Test 12, Chapters 1 - 12, Final Exam Flashcards
What process breaks rocks down into soil?
weathering
What is a theory that has never been proven false?
law
The amount of matter in an object is the
mass
What branch of science is the study of the earth?
geology
What type of mountain was formed when rocks on one side of a fault were forced upward while the rocks on the other side were forced downward?
fault-block
What type of lava rock is rough and jagged with a crumbly or “blocky” texture?
aa lava
The theory that the earth’s crust and upper mantle consist of huge plates slowly drifting as a result of convection currents in the mantle is the ____ theory.
plate tectonics
What type of volcano consists primarily of erupted volcanic ash and rock fragments held together loosely?
cinder-cone
What i the general term for crystalline substances found naturally in the earth?
minerals
The resistance of a smooth surface of a mineral to being scratched is
hardness
Steel is an alloy of ____ and carbon.
iron
What is the red variety of corundum?
ruby
What is the largest group of minerals?
silicates
What is a low hill formed when a glacier overruns a moraine?
drumlin
any harmful substance released into the soil, air, or water
pollution
the falling of acidic precipitation onto the planet
acid deposition
term meaning “caused by humans”
anthropogenic
method of producing electricity that uses lenses or mirrors to focus the sun’s rays into a small beam that heats a fluid
concentrating solar energy
cold period that lasted from the 1300s to around 1850
Little Ice Age
system that removes certain gases and particles from industrial exhaust
scrubber
synthetic gas used for fuel
syngas
branch of science that studies the interactions of the physical world
environmental science
processes that recycle minerals and other nutrients in the environment
biogeochemical (or nutrient) cycles
what is a fan-shaped deposit of sediments at the mouth of a river?
delta
weathering that involves the breaking or peeling away of rock into layers is
exfoliation
What are regions of the earth’s surface where limestone is exposed and abundant?
karst
what idea attempts to reconcile the Bible and evolution?
theistic evolution
What false belief says that all geological processes have always proceeded at the same rate?
uniformitarianism
the deep-sea-fish living fossil once thought to be the ancestor of the first amphibians is
coelacanth
what term refers to the sudden appearance of life in the fossil record?
Cambrian explosion
the hypothetical time scale that supposedly charts both the earth’s history and the sequence of the rock layers in the earth’s crust is the
geologic column
what are movements of ocean water caused primarily by the moon?
tides
what type of bottle is used to collect water samples form the ocean depths?
Niskin bottles
what is a sandy, gently sloping underwater plain near a continent?
continental shelf
what affects insolation?
angle of sun’s rays, cloud cover, length of daytime
what is the atmosphere’s “weather layer”?
troposphere
what is the general term for a naturally occurring material that mankind can use?
natural resource
what branch of science develops new methods of conservation through the application of environmental science?
environmental technology
what is the process of quickly and safely returning wastewater to the environment?
water reclamation
what are devices, made from semiconducting materials, that convert sunlight directly into electricity?
photovoltaic cells
name the process in which an atom of an element with a large nucleus breaks into two atoms of elements with smaller nuclei, releasing an enormous amount of energy.
nuclear fission
what is the most widely used form of renewable energy?
hydroelectric power
what term refers to a situation in which cool air at the earth’s surface is overlaid by warm air?
temperature inversion
what is a place where garbage is collected, stored, and covered?
landfill
what is the continued process of atoms splitting and releasing neutrons that trigger more atoms to split?
nuclear chain reaction
what type of wind reverses its direction from season to season?
monsoon
heat transfer by air movements is
convection
what is the change in the direction of winds caused by Earth’s rotation?
Coriolis effect
the boundary formed when a warm air mass moves into the territory of a cold air mass is an
warm front
which type of clouds are thunderstorm clouds?
cumulonimbus
what term describes air with a relative humidity of 100%?
saturated
what type of tropical cyclone has wind speeds of 74 mph or more?
hurricane
what device measures relative humidity?
hygrometer
a device that measure wind speed
anemometer
what is a localized storm with lightning, thunder, strong winds, and heavy rain?
thunderstorm
what is an abrupt discharge of electricity through the air?
lightning
A Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is a two-dimensional graph that compares stars by their brightness and
temperature
the unit of measurement approximately equal to the distance between the sun and the earth is the
astronomical unit
the point on the earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s focus is the
epicenter
the study of the earth’s oceans is
oceanography
a narrow funnel of powerful, rapidly whirling wind that stretches from a cloud to the ground is a
tornado
a planet’s farthest distance from the sun is
aphelion
the idea that the planets, including Earth, orbit the sun is the __________ view of the solar system.
heliocentric
a telescope that uses a series of lenses to produce an image is a _______ telescope
refracting
a person who believes that humans are merely passing through the earth and have no claim to anything on it is a
preservationist
a pollutant that comes directly from a pollution source is a ________ pollutant.
primary
using the solar energy that naturally falls on a building to heat it directly is _______ solar energy.
passive
living things that influence an environment are ____ factors
biotic
be able to identify the Ursa Major constellation
big bear!! (that looks like a 3 legged praying mantis)
which scientific law states that the planets’ orbits are ellipses?
first law of planetary motion
what is the largest planet in our solar system?
Jupiter
which constellation includes the star Rugulus?
Leo
the equation of time is the relationship between apparent solar time and
mean solar time
in what type of orbit does a satellite stay above the same point on the earth’s surface?
geostationary orbit
what are the two points on the ecliptic at which the sun is farthest from the celestial equator?
solstices
who was the first person to travel in space?
Yuri Gagarin
the hypothesis that long-living halogen compounds can cause ozone depletion is the ______ hypothesis
Rowland-Molina
ozone levels are measured in ______ units
Dobson
what greenhouse gas is claimed to be the main cause of anthropogenic global warming?
carbon dioxide
what is the most dangerous aspect of modern environmentalism?
promoting a reverence for creation that should be reserved for God alone
the agreement that called for the reduction and eventual elimination of CFCs was the
Montreal Protocol
A thick, brownish haze that results from complex molecules released into the air by vehicles and some factories and plants is
photochemical smog
the study of God’s creation beyond the atmosphere is
astronomy
a pollutant that comes from multiple sources in a ______ pollutant.
non-point-source
the bacteria that live in the intestines of humans and animals and are used to determine if pathogens are present in the water are _____ bacteria.
coliform
Natural resources that regenerate slowly, if at all, are _____ resources.
nonrenewable
a device that generates electricity by wind-caused motion is a
wind turbine
the purified form of limestone that is used to correct overly acidic soil and can be used to restore acidic lakes and streams quickly is
agricultural lime
the general term for energy generated by natural sources and naturally replenished is _____ energy.
renewable
a device that safely starts and controls a fission chain reaction is a
nuclear reactor
