question

gravitational force that earth exerts on an object

answer

weight

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sedimentary rocks

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form from the weathered remains of all 3 types of rocks that have been lithified

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igneous rocks

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form with the crystallization of hot magma from within the earth. the slower the cooling the larger the crystals

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metamorphic rocks

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rocks are formed by heat, pressure and or chemicals altering existing rock deep within the earth's crust

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Mons Scale

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hardness scale of a mineral; one mineral is capable of scratching another must be harder

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Talc Hardness

answer

1

question

Gypsum Hardness

answer

2 (2.5 is a fingernail)

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Calcite Hardness

answer

3 (copper penny)

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Fluorite Hardness

answer

4

question

Apatite Hardness

answer

5 (Nail)

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Potassium Feldspar Hardness

answer

6

question

Quartz Hardness

answer

7

question

Topaz Hardness

answer

8

question

Corundum Hardness

answer

9

question

Diamond Hardness

answer

10 can scratch glass

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Mineral classification

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by crystal size, luster, color, streak, hardness, cleavage, and fracture properties

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aridisols

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very dray and light in color soil

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mollisols

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dark and fertile soil in grasslands

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alifisols

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soil found under forest vegetation from Southern Florida to Minnesota

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ultisols

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SE US tend to be red soil and are found near lots of water

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spodsols

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rich soil with sand

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entisols

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immature sands deposited from wind or water

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inceptisols

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soil found in tundra environments

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vertisols

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heavy clay

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histosols

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organic soil from poor drainage areas

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andisols

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volcanic material

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Layers of the Earth

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inner core, outer core, mantle and crust

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lithosphere

answer

outer most layer, land area we see

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biosphere

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the life on earth

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atmosphere

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the layer of gases surrounding the earth

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hydrosphere

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the water portion of the earth of which 3% is freshwater and 97% salt water. large portion of the freshwater is locked up in the glaciers

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folding

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when 2 plates are compressing against one another, the folding causes either an Anticline (the shape of an A) or a Syncline to occur

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faulting

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where 2 plates move past each other

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earthquakes

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vibrations of the earth's crust caused by the rapid release of energy

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volcanoes

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usually are found along fault lines. they are an area where hot magma is thrown from the center of the earth at intervals

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plate tectonic theory

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earth's continents are on large plates that float on the earth's mantle. they were once all one super continent

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continental drift theory

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the fit of the continents, like that of a large puzzle, fossil evidence on different continents aligned with the puzzle, and rock types and structure similarities where the continents would have been connected

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evaporation

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from the oceans and streams

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precipitation

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over the land

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water moves through the cycle by the means of

answer

evaporation, precipitation, infiltration, transpiration, runoff

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infiltration

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water seeping into the lakes and streams through the soil

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transpiration

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absorbed by plants and later released back into the atmosphere

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runoff

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from the lakes and streams back into the large oceans and seas

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weathering

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two types mechanical and chemical

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mechanical weathering

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caused by frost wedging expansion, thermal expansion and biological activity

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chemical weathering

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causes dissolution, oxidation and hydrolysis

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erosion

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the transportation of material by water, wind and ice. it occurs mainly due to weathering

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deposition

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when water vapor turns into ice without going through the liquid state

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uniformarianism

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states that physical chemical and biological properties that exist today also existed in the past the same principles. it does not mean that things occurred at the same rate as they do today

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stratigraphy or Laws of supposition

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looking at a side of layers of rocks the oldest rocks will be on the bottom&the newer rocks will be on the top

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igneous intrusions

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will be newer than the layers of rocks they cut through as those rocks would have had to have been there before they could seep through

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relative dating

answer

is placing rocks and structures in an order of occurrence based on evidence and then extrapolating the dates of existence

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absolute dating

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when you know the exact date a formation occurred, example. the weathering of a tombstone can be considered absolute bc you have a date of which the tombstone was placed there

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petrified

answer

animals cavities are filled with minerals and replaced

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mold

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shell buried in sediment then dissolved away leaves a mold

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cast

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when the mold is filled with a mineral

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carbonization

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left behind carbon in the shape of an animal

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impressions

answer

prints or shapes left in rocks

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amber

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some animals such as insects get trapped in a resin like material leaving complete animals preserved

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information fossils can provide

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information about the surface of the earth (water or land), the climate of an area and the types organisms that existed at that time period

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Eons

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Phanerozoic, Proterozoic, Archean, Hadean

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Era (PMC)

answer

Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic

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Periods

answer

Quarternary and Tertiary Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic Permian, Pennsylvanian, Mississippian, Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician, Cambrian Precambrian

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Epoch

answer

Holocene, Pleistocene, Piocene, Miocene, Oligocene, Eocene, Paleocene,

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4 Oceans

answer

Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic

question

12 Seas

answer

Coral, Arabian, South China, Mediterranean, Bering, Bay of Bengal, Sea of Okhotsk, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Guinea, Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, Gulf of Alaska

