Earth Science Vocab – Flashcards
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giant summit depression of a volcano
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caldera
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chemical substance containing more than one element in fixed amounts
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compound
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curved fracture which is characteristic of some rocks and minerals such as quartz
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conchoidal
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theoretical shift of continents due to weakness in the suboceanic crust
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continental drift
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outer layer of the earth's surface
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crust
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separate from a solution or melt as a solid
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crystallize
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triangular-shaped deposit at the mouth of a stream
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delta
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mass of a body divided by its volume;
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density
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chemical and physical processes which transform soft sediment into consolidated rock; these take place near the earth's surface at low temperatures and pressures
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diagenesis
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movement of the earth's crust, creating mountains, oceans, and ocean basins
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diastrophism
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intrusion of igneous rock in older rocks with a high angle of dip
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dike
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glacial hill
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drumlin
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hills of loose sand created by wind
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dunes
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part of earth's surface that is directly above the origin of an earthquake
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epicenter
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division of geologic time smaller than a period, such as pliocene
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epoch
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gradual wearing away of the earh's surface by wind, water, and ice
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erosion
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the face or slope of a cliff
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escarpment
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cracking or peeling of rocks on the surface
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exfoliation
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molten, volcanic rocks which have cooled on the surface of the earth
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extrusive
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break or fracture in earth's crust
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fault
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crack in the earth's interior through which lava flows
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fissure
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bend in the rock strata
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fold
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consisting of thin parallel layers, as in mica
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foliation
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mold, cast, or impression of all or part of ancient organisms that has been preserved in earh's crust;
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fossil
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study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth
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geology
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energy from the heat within earth's crust
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geothermal energy
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natural hot spring that intermittently ejects water and steam into the air
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geyser
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large body of slow moving ice and snow formed in areas where the rate of snowfall exceeds the rate of snow melt;
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glacier
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crystals with hollowed faces
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hopper crystals
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organic compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon provide natural resources such as fossil fuels
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hydrocarbon
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study of the effects of water on the earth's surface, soil, underlying rocks, and atmosphere
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hydrology
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rocks formed when molten material in or on earth's surface cools and hardens
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igneous rocks
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igneous material formed among pre-existing rocks below the surface
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intrusive
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crack in a rock mass that occurs as pressure decreases on that rock mass because the overlying rock is eroded away permitting the rock mass to expand
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joint
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depression in a glacier deposit formed by the melting of a covered block of ice
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kettle
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molten rock mixed with gases within the earth from which igneous rock is formed
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magma
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layer of earth just beneath the crust
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mantle
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to wander; riverbeds wander and widen as each flows through the path of least resistance, frequently giving a snake like path
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meander
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elements that are solid having characteristic luster, malleability, and high electrical and heat conductivity
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metals
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rocks that are formed when existing rocks undergo pressure and heat for extended periods of time
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metamorphic rocks
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naturally occuring, inorganic nongaseous substances wiht limited chemical variablitiy and distinctive internal crystalline structure
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mineral
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two or more substances combined in any amounts so that each retains its chemical identity
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mixture
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glacial deposits of gravel, sand, and boulders
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moraine
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natural mineral deposit from which metal can be extracted
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ore
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scientist who studies ancient life in fossil form
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paleontologist
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huge blocks of rocks that make up earth's crust
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plates
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ends of the axis of a planet; the ends of a magnet
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poles
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force per unit area
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pressure
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radioactive, gaseous chemical element formed by the decay of uranium in rocks and soil
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radon
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the sugary rock texture observed in marbles and quartzites
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saccharoidal
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coloration in certain minerals due to minute, rod-like inclusions of voids, iron ore, and other minerals
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schillerization
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medium to coarse metamorphic rocks composed of parallel layers such as mica and talc
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schist
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rocks formed by consolidation of sedimetns; examples: limestone, sandstone, shale
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sedimentary rocks
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instrument that measures and records the direction, intensity, and time of an earthquake
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seismograph
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scientists who study earth movements
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seismologists
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results when forces cause two adjacent parts of a solid to slide past one another in directions that are parallel to the plane of contact
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shearing
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most abundant group of minerals found in earth's crust
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silicate
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solid particles larger than clay particles but smaller than sand grains
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silt
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a by-product, resulting from a metallurgical process, which floats on molten metal
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slag
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ration of the weight of an object to the weight of an equal volume of water
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specific gravity
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distinct layers of sedimentary rocks
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strata
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fold in rock strata in which layers lean together from opposite sides; opposite of anticline; downfolded rock layers
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syncline
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geology of earth's structural deformation
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tectonics
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strong forward motion causing a horizontal movement of earth's crust
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thrust
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uppermost layer of soil
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topsoil
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condensable gas
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vapor
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an opening inearth's surface permitting the escape of gases, liquids, fumes, etc; the main lava chamber in the neck of a volcano
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vent
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processes that physically and chemically break apart and change rocks
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weathering
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gravitational force that earth exerts on an object
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weight
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