100 key concepts

Question 1

what is studied in earth and planetary science?

Answer 1

Geology, astronomy, meteorology

Question 2

what is the human population of the earth?

Answer 2

7.75 billion people

Question 3

what is the formula for density?

Answer 3

mass divided by volume

Question 4

a substance will float in a liquid if

Answer 4

its density is less than the density of the liquid

Question 5

what tool is used to measure the mass of an object?

Answer 5

A balance or scale

Question 6

the caves and sickholes common in SE minnesota is known as what type of topography

Answer 6

karst topography

Question 7

what type of bedrock is common around rochester

Answer 7

limestone and sandstone

Question 8

what do the limestone and sandstone layers around rochester tell geologist of this area’s past

Answer 8

area was once underwater for thousands of years

Question 9

what native nation gave us constellations that include wintermaker, curly tail, the loon, and the moose

Answer 9

Ojibwe

Question 10

what natural disaster brought the mayo brothers to rochester in 1883

Answer 10

a tornado

Question 11

what are rocks made of?

Answer 11

combination of minerals

Question 12

the idea that rocks continuously change from one kind to another is called

Answer 12

the rock cycle

Question 13

name 3 classifications of rocks

Answer 13

igneous
sedimentary
metamorphic

Question 14

how are igneous rocks formed

Answer 14

cooling and hardening of magma

Question 15

how are sedimentary rocks formed

Answer 15

the deposition and cementing of sediments

Question 16

how are metamorphic rocks formed

Answer 16

changes in other rocks

Question 17

two main rocks of earth’s crust

Answer 17

granite and basalt

Question 18

what is moh’s hardness scale

Answer 18

scale that rates minerals from softest to hardest (1-10)

Question 19

what is the hardest mineral known

Answer 19

diamond

Question 20

upper 8-12 inches of the ground is called the

Answer 20

topsoil

Question 21

what is weathering in soil

Answer 21

process of breaking down rocks

Question 22

process of which moves soil from one place to another

Answer 22

erosion

Question 23

two main ingredients of soil

Answer 23

weathered rocks and organic matter

Question 24

part of earth made of crust and upper mantle is called

Answer 24

lithosphere

Question 25

what does the theory of plate tectonics tell scientist

Answer 25

the crust of the earth is broken into pieces/plates that move

Question 26

3 type of plate boundaries

Answer 26

divergent convergent transform

Question 27

the last super continent was called

Answer 27

pangaea

Question 28

how do plates move along a divergent plate boundary

Answer 28

move apart

Question 29

how do plates move along a convergent plate boundary

Answer 29

move together

Question 30

how do plates move along a transform plate boundary

Answer 30

slide past each other

Question 31

the only plate boundary found in the u.s

Answer 31

along pacific coast or california

Question 32

the shaking and trembling of earth's crust is called

Answer 32

earthquake

Question 33

types of volcanoes

Answer 33

shield cinder cone composite

Question 34

3 landforms created from rivers

Answer 34

v shape valleys canyons deltas bluffs waterfalls gorges

Question 35

3 landforms created by glaciers

Answer 35

mountains volcanoes trenches rift valleys

Question 36

3 landforms created by waves

Answer 36

beaches cliffs caves spits

Question 37

what do contours show on a topographic map

Answer 37

points of similar elevation

Question 38

4 primary eras of earth's past

Answer 38

pre cambrian time paleozoic era mesozoic era cenozoic era

Question 39

what era accounts for 90% of earth's past

Answer 39

pre cambrian time

Question 40

what does the law of superstition tell scientists

Answer 40

states if rocks are formed in layers, the rocks on the upper layer is younger than the ones below it

Question 41

estimated age of the earth

Answer 41

4.6 billion years old

Question 42

how can the exact age of a rock be measured

Answer 42

analyzing the amount of radioactive decay that has occurred in the rock

Question 43

what event killed the dinos

Answer 43

asteroid crashing into earth

Question 44

visible portion of the moon is increasing is

Answer 44

waxing

Question 45

visible portion of the moon is decreasing is

Answer 45

waning

Question 46

how long is a moon cycle

Answer 46

less than a month

Question 47

what causes the daily rise and fall of oceans

Answer 47

gravitational pull of the moon to the earth

Question 48

earth orbits the sun in an oval shape called

Answer 48

an ellipse

Question 49

the date when the earth is closest to the sun

Answer 49

jan 1st

Question 50

the date when the earth is farthest from the sun

Answer 50

july 4th

Question 51

what causes seasons

Answer 51

tilt of the earth when orbiting the sun

Question 52

what is the day called with 12 hours of day and 12 hours of darkness

Answer 52

equinox

Question 53

when is the angle of noon is the sun the highest in the sky

Answer 53

summer solstice

Question 54

when is the angle of noon is the sun the lowest in the sky

Answer 54

winter solstice

Question 55

which direction does the sun rise in the equinox

Answer 55

east

Question 56

which direction does the sun set on the equinox

Answer 56

west

Question 57

what areas of the sun are the coolest

Answer 57

sun spots

Question 58

how long is a year

Answer 58

365 days, revolves around the sun one time

Question 59

what does the earth do in one day

Answer 59

rotates on it's axis

Question 60

all the planets orbit the earth plane is called

Answer 60

ecliptic

Question 61

what force keeps the planets around the sun

Answer 61

gravity

Question 62

first four planets are called

Answer 62

terrestrial planets

Question 63

jupiter and the rest of the planets are called

Answer 63

gas giants

Question 64

3 characteristics of terrestrial planets

Answer 64

rocky small few moons

Question 65

3 characteristics of gas giants

Answer 65

made of gas massive many moons rings

Question 66

what is a space rock that reaches earth

Answer 66

meteorite

Question 67

what is made of bits of ice and methane

Answer 67

comet

Question 68

who proposed the model of the solar system with the sun in the center

Answer 68

copernicus

Question 69

what process produces energy in stars

Answer 69

atoms fusing together to make elements

Question 70

what does the star colors tell us

Answer 70

how hot it is

Question 71

what does the spectrum tell us abt the star

Answer 71

what its made of

Question 72

what is the final fate of our sun

Answer 72

dwarf star

Question 73

what is a black hole

Answer 73

final state of a large star, intense gravity sucking in everything even light

Question 74

star groups/patterns are called

Answer 74

constellations

Question 75

what star sits in the north

Answer 75

north star/polaris

Question 76

what is a light year

Answer 76

distance light travels in a year

Question 77

earth is what part of the galaxy

Answer 77

milky way

Question 78

unequal heating of earth causes

Answer 78

weather

Question 79

what do we call the extra energy needed to change the phase of a material without changing its temp

Answer 79

latent heat

Question 80

what is created by the differences in air pressure

Answer 80

wind

Question 81

why does warm air rise

Answer 81

less dense than the surrounding air

Question 82

3 main cloud types

Answer 82

cirrus stratus cumulus

Question 83

puffy cloud growing vertically

Answer 83

cumulus

Question 84

layer of cloud covering the sky

Answer 84

stratus

Question 85

thin and wispy cloud made of ice crystals

Answer 85

cirrus

Question 86

in weather, what does a front separate

Answer 86

different types of air

Question 87

what is weather like in high pressure areas

Answer 87

clear skies cooler less humid

Question 88

what is weather like in low pressure areas

Answer 88

cloudy warm humid rainy and snowy

Question 89

what type of front brings rapid changes in weather, large storms

Answer 89

cold front

Question 90

what front brings gradual change in weather, long periods of perceipitation

Answer 90

warm front

Question 91

what scale is used to measure strength of a tornado

Answer 91

fujita scale

Question 92

high speed wind bands are called what

Answer 92

jet stream

Question 93

how to tell the distance of a lightning strike

Answer 93

every 5 seconds that pass = 1 mile

Question 94

long term averages in temp and precipitation determine the areas

Answer 94

climate

Question 95

what is desalination

Answer 95

process of removing salt from water so we can drink it

Question 96

2 places the most fresh water is found

Answer 96

ice caps and glaciers

Question 97

underground layer of rock that holds water

Answer 97

aquifer

Question 98

what is the water cycle

Answer 98

recycling process describes the travels of water from underground to the surface atmosphere