Exam Study Semester 2 Flashcards Preview

science > Exam Study Semester 2 > Flashcards

Flashcards in Exam Study Semester 2 Deck (67)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Seismic waves

A

Waves of energy that travel through the Earth’s crust, caused by earthquakes

2
Q

Continental drift

A

movement of the plates of the Earth’s crust in relation to each other

3
Q

Pangea

A

a super-continent that existed about 225 million years ago. All of the landmasses that existed at this time were joined together to form this super-continent.

4
Q

Panthalassa

A

the vast sea surrounding the super continent of Pangaea

5
Q

Plate tectonics

A

the theory concerning the movement of the continental plates

6
Q

Mantle

A

thick layer inside the Earth, below the crust. Most of the mantle is solid rock, although the upper part is molten rock called magma.

7
Q

Convection current

A

circular movement that occurs when warmer, less dense fluid particles rise and cooler, denser fluid particles sink

8
Q

Continental crust

A

the plates of the Earth’s crust that make up the land

9
Q

Oceanic crust

A

one of the types of crust that makes up the Earth’s outer layer. Oceanic crust is thinner than continental crust and made up of dense, heavy rocks such as basalt.

10
Q

Subduction

A

process in which two tectonic plates push against each other, and oceanic crust sinks below the less dense continental crust

11
Q

Destructive plate boundaries

A

a convergent boundary where two plates collide

12
Q

Constructive plate boundaries

A

plate that creates new land from cooling magma

13
Q

Ocean ridges

A

an area where the tectonic plates move apart, allowing magma from the mantle to rise, forming underwater volcanoes and creating new oceanic crust as it is cooled and solidified by sea water

14
Q

Folding

A

buckling of rocks caused when rocks are under pressure from both sides

15
Q

Anticlines

A

folds that bend upwards

16
Q

Synclines

A

folds that bend downwards

17
Q

Fault

A

a break in a rock structure causing a sliding movement of the rocks along the break

18
Q

Horst

A

a block of the Earth’s crust, with faults on either side, that has been pushed upwards by the forces below

19
Q

Rift Valleys

A

a sunken area where two blocks of crust have dropped down between faults

20
Q

Slip Fault

A

a geological feature where movement along a fault is sideways—that is, where the blocks of crust slip horizontally past each other

21
Q

Volcanoes

A

natural opening in the Earth’s crust connected to areas of molten rock deep inside the crust

22
Q

Magma

A

a very hot mixture of molten rock and gases, just below the Earth’s surface, that has come from the mantle

23
Q

Lava

A

mixture of molten rock and gases that has reached the Earth’s surface from a volcano

24
Q

Volcanic Bombs

A

large rock fragment that is blown out of erupting volcanoes; also known as a lava bomb

25
Q

Active

A

describes a volcano that is erupting or has recently erupted

26
Q

Extinct

A

describes a volcano that has not erupted for thousands of years and is effectively dead

27
Q

Dormant

A

describes a volcano that has not erupted for more than 20 years but is not considered extinct

28
Q

Scientific Method

A

a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

29
Q

Purpose

A

the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

30
Q

Research

A

the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

31
Q

Hypothesis

A

a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

32
Q

Experiment

A

a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

33
Q

Analysis

A

detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.

34
Q

Conclusion

A

summarize how your results support or contradict your original hypothesis

35
Q

Epicentre

A

The point on the Earth’s surface located directly above the focus of an earthquake

36
Q

Focus

A

The location where the earthquake begins.

37
Q

L-wave

A

An earthquake wave that travels around the earth’s surface and is usually the third conspicuous wave to reach a seismograph.

38
Q

Tsunami

A

a long, high sea wave caused by an earthquake or other disturbance.

39
Q

Hotspot

A

he places known as hotspots or hot spots are volcanic regions thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot compared with the surrounding mantle.

40
Q

Gondwanaland

A

A vast continental area believed to have existed in the southern hemisphere and to have resulted from the break-up of Pangaea in Mesozoic times. It comprised present-day Arabia, Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and the peninsula of India.

41
Q

Conservative plate boundaries

A

Conservative plate boundaries and transform faults occur when plates slide past each other in opposite directions, but without creating or destroying lithosphere

42
Q

Results

A

an item of information obtained by experiment or some other scientific method; a quantity or formula obtained by calculation.

43
Q

Graph

A

a diagram showing the relation between variable quantities, typically of two variables, each measured along one of a pair of axes at right angles.

44
Q

Data Table

A

Any display of information in tabular form, with rows and/or columns named.

45
Q

Question

A

a sentence worded or expressed so as to elicit information.

46
Q

Materials

A

the scientific study of the properties and applications of materials of construction or manufacture

47
Q

Constant

A

A theoretical or experimental quantity, condition, or factor that does not vary in specified circumstances.

48
Q

Control

A

Statistics, person, group, event, that is used as a constant and unchanging standard of comparison in scientific experimentation.

49
Q

Control group

A

the standard to which comparisons are made in an experiment.

50
Q

Triangulation

A

a way of determining something’s location using the locations of other things. It is commonly used by geologists to find the locations of Earthquakes, and is also used to determine spacecraft location.

51
Q

Seisomograph

A

an instrument scientists use to measure the strength of an earthquake.

52
Q

Richter scale

A

The magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded by seismographs.

53
Q

Laursia

A

The super continent of the Northern Hemisphere that, according to the theory of plate tectonics, broke up into North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia except for the Indian subcontinent.

54
Q

Tremor

A

a small earthquake in which the ground shakes slightly an earth

55
Q

Independent variable

A

as the variable that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment.

56
Q

Dependent variable

A

the variable being tested and measured in a scientific experiment.

57
Q

Inference variable

A

the process of drawing a conclusion about a causal connection based on the conditions of the occurrence of an effect.

58
Q

Qualalitive

A

relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its quantity.

59
Q

Observation

A

The action or process of closely observing or monitoring something or someone.

60
Q

Quantantative

A

relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality.

61
Q

Experimental group

A

the group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested.

62
Q

Reliability

A

the quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well.

63
Q

Repeat trials

A

the number of trials preformed during a scientific experiment, with the purpose of receiving a more accurate result (minimizing the effects of errors or outliers)

64
Q

S-wave

A

a wave motion in a solid medium where the medium moves perpendicular to the direction of the travel of the wave.

65
Q

P-wave

A

a longitudinal earthquake wave that travels through the interior of the earth and is usually the first conspicuous wave to be recorded by a seismograph.

66
Q

Surface wave

A

A seismic wave that travels across the surface of the Earth as opposed to through it.

67
Q

Body wave

A

a seismic wave that moves through the interior of the earth, as opposed to surface waves that travel near the earth’s surface.