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Ocean Waves

answer

Movement of energy through a meduim. water doesnt move but orbits in small circles. caused by the wind blowing across the ocean surface 4 types: capillary, wind wave, seiche, seismic wave, tide

question

capillary

answer

wind driven

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wind wave

answer

wind over ocean

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seiche

answer

change in atmospheric pressure, storm surge or tsunami

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seismic wave

answer

volcanic eruption of faulting on the seafloor

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tide

answer

gravitational attraction of the rotation

question

primary causes and factors that influence tides

answer

tides are caused by inertia and the gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun on the earths surface, causes the rhythmic rising and falling of the water on the earth surface, most coasts have semidiurnal tides or 2 high and 2 low tides per day

question

neap tides

answer

occur are the smallest variations between the high and low tide and occur when the sun earth and moon are at right angles

question

spring tides

answer

occur when the earth sun and moon are in a straight line and are the largest variations between the high and low tide

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topography and landforms of the ocean floor and shorelines

answer

seafloor landforms created in similar ways to continental landformsvocanoes deposit lava solidified into rock/can create islands&canyons sea floor spreading cause mass plains areas mountain building such as faulting&folding cause underwater moutain ranges

question

abyssal plain

answer

area where sea floor spreading has created flat plains like area under water

question

continental shelf

answer

shallow region extending out from the continents

question

continental slope

answer

where the shelf meets the deep reaches of the ocean

question

ridge

answer

underwater mountain range

question

trench

answer

ocean floor canyon

question

currents

answer

caused by the sinking of colder dense water and the rising of warmer water. the water circulates due to the uneven heating of the earth between the poles and the equator

question

Cold Currents

answer

Antarctic Circumpolar, Peru, Benauela, Greenland, Labrador, California, Alaskan, Kamchatka, Canary

question

Warm Currents

answer

North Pacific, Equatorial Counter, Sourth Equatorial, Eastern Australia, Gulf Stream, North Equatorial, North Atlantic

question

factors influencing seasonal and latitudinal variation of solar radiation

answer

tilt of the earth causes the seasons. the angle the sun's rays strike the earth causes variations. the earth is closer to the sun in january than in july

question

chemical composition of the atmosphere

answer

N 78% O 21% Ar .9% CO2 .03% Others %1

question

Troposphere

answer

nearly all weather initiats

question

ionosphere

answer

is an electrically charged area

question

Layers of the earth

answer

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Exosphere

question

Relative Humidity

answer

the amount of water vapor compared to what the body of air could hold

question

absolute humidity

answer

the amount of water vapor compared to the volume of air

question

dew point

answer

temperature air is cooled to, to reach saturation point

question

frost point

answer

temperature in which ice crystals form when temp reaches a dew point below freezing

question

specific heat

answer

amount of heat required to raise the temperature. water has a 3 x's greater specific heat than land. land will heat quicker

question

precipitation

answer

sleet, freezing rain, hail, snow

question

sleet

answer

rain freeze when passing through a subfreezing layer of air

question

freezing rain

answer

cold air freezes on contact with a frozen surface

question

hail

answer

lumps of raindrops that have gathered layers from being up drafted back into the clouds

question

snow

answer

ice crystals that formed in cool temps and pass continually through cool temps until hitting the ground

question

high clouds

answer

cirrus, cirrostratus and cirrocumulus

question

middle clouds

answer

altocumulus and alto stratus

question

low clouds

answer

stratus stratocumulus nimbostratus cumulus and cumulonimbus

question

continental arctic (cA)

answer

cold and dry air from arctic and greeland

question

continental polar (cP)

answer

very cold and dry air from Canada and Alaska

question

continental tropical (cT)

answer

hot and dry air from the SW US (mostly summer)

question

maritime tropical (mT)

answer

SE US warm and humid

question

maritime polar (mP)

answer

mildly cool and humid all year long Western USA

question

high pressure system

answer

stable air associated with clearing air and good weather

question

low pressure system

answer

unstable air, associated with bad weather. Tornadoes and hurricanes have extremely low pressures

question

cold front

answer

moves cooler air under warm air. heavy rain usually found ahead of the front

question

warm front

answer

warm air moving over colder air, light rain over a large area

question

stationary front

answer

several days stalled movement, causes of most flooding rains

question

occluded front

answer

two fronts overlapping, cold front conquers a warm front

question

isobar

answer

points of equal pressure

question

isotherms

answer

connecting points of air temperature

question

short term weather

answer

computer modeling persistence forecasts, trend forecasting and "nowcasting" -- weather radar and geostationary satellites

question

long term weather

answer

climatic data and computer modeling; examine statistical records of past and compare to the visual data of the current weather. extrapolate potential weather. nearly all done by computer modeling

question

desertification

answer

spreading of desert conditions mostly by clear cutting and removal of forests

question

effects on the regional and local natural factors of climate

answer

temperature and precipitation

question

temperature

answer

based on latitude altitude distance to a body of water and ocean currents

question

precipitation

answer

based on mountains and winds

question

desertification

answer

spreading of desert conditions mostly by clear cutting and removal forests

question

greenhouse

answer

increase in greenhouse gases can potentially cause global warming.

