Final Exam Flashcards
(348 cards)
1
Q
substance with a pH less than 7.0
A
acid
2
Q
any structural or behavioral change that helps an organism survive in its particular environment
A
**adaptation **
3
Q
Large area of air that has a uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure
A
air mass
4
Q
The contamination of air by harmful substances including gases and smoke
A
**air pollution **
5
Q
The force that a column of air applies on the air or a surface below it
A
air pressure
6
Q
A measure of how bright an object appears from Earth
A
**Apparent Magnitude **
7
Q
layer of permeable rock that allow water to flow through
A
aquifer
8
Q
A small, rocky object that orbits the sun
A
**asteroid **
9
Q
the partially melted portion of the mantle below the lithosphere
A
asthenosphere
10
Q
The study of the origin, development, distribution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe
A
astrobiology
11
Q
The average distance from Earth to the Sun- about 150 million km
A
Astronomical unit
12
Q
Earth’s air, which is made up of a thin layer of gases, solids, and liquids; forms a protective layer around the planet and is divided into five distinct layers
A
**atmosphere **
13
Q
tiny building block of matter, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons
A
**atom **
14
Q
the number of protons in an atom
A
atomic number
15
Q
a substance with a pH above 7
A
base
16
Q
Area of subsidence; region with low elevation
A
basin
17
Q
states that 13.7 billion years ago, the universe began with a huge fiery explosion
A
Big Bang Theory
18
Q
Sedimentary rock that was formed by organisms or contains the remains of organisms
A
**Biochemical rock **
19
Q
An organism that is sensitive to environmental conditions and is one of the first to respond to changes
A
bioindicator
20
Q
All the organisms that live in a region
A
biota
21
Q
An object whose gravity is so great that no light can escape
A
Black Hole
22
Q
Winter storm that lasts at least 3 hours with temperatures of -12 degrees C or below, poor visibility, and winds at least 50km/h.
A
blizzard
23
Q
**A mix of fresh water and sea water **
A
Brackish water
24
Q
large, circular shaped opening formed when the top of a volcano collapses
A
caldera
25
**The fossilized outline of an organism or part of an organism**
**Carbon film**
26
**A fossil copy of an organism made when a mold of the organism is filled with sediment or mineral deposits**
**cast**
27
**Idea that conditions or creatures on Earth change in quick, violent events.**
**Catastrophism**
28
**A process in which minerals dissolved in water crystallize between sediment**
**Cementation**
29
**Era of recent life that began about 66 million years ago and continues today; includes the first appearance of Homo Sapiens about 400,000 years ago.**
**Cenozoic Era**
30
**Sedimentary rock that forms when minerals crystallize directly from water**
**Chemical rock**
31
**The process that changes the composition of rocks and minerals due to exposure to the environment**
Chemical weathering
32
**group of chemical compounds used in refrigerators, air conditioners, foam packaging, and aerosol sprays that may enter the atmosphere and destroy ozone.**
**chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)**
33
**The orange-red layer above the photosphere of a star**
**Chromosphere**
34
**Small, steep sided volcano that erupts gas rich basaltic lava.**
**Cinder cone**
35
**Sedimentary rock that is made up of broken pieces of minerals and rock fragments**
**Clastic Rock**
36
**The breaking of a mineral along a smooth, flat surface**
**Cleavage**
37
**average weather pattern in an area over a long period of time; can be classified by temperature, precipitation, and vegetation**
**climate**
38
**sedimentary rock formed from decayed plant material; the world's most abundant fossil fuel**
**coal**
39
**An oxygen-poor environment where, over a period of time, decaying plant material changes into coal**
**coal swamp**
40
**The attraction along molecules that are alike**
**cohesion**
41
**A process in which the weight from the layers of sediment forces out fluids and decreases the spaces between sediment grains.**
**Compaction**
42
**volcano built by alternating explosive and quiet eruptions that produce layers of tephra and lava; found mostly where Earth's plates come together and one plate sinks below the other.**
**composite volcano**
43
**The squeezing force at a convergent boundary**
**Compression**
44
**Detailed computer programs that solve a set of complex mathematical formulas**
Computer model
45
**process by which water vapor changes to a liquid**
**condensation**
46
**Transfer of thermal energy due to collision of particles**.
Conduction
47
**careful use of resources to reduce damage to the environment through such methods as composting and recycling materials.**
**conservation**
48
**variable that does not change in an experiment.**
**constant**
49
**Formation of a metamorphic rock caused by magma coming into contact with existing rock**
**Contact metamorphism**
50
**Wegener's hypothesis that all continents were once connected in a single large landmass that broke apart about 200 million years ago and drifted slowly to their current positions.**
**continental drift**
51
**standard for comparison in an experiment.**
**control**
52
**space object made from dust and rock particles mixed with frozen water, methane, and ammonia that forms a bright coma as it approaches the Sun.**
comet
53
transfer of heat by flow of material
convection
54
**Layer of a star where hot gas moves up toward the surface and cooler gas moves deeper into the interior**
**convection zone**
55
The boundary between two plates that move toward each other
**Convergent plate boundary**
56
**The loss of color in corals that occurs when stressed corals expel the colorful algae that live in them**
**coral bleaching**
57
The dense metallic center of the earth.
**core**
58
**causes moving air and water to turn left in the southern hemisphere and turn right in the northern hemisphere due to Earth's rotation**
**Coriolis Effect**
59
**The wide, outermost layer of a star’s atmosphere**
**corona**
60
**A method used by geologists to fill in the missing gaps in an area’s rock record by matching rocks and fossils from separate locations**
correlation
61
**highest point of a wