors in the climate of an area are temperature and precipitation

30
Q

Factors that change a climate

A
  • Both natural and human factors change Earth’s climate
  • Before humans, changes in climate resulted entirely from natural causes such as changes in Earth’s orbit, changes in solar activity, or volcanic eruptions
31
Q

What is relative age dating

A

Relative dating is the science of determining the relative order of past events

32
Q

What is the composition of the sun

A

The sun is mostly composed of the elements hydrogen (H) and helium (He).

33
Q

What is nuclear fusion

A

A nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy

34
Q

Why do planets stay in orbit

A

The gravity of the Sun keeps the planets in their orbits. They stay in their orbits because there is no other force in the Solar System which can stop them

35
Q

What is inertia

A

A property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force

36
Q

What is the electromagnetic spectrum

A

The range of wavelengths or frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends

37
Q

What is a wavelength

A

The distance between successive crests of a wave, especially points in a sounds wave or electromagnetic waves

38
Q

What is frequency

A

The rate at which something occurs or is repeated over a particular period of time or in a given sample

39
Q

What is energy

A

The strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity

40
Q

What is gravity

A

The force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass.

41
Q

What was the Big Bang theory

A

The Big Bang Theory is the prevailing cosmological model for the universe from the earliest known periods through its subsequent large-scale evolution

42
Q

What is the Doppler effect

A

The increase in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move toward each other.

43
Q

HR diagram- 5 stages

A 
The temperature of stars
The stage of stars 
The composition of stars 
The kelvin of stars 
The name of stars

Earth Science Honors (2 decks)

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