question

volcanic ash

answer

blocks sunlight, causing cooler temperatures

question

el nino

answer

period of ocean warming that effect eastern tropical pacitic (warmer waters in the NE US and West; drought in Indonesia, Australia and Phillippines; suppress hurricanes in the Atlantic)

question

Big Bang Theory

answer

universe created when condense matter exploded pushing matter into space&creating stars/planets accepted in the scientific community supported by fact other galaxies moving away newton/kepler laws applied to universe fits data we receive goes w/evolution

question

redshift data

answer

galaxies are moving away from ours

question

creationism

answer

held by various faiths whereby a being created the heavens earth&all of its living creatures some theologians access that earth is as young as 10000 yo evidence provided by churches doesnt often past the test of science but until either case both theories

question

Au

answer

distance between earth and the sun, approx 150 million km or 93 million miles

question

LY

answer

distance it takes light to travel in a year, approx 63000 AU or 9.6 trillion km

question

parsec

answer

distance from the sun to object with a || angle of 1 arc

question

life cycle of a start

answer

gas cloud condenses in space a dense body of material develops into a proto star>main sequence star>red giant star> planetary nebula?white dwarf star initial energy source is gravitational energy if the star has enough mass fusion occurs

question

suns 3 areas

answer

photosphere, chromosphere and corona, solar flares

question

photosphere

answer

part most likely seen by us on the earth, approximately 5800 C

question

chromosphere

answer

approximately 10000 C

question

corona

answer

seen during eclipse of the sun 1-2 million C

question

solar flares

answer

have cycles of approximately 11 years and can effect weather on earth; spinicules and solar winds

question

major theories involving the origin of the solar system

answer

solar system about 5 myo 2 possible theories Evolutionary Theory and Catastrophe

question

Evolutionary Theory

answer

suggests initially lrg globular cloud of gas that was spinning from big bang the spinning brings about conservation of angular momentum&the gas cloud begins flatten&spin rather fast as gas cool elements form&group together to form planets asteroids moons

question

Catastrophe

answer

a comet closed very close to the sun and dragged material away from the sun

question

where does the energy come from?

answer

nuclear fusion in which 4 H nuclei and fused to make 1 He Hydrostatic Equilibruim also contributes to the sun's energy The gravitational pull of material downward pull of material downward equal to the upward forces cause by the nuclear fusion in the core

question

movement in the solar system

answer

planets comets asteroids and nearly all celestial objects orbit in elliptical patterns

question

Jovian Planets

answer

Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune (Pluto)

question

Terrestrial Planets

answer

Mercury Venus Earth Mars

question

Location of the sun

answer

1/3 on the outer part of the Milky Way most bodies we see with the naked eye oare in our planet

question

Lunar eclipse

answer

when the earth is between the moon and the sun, seen at night, does not always happen because the moon orbits at an inclination

question

solar eclipse

answer

when the moon is between the earth and the sun, this type averages 2 per year but can only be seen in a very small location at one time

question

causes moon phases

answer

moons revolutions and rotation periods are excatly alike the moon orbits the earth a little less than one time per month as the moon moves around the earth we only see the portion which is pacing the sun the moon's phases go as followed

question

moon phases

answer

new > crescent> waxing 1st quarter > waxing gibbous > full moon > waning gibbous> waning 3rd quarter > new moon

question

Earth's seasons

answer

tilted axis 23.5 degrees during summer the northern hemisphere positioned facing toward the sun winter the sourthern hemisphere angled toward the sun it should be noted that the earth closest in its orbits the sun during the northern hemispheres winter

question

year

answer

the amount of time it takes the earth to revolve around the sun

question

day

answer

time it takes the earth to make a complete rotation

question

hour

answer

15 degrees of longitude on earth

question

understanding time zones

answer

prime meridian is at 0 longitude through england, each spacing is = 15 (= 1 hr) total of 24 lines of longitude & a 360 circumference around the earth 180 longitude International Data Line position on earth where our calendars change from 1 day to the next

question

geosnchronous orbits and recognize how satellites

answer

circle the earth once a day, time it takes to travel around the earth is called its period,

question

geostationary satellites

answer

hover over the equator, they are used for TV broadcasting cell phones weather and military

question

manned space missions

answer

not cost effective limits include time constraints and the ability to supply enough food oxygen and water for human beings for a period of time trips to the moon and space station

question

unmanned space missions

answer

greater potential can operate at much longer durations w/out the need to return to the earth equipment can be smaller and much more cost effective ex would be hubble space telescope mars rovers spirit&opportunity&cassini-huygens mission (saturn and moons)

question

scientific contributions of remote sensing

answer

remote sensing is used to view a wide variety of conditions on the earth, have been used to view the magnetic field, the heat, the atmosphere, "hole in the ozone" POES and GOES weather satellites etc.

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