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
Convergent plates
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Convergent plates
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Separating plates. Forms bodies of water and new crust
Divergent plates
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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.
Tilt; axis
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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.
Law of superposition
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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.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
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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....
Phases of the Moon
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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
Solar Eclipse
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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
Meteoroids
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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
Meteors
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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)
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