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GenEd - Science and Technology > Earth Science – Structure and Processes > Flashcards

Earth Science – Structure and Processes Flashcards

(100 cards)

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1
Q

What are the three main layers of the Earth?

A

Crust, Mantle, Core

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2
Q

What is the outermost layer of the Earth?

A

Crust

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3
Q

What layer of the Earth is composed of molten rock?

A

Mantle

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4
Q

What is the innermost layer of the Earth?

A

Core

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5
Q

What is the theory that explains the movement of Earth’s plates?

A

Plate Tectonics

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6
Q

What is the rigid, outer layer of the Earth that includes the crust and upper mantle?

A

Lithosphere

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7
Q

What type of boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move apart?

A

Divergent Boundary

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8
Q

What type of boundary occurs when plates move toward each other?

A

Convergent Boundary

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9
Q

What type of boundary occurs when plates slide past each other?

A

Transform Boundary

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10
Q

What is the place on Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s focus?

A

Epicenter

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11
Q

What instrument measures earthquakes?

A

Seismograph

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12
Q

What scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes?

A

Richter Scale

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13
Q

What is molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface?

A

Magma

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14
Q

What is magma called when it erupts on the surface?

A

Lava

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15
Q

What are large depressions formed after volcanoes collapse?

A

Calderas

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16
Q

What type of rock forms from cooled magma or lava?

A

Igneous Rock

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17
Q

What type of rock forms from compacted sediments?

A

Sedimentary Rock

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18
Q

What type of rock forms from existing rock changed by heat and pressure?

A

Metamorphic Rock

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19
Q

What is the process that breaks rocks into smaller pieces?

A

Weathering

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20
Q

What process moves weathered material from one place to another?

A

Erosion

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21
Q

What is the process of depositing sediments?

A

Deposition

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22
Q

What do we call the continuous process of rock transformation?

A

Rock Cycle

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23
Q

What is the layer of gases surrounding Earth?

A

Atmosphere

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24
Q

What is the average weather condition in a region over a long period?

A

Climate

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25
What is the movement of water through the Earth's system called?
Water Cycle
26
What is the main source of energy for Earth’s processes?
Sun
27
What process causes water to change from liquid to gas?
Evaporation
28
What is water vapor turning into liquid?
Condensation
29
What is rain, snow, sleet, or hail falling from the sky?
Precipitation
30
What gas makes up most of Earth’s atmosphere?
Nitrogen
31
What is the second most abundant gas in the atmosphere?
Oxygen
32
What layer of the atmosphere protects us from harmful UV rays?
Ozone Layer
33
What is the main cause of global warming?
Greenhouse Gases
34
What is the gradual increase in Earth's temperature called?
Global Warming
35
What is a renewable energy source from sunlight?
Solar Energy
36
What is energy from moving air?
Wind Energy
37
What is energy from heat within the Earth?
Geothermal Energy
38
What is energy from moving water?
Hydropower
39
What is the thin layer of soil and rock fragments on Earth’s surface?
Regolith
40
What is the natural fuel formed from remains of living organisms?
Fossil Fuels
41
What are the three major fossil fuels?
Coal, Oil, Natural Gas
42
What is the process of reusing materials to reduce waste?
Recycling
43
What type of pollution is caused by excess carbon emissions?
Air Pollution
44
What is contamination of water bodies?
Water Pollution
45
What is the thin outermost solid part of the Earth?
Earth’s Crust
46
What type of volcano has a broad, gently sloping cone?
Shield Volcano
47
What is the process of heat transfer through direct contact?
Conduction
48
What is the transfer of heat through fluid motion?
Convection
49
What is the movement of heat by electromagnetic waves?
Radiation
50
What is the unit used to measure temperature?
Celsius
51
What causes the formation of mid-ocean ridges?
Divergent plate boundaries
52
What layer of the Earth behaves like plastic and allows plate movement?
Asthenosphere
53
What process explains the recycling of oceanic crust?
Subduction
54
Which type of seismic wave travels fastest?
P-waves (Primary waves)
55
What is the point within the Earth where an earthquake originates?
Focus
56
What scale measures earthquake intensity based on human perception and damage?
Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale
57
What volcanic feature forms when magma intrudes between rock layers?
Sill
58
What are the three types of volcanic cones?
Cinder cone, Shield cone, Composite cone
59
What type of lava flow is smooth and ropy in texture?
Pāhoehoe
60
Which minerals are most abundant in Earth’s crust?
Quartz and Feldspar
61
What type of rock contains fossils?
Sedimentary rock
62
What is the most abundant gas in volcanic eruptions?
Water vapor (H₂O)
63
What is the process by which rocks are changed by heat without melting?
Metamorphism
64
What are tectonic plates composed of?
Lithosphere
65
What geologic structure forms due to compressional stress?
Fold
66
What kind of fault occurs due to tensional forces?
Normal fault
67
What evidence supports continental drift theory?
Fossil correlation, rock types, and fit of continents
68
What process drives the movement of tectonic plates?
Mantle convection
69
What are the major compositional layers of Earth based on chemical composition?
Crust, Mantle, Core
69
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering breaks down rocks; erosion transports them.
70
What is the zone of aeration in the soil profile?
The layer where pores contain air and water
71
What property determines soil's ability to retain water?
Porosity
72
What atmospheric layer contains the ozone layer?
Stratosphere
73
What layer has auroras and space shuttles?
Thermosphere
74
What causes the Coriolis Effect?
Earth's rotation
75
What is the boundary between two different air masses?
Front
76
What are the factors affecting climate?
Latitude, altitude, ocean currents, topography, winds
77
What process involves warm air rising and cooling, leading to cloud formation?
Convection
78
What is the term for persistent increase in global average temperature?
Global warming
79
What are Milankovitch cycles responsible for?
Long-term climate change
80
What happens during an El Niño event?
Warming of Pacific Ocean waters near the equator
81
What is albedo?
The reflectivity of Earth's surface
82
What does a high albedo indicate?
More sunlight is reflected
83
What process produces igneous rocks beneath Earth's surface?
Intrusion (Plutonic activity)
84
Which geologic dating method uses the decay of radioactive isotopes?
Radiometric dating
85
What is the half-life of a radioactive isotope?
Time it takes for half the isotope to decay
86
What principle states that younger rock layers lie above older ones?
Law of Superposition
87
What does a disconformity in rocks indicate?
A gap in the geological record
88
What kind of rock forms from crystallization of minerals from water?
Chemical sedimentary rock
89
Which celestial theory explains the origin of the solar system?
Nebular Hypothesis
90
What causes the Earth's seasons?
Tilt of Earth’s axis
91
What is the point in Earth’s orbit closest to the Sun?
Perihelion
92
What is the lunar phase when the moon is between Earth and the Sun?
New Moon
93
What causes ocean tides?
Gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun
94
What is the ultimate source of energy for Earth's systems?
Sun
95
What is the process where nitrogen is converted into a usable form?
Nitrogen fixation
96
What kind of rock forms due to heat, pressure, and chemical processes?
Metamorphic rock
97
What do isobars on a weather map represent?
Air pressure
98
What is the boundary called where two air masses meet but do not mix?
Stationary front
99

GenEd - Science and Technology (5 decks)

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