question

Which of the following is a characteristic of a scientific theory?

answer

A scientific theory is the best explanation for observable facts. Hint: A well-tested hypothesis based on repeatable observations becomes a scientific theory

question

Summarize the basic steps followed in many scientific investigations.

answer

raise a question; background research; form hypothesis; test hypothesis; analyze data; share the results with the scientific community if they support the hypothesis Hint: Think about the process of troubleshooting a problem, such as for a car or computer. Troubleshooting is the result of a problem occurring due to an unknown cause, and the goal is to find the cause.

question

What are the sciences that collectively make up Earth Science?

answer

astronomy oceanography meteorology geology

question

The principal divisions of Earth's layers listed progressively from the surface toward the center are _____.

answer

crust, mantle, and core

question

What is the physical difference between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere?

answer

The lithosphere is more rigid than the asthenosphere.

question

What are the two sources of energy that power the Earth system?

answer

the sun and Earth's interior

question

What are the names of the four spheres that: 1. includes all life on Earth, 2. extends form the surface of the Earth to its center, 3. is comprised to all water and ice on the Earth, and 4. is a gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth?

answer

1. biosphere, 2. geosphere, 3. hydrosphere, 4. atmosphere

question

How much of Earth's surface do oceans cover, and how much of the planet's total water supply do oceans represent?

answer

The oceans of the Earth collectively cover 71% of its surface, and represent over 96% of the Earth's total water supply.

question

Which phenomena can be regarded as natural hazards?

answer

earthquakes hurricanes volcanic eruptions

question

How old is the Earth?

answer

4.6 billion years' old

question

If you compress geologic time into a single year, how much time has elapsed since Columbus arrived in the New World?

answer

2.999 seconds

question

The idea of ________ suggests that the physical, chemical, and biological laws that operate today have also operated in the geologic past.

answer

uniformitarianism

question

"This rock is fifteen million years old," is an example of ________.

answer

a numerical date

question

A worm would stand a poor chance of being fossilized because ________.

answer

worms have no hard parts

question

Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?

answer

fossil dung

question

Which of the following fossils would be a good example of an index fossil?

answer

marine microfossils

question

What are index fossils used for?

answer

to match rock layers of the same age across different geographic locations

question

The longest subdivision of the geologic time scale is the ________.

answer

eon

question

We now live in the ________ era.

answer

cenozoic

question

Which of the following is evidence of continental drift?

answer

Matching rock units are found in Brazil and Africa. Glossopteris fossils have been found on Antarctica and Australia. Coal deposits have been found in North America.

question

Which of the following statements by Alfred Wegener led to the ultimate rejection of continental drift as a hypothesis about continental movement?

answer

Wegener suggested that the continents broke through thinner oceanic crust as they migrated over time.

question

What evidence first indicated to scientists that the continents were once connected?

answer

the apparent jigsaw-like fit of continents together, as in the case of South America and Africa

question

With regards to ancient climates, Wegener's continental drift hypothesis states that 300 million years ago,

answer

areas in North America, northern Africa, Europe, and Asia produced tropical swamps along the equator while areas in South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica were glaciated at the South Pole.

question

Before the 1960s, how did geologists view the ocean basins and continents of the Earth?

answer

Scientists believed that all ocean basins and landmasses were permanently fixed in their positions.

question

How do plates move at divergent plate boundaries?

answer

plates move apart

question

How do plates move at convergent plate boundaries?

answer

plates move together

question

how do plates move at transform plate boundaries?

answer

plates move side by side

question

In general, where do both earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur? Choose all that apply.

answer

at convergent and divergent plate boundaries

question

what forms at divergent plate boundaries?

answer

new oceanic lithosphere

question

In general, where do volcanoes form in subduction zones?

answer

on the overriding plate, away from the convergent boundary

question

Why are volcanoes not found at transform boundaries?

answer

Transform boundaries do not cause changes to the pressure, temperature, or composition of the mantle.

question

The East African rift is a divergent plate boundary that is splitting the continent of Africa into two pieces. What will eventually form around this divergent boundary?

answer

an ocean

question

Which type of tectonic boundary is the result of two tectonic plates colliding with each other?

answer

convergent

question

At a subduction zone where oceanic lithosphere meets continental lithosphere, which would subduct and why?

answer

The oceanic lithosphere would subduct because it has a higher density at 3.0 grams per cubic centimeter.

question

Why are volcanic chains associated with convergent boundaries?

answer

Partial melting occurs due to subduction. **Partial melting is triggered by water loss in the plate. This melts mantle material, which rises to the surface.

question

Plate A has oceanic lithosphere on its leading edge that is 10 million years old. Plate B has oceanic lithosphere on its leading edge that is 200 million years old. Which plate will be subducted if they collide with each other, and why?

answer

Plate B will subduct because it is older—and therefore colder—and denser.

question

In a collision between two continental plates, can a continental plate subduct? Why or why not?

answer

Continental plates are too buoyant to subduct.

question

Which tectonic boundary results when two tectonic plates pull apart from each other?

answer

divergent boundaries

question

Divergent boundaries are not one, smooth ridge of separation. Instead, they are broken into a series of segments, with different segments of fault offset from others. What features allow for the offset of divergent boundaries?

answer

transform faults

question

Crustal rifting is currently occurring in East Africa. Which of the following features would you expect to find there?

answer

normal faults long wide valley lava flows

question

Which of the following are features of a divergent plate boundary? Choose all that apply.

answer

a rift valley an oceanic ridge

question

Which of the following is a feature of a continental-continental convergent plate boundary?

answer

slivers of oceanic crust in a large mountain range

question

Which of the following is an example of a transform plate boundary?

answer

San Andreas fault

question

After World War II, what was discovered about the ocean floor?

answer

There is no oceanic crust older than 180 million years old.

question

Which of the choices below is a feature of the oceanic ridge system?

answer

rift valley

question

Where is continental rifting currently taking place?

answer

in the East African Rift Valley

question

Why does oceanic lithosphere subduct under continental lithosphere, whereas continental lithosphere does not subduct under oceanic lithosphere?

answer

The oceanic lithosphere is thinner and denser than the continental lithosphere, which is thicker and less dense.

question

At a transform plate boundary, the two plates move

answer

past each other

question

Which two observations help constrain the dimensions of Earth's core and mantle?

answer

Earth's density and the wobble of Earth's rotation axis

question

What does the wobble of Earth's rotation axis tell us?

answer

The core must be denser than the mantle

question

How do we know that the radius of Earth's core has to be at least 3100 km?

answer

A smaller core would require material with an unnatural density.

question

How do we know that the radius of Earth's mantle has to be at least 1771 km?

answer

If the mantle were smaller, the rock making up the mantle would have a density that is too low.

question

How do we know the actual dimensions of Earth's core and mantle?

answer

from earthquake waves passing through Earth

question

How do continental crust and oceanic crust differ?

answer

Continental crust is thicker than oceanic crust; continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust, the oldest continental crust is older than the oldest oceanic crust, and the continental crust is composed of a variety of rock types, whereas oceanic crust is composed basalt and gabbro.

question

Contrast the physical characteristics of the asthenosphere and the lithosphere.

answer

The asthenosphere is weaker than the lithosphere because it is cooler and has a higher viscosity than the lithosphere.

question

Regardless of their size, most rocks are made up of __________.

answer

minerals

question

Minerals must be solid, have an orderly atomic structure, have a recognized chemical composition, be naturally occurring, and __________

answer

.be generally inorganic in origin

question

A scientist creates diamonds using high-pressure laboratory experiments. These diamonds are not considered minerals because which of the following requirements has been violated?

answer

minerals must occur naturally

question

The amount or quality of light that is reflected from a mineral surface is known as __________.

answer

luster

question

What causes the same mineral to occur in varieties that are different colors?

answer

A small amount of impurities in the crystal structure.

question

Which of the following best describes the term streak?

answer

The color of a powdered form of a mineral produced by rubbing it across a hard surface.

question

Since color is not a very useful way to identify a mineral, what other optical property or properties can be used?

answer

luster and streak

question

What causes a lack of cleavage in some minerals?

answer

Bonds of equal strength in all directions

question

Which of the following best defines the relationship between minerals and rocks?

answer

In a mineral, atoms are bonded in a regular, repetitive, internal structure; a rock is a lithified or consolidated aggregate of mineral grains.

question

The appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral is known as _______

answer

luster

question

The resistance of a mineral to scratching or abrasion is known as ________.

answer

hardness

question

Due to the arrangement of weaker bonds in their crystal lattice, the tendency of certain minerals to break along smooth, parallel planes is known as ________.

answer

clevage

question

Three of the following ARE true for minerals. Which one of the following is NOT true for minerals?

answer

they can be a liquid, solid, gas

question

What is the difference between magma and lava?

answer

Magma is molten rock located below the surface; lava is molten rock erupted above ground.

question

What are the two most important driving forces of metamorphism?

answer

high heat and pressure

question

_____ igneous rocks are those that cool below the surface.

answer

intrusive

question

What are the two important processes involved in lithification of sedimentary rocks?

answer

cementation and compaction

question

An igneous rock becomes buried, is subject to high heat and pressure, and recrystallizes. This rock then is eroded, transported, deposited and subsequently lithified. Which rock types—in order—did the original igneous rock develop into?

answer

metamorphic and sedimentary

question

What is meant by the statement "Every metamorphic rock has a parent rock"?

answer

All metamorphic rocks are created only through the change of preexisting rock.

question

Which of the following statements about the rock cycle is correct?

answer

A sedimentary rock subjected to intense heat and pressure will become a metamorphic rock.

question

Which kind of rocks may contain fossils?

answer

sedimentary

question

What is the single most common and characteristic feature of sedimentary rocks?

answer

horizontal strata or beds

question

Why are sedimentary rocks important?

answer

Sedimentary rocks provide geologists with information necessary to study the history of the Earth, and also hold various resources of economic importance.

question

Which of the following minerals is most resistant to chemical weathering?

answer

quartz

question

Why does water frozen in the cracks of a rock help to break down the rock?

answer

Water expands when frozen and physically forces the rock apart

question

what is salt weathering?

answer

the formation of minerals in rock cracks during the evaporation of salty water, forcing rock apart

question

What do freeze-thaw and salt weathering have in common?

answer

Both freeze-thaw and salt weathering require rain and force rocks apart physically.

question

What is the definition of physical weathering?

answer

Mechanical processes break substances into smaller pieces.

question

Which of the following is an example of chemical weathering?

answer

a car fender getting rusty

question

How does physical weathering cause chemical weathering to be more effective?

answer

When a rock is physically broken into smaller pieces, there is more surface area on which chemical weathering can occur.

question

How can water cause mechanical weathering?

answer

When water within fractures in a rock freezes, it expands, which applies pressure to the portions of rock immediately around it. This pressure breaks off pieces of the rock.

question

Which of the following volcanic forms best describes large, nearly symmetrical structures composed of interbedded lavas and pyroclastic material primarily deposited from a central vent?

answer

composite volcanoes

question

Which of the following volcanic types typically produces small, steep-sided structures composed of pyroclastic material?

answer

cinder cones

question

What do we call mudflows produced by the melting of snow and glaciers on composite volcanoes?

answer

lahars

question

At which type of tectonic setting would you expect the development of shield volcanoes?

answer

mantle plumes

question

At which type of tectonic setting would you expect the development of composite volcanoes?

answer

an oceanic plate subducted beneath a continental plate

question

Which of the following are types of volcanoes?

answer

cinder cones shield volcanoes composite volcanoes dome complexes

question

What information do geologists use to classify volcanoes?

answer

shape and type of deposits

question

In general, how often do most cinder cones erupt?

answer

most cinder cones erupt once

question

What are shield volcanoes generally made of?

answer

basalt flows

question

What is the range of shield volcano height?

answer

300-10,000 meters

question

Why are shield volcanoes wider than composite volcanoes?

answer

The lava that flows out of shield volcanoes is more fluid than the lava that flows out of composite volcanoes.

question

What type of magma erupts out of dome complexes?

answer

felsic magma

question

What type of volcanoes are the highest?

answer

shield volcanoes

question

What is the range of dome complex height?

answer

500-2,000 meters

question

In which two plate tectonic settings would one expect magma to be generated?

answer

at a mid-oceanic ridge and at an oceanic-continental convergent boundary

question

The point within Earth from which earthquake wave energy radiates is known by which of the following terms?

answer

focus

question

On average, how many damaging earthquakes occur each year?

answer

1000

question

Most earthquakes are the result of movement along which of the following features?

answer

faults

question

During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Pacific Plate moved 4.7 meters (15 feet) north relative to the North American Plate. Which of the following types of stress was exerted on the rocks during this earthquake?

answer

shear stress

question

Which of the following events allows rocks on either side of a fault to rebound elastically, causing an earthquake?

answer

friction along the fault place is overcome

question

Early in the study of earthquakes, seismologists learned that P waves arrive at seismograph stations all over Earth, but a shadow zone exists for S waves. Which of the following responses best explains this phenomenon?

answer

the outer core of Earth is liquid

question

Which type of seismic waves generally cause the most structural damage as they travel through Earth?

answer

surface waves

question

Earthquakes with a deep focus are most often associated with which of the following tectonic settings?

answer

trenches

question

As stress is applied to rocks and deformation occurs, which of the following terms best characterizes the energy that is stored in the process?

answer

elastic energy

question

Earthquakes occurring at depths up to 700 km (435 mi) are associated with which of the following plate boundaries?

answer

convergent boundaries

question

Fastest moving waves?

answer

P Waves

question

Which kind of seismic wave is responsible for the most shaking (and thus, the most damage to human structures)?

answer

surface waves

question

How does triangulation determine the epicenter of an earthquake?

answer

On a map, a circle is drawn around each of three recording stations, with the radius being the distance from the station to the epicenter of the earthquake. The epicenter is located where the three circles intersect.

question

What are the differences between P waves, S waves, and surface waves?

answer

P waves are the fastest and have the lowest amplitudes; S waves are the second fastest and have the second lowest amplitudes; surface waves are the slowest and have the highest amplitudes.

question

What is an earthquake, and how do earthquakes generally occur?

answer

a sudden shaking of the ground that is caused by the rapid movement of one block of rock past another block of rock at a fault

question

Which of the following locations contains the most water in Earth's hydrosphere aside from the oceans?

answer

glaciers

question

In the hydrologic cycle, water that falls on land in the form of precipitation returns to the ocean in which of the following pathways?

answer

all of the responses are correct (runoff, further precipitation, groundwater flow)

question

When considering the movement of water on Earth within the hydrologic cycle, which of the following choices is responsible for driving this process?

answer

The hydrologic cycle works because water exists on Earth in solid, liquid, and gaseous states.

question

Water in the hydrologic cycle readily moves from the land to the oceans through several pathways. How does the vast majority of water get from the ocean to the land surface?

answer

clouds and precipitation

question

Plants consume water during photosynthesis. They also release it to the atmosphere during ________.

answer

transpiration

question

________ is the process by which liquid water changes into water vapor

answer

evaporation

question

What is the primary energy source that drives the hydrologic cycle?

answer

sun

question

What is evapotransapiration?

answer

the transfer of water directly from the land's surface into the atmosphere

question

Contrast weathering, mass wasting, and erosion.

answer

Weathering is the physical breakdown of rock at Earth's surface, mass wasting is the transfer of rock and soil downslope due to gravity, and erosion is the physical removal of material by a mobile agent such as water or wind.

question

How might a forest fire influence mass wasting?

answer

Because plants on a slope bind the regolith with their roots and shield the soil surface from raindrops, a wildfire that destroys these plants would render the soil looser and more susceptible to the erosional forces of rain

question

What is the relationship between earthquakes and landslides?

answer

If a slope exists under conditions that favor mass wasting but it has not had any movement occur, the shaking force from an earthquake may jar the material loose from the slope.

question

Why doesn't sea level drop even though oceans have a higher rate of evaporation than precipitation?

answer

Surface water running off into the oceans make up the difference between evaporation from the oceans and precipitation into the oceans, creating a balance.

question

How do gradient, discharge, channel size, and channel roughness typically change from the head to the mouth of a stream?

answer

From the head of a stream to its mouth, the gradient and channel roughness decrease while the discharge and channel size increase.

question

What is the difference between capacity and competence?

answer

Capacity is the maximum load of solid particles a stream can transport per unit time, whereas competence is a measure of a stream's ability to transport particles based on size rather than quantity.

question

What is groundwater, and how does it relate to the water table?

answer

Groundwater is water that occupies the zone of saturation within the ground. The water table is the upper limit of the groundwater

question

When does the spring tide occur?

answer

when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned in a straight line

question

Which one of the following is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

answer

nitrogen

question

Which of the following characteristics of Earth's relationship to the Sun explains the existence of Earth's seasons?

answer

Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane. Earth's axis always points in the same direction relative to the stars. Earth orbits around the Sun, completing one orbit each year. Earth spins on its axis, completing one rotation each day.

question

What is the June solstice?

answer

the time of the year when Earth's geographic North Pole is leaning most directly toward the Sun

question

Where does the length of day remain the same throughout the year?

answer

equator

question

What causes it to be colder in the winter and warmer in the summer in the northern hemisphere?

answer

Summer temperatures are warmer because more sun energy per unit area is received during this time.

question

If the greenhouse effect ceased to exist on Earth, which of the following would result?

answer

The average surface temperature would drop to below the freezing temperature of water.

question

Why is the ozone layer crucial to our existence?

answer

Creation of ozone molecules absorbs harmful UV rays.

question

What is the primary cause of the seasons?

answer

changes in the angle of the Sun above the Earth's horizon

question

The view that the sun is the center of the solar system is called a ________.

answer

heliocentric model

question

terrestrial planet

answer

Venus

question

It was stated in the animation that in our solar system, Mars generates more interest by scientists and nonscientists than any other planet. For which reason do you think Mars generates so much interest by these groups?

answer

Besides Venus, Mars is the planet closest to Earth and has many similarities.

question

What evidence observed on Mars indicates that at one time it may have had a warmer climate and a water cycle similar to that on Earth?

answer

Large valleys that resemble channels

question

How are the appearances of craters used in the relative dating of the Moon's surface features?

answer

Craters that are surrounded by bright rays are younger than rayless craters because the rays are material ejected from the crater onto the surrounding surface.

question

How are Venus and Earth similar to and different from each other?

answer

Venus and Earth are similar in that they have similar interior compositions; however, Venus has a weaker magnetic field than Earth, has a thicker atmosphere than Earth, and is more heavily cratered than Earth.

question

What other body in our solar system most resembles Mercury?

answer

earth's moon

question

What surface features do Mars and Earth have in common?

answer

playas, lake beds, and sedimentary rock layers

question

What is the nature of Jupiter's Great Red Spot?

answer

The Great Red Spot is a large, anticyclonic storm

question

How are Jupiter and Saturn similar to one another? PLEASE SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

answer

Both planets have rings The internal structures of both planets are very similar

question

Why are the largest volcanoes on Earth so much smaller than the largest ones on Mars?

answer

The tectonic plates on Earth are still in motion, constantly moving active volcanoes away from the mantle plumes below. However, the tectonic plates on Mars are not in motion, so active volcanoes remain over the lava plumes and grow extremely large because of repeated eruptions.

question

How does the Sun compare in size and brightness to other main-sequence stars?

answer

The Sun has a medium brightness and a medium size among the other main-sequence stars.

question

How did astronomers determine that the universe is expanding?

answer

The lights emanating from other galaxies are moving away from the Milky Way, which we can detect as the shift of the galaxies' spectral lines towards the red end of the spectrum.

SCED 342 – Space – Flashcards

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