Praxis II: Earth Science – Flashcards
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The study of the Earth, its composition, its history, its place in the universe, and its natural processes
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Earth science
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The spherical solid center of the Earth, composed largely of iron and nickel; about 700-800 miles in diameter
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Inner Core
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A layer of liquid iron and nickel about 1, 400 miles thick
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Outer Core
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A layer of hot, semi-solid rock about 1, 800 miles thick that has currents, causing the plates of crust on top of it to move
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Mantle
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A series of solid plates that cover the Earth's surface, ranging from 5 to 30 miles thick
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Crust
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The crust consists of _______ plates and _______ plates.
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Continental and oceanic plates
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The movement of continental and oceanic plates is known as...
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Plate tectonics
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Colliding plates. Forms mountains, ridges, and volcanoes
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Convergent plates
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Separating plates. Forms bodies of water and new crust
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Divergent plates
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Rubbing plates. Forms earthquakes.
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Transform boundary
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Name the layers of the atmosphere.
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Exosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere
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Where does the Earth's heat come from?
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Radioactivity and solar energy
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A heat source from the Earth's core, which is responsible for the movement of plates and thus the creation of landforms
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Radioactivity
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Heats the Earth's surface
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Solar energy
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The ________ of the Earth on its _______ determines the amount of direct radiation from the sun at any given point on Earth.
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Tilt; axis
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Responsible for night and day and the gain and loss of heat and sunlight that accompany those times of day
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Rotation of the Earth
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The _________ of the Earth around the sun is responsible for the changing of the seasons.
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The revolution of the Earth
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Type of rock formed through the cooling of magma (ex. granite, obsidian, pumice)
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Igneous
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Type of rock formed when sediments (bits of eroded rock, sand, shells, fossils, etc.) are compressed into hard layers over time. (ex. sandstone, limestone, shale)
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Sedimentary
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Type of rock formed igneous and sedimentary rocks that have morphed due to heat and pressure (ex. marble, quartzite, slate)
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Metamorphic
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The breaking down of rock via natural forces such as water, ice, wind and the sun.
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Weathering
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When pieces of the weathered material are carried away via wind and water.
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Erosion
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Describes how rocks are created, changed, and destroyed.
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Rock Cycle
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Shows how water circulates through the Earth's surface and atmosphere
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Water cycle
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The study of how Earth has developed over time.
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Geological history
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How old is the Earth?
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4 to 5 billion years old
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Helps scientists to learn about different parts of the Earth's history by examining layers of rock.
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Geological record
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The law that says the oldest rocks are found at the bottom and newer rock are found at the top. This helps scientists to date events and create a timeline of earth's history.
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Law of superposition
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The Earth's history is divided into two major time periods called eons. What are the two major time periods called?
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Precambrian and Phanerozoic Eon
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The time period covering from the beginning of the Earth to the formation of life
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Precambrian Eon
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The time period covering from the formation of life to present day
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Phanerozoic Eon
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The time period approx. 542-251 million years ago. Rise of early life including trilobites, shellfish, corals, sponges, fish, land plants like ferns and trees, insects, amphibians, and reptiles
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Palezoic Era
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The time period approx. 251-65 million years ago. Rise of dinosaurs, mammals, birds, and flowering plants. Also later included the extinction of dinosaurs.
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Mesozoic Era
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The time period approx. 65 million years ago to present day. Rise of primates, including hominids and eventually modern humans
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Cenozoic Era
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The study of fossils. These scientists can study the origins and history of life by looking at the fossils contained within the layers of rock that compose the Earth.
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Paleontology
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States that the universe was created when a large collection of matter exploded, sending pieces of it that would become the planets, stars and other bodes expanding outward.
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The Big Bang Theory
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A system of stars
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Galaxies
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What galaxy does the Earth belong to?
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The Milky Way Galaxy
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Astronomers (scientists who study celestial bodies) keep track of stars by organizing them into....
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Constellations
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Within galaxies are __________, which consists of planets and other bodies orbiting a star.
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Solar system
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Name the eight planets in order.
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Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
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How long does it take the Moon to revolve around the Earth?
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28 days
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Depending on the position of the Moon and the Earth in relationship to the sun, the Moon looks different from Earth at different times of the month. These are called....
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Phases of the Moon
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Special events in which the sun, Moon and Earth all line up in a direct path.
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Eclipses
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The Moon is directly between the sun and the Earth and casts a shadow on the Earth's surface
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Solar Eclipse
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The Earth is directly between the sun and the Moon, blocking light from hitting the Moon
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Lunar Eclipse
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Large rocky objects in space. There is a large ________ belt between Mars and Jupiter
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Asteroids
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Smaller or metallic objects traveling through space
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Meteoroids
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Meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere
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Meteorites
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Streaks of light that trail behind meteorites as they burn in Earth's atmosphere
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Meteors
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Icy bodies that form tails as they near the sun
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Comets
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Scientists speculate that the continents were once all connected in a large land mass and they have separated over time to create out modern continents. What was this land mass called?
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Pangaea
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What are long term changes the Earth has gradually gone through?
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- Plate tectonics which has resulted in significant changes to both the composition and the location of Earth's landforms. - Evolution of life forms from the simplest life to the rise of modern humans
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Name the short term changes, patterns, and cycles.
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Water cycle, weather, seasons
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The circulation of water through the Earth's surface and atmosphere
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Water Cycle
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The state of the atmosphere at a particular time and place, including temperature, air movement, precipitation, and humidity
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Weather
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Four phases of the caused by the Earth's revolution around the sun, marked by differences in weather patterns
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Seasons
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Name some possible careers in the science field.
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Medicine, engineering, environmental science, astronomy, geology, computer science, science education, meteorology, biochemistry, etc.
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List the steps of scientific methods.
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- Ask a question - Research a topic - Form a hypothesis - Experiment - Collect and analyze data - Draw conclusions
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A group of related parts that are organized to create a unified whole, serving a common purpose.
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System (ex. ecosystems, body systems, solar systems, and mechanical systems)
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A system that does NOT interact with other systems. It does not allow certain types of transfers in or out of the system.
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Closed System (ex. Earth is a closed system)
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A system that continuously interacts with its surroundings.
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Open System
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A way of describing behavior using statistics.
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Order (ex. probability)
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Refers to ways of putting data into structures.
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Organization (ex. periodic table and the taxonomy for organism classification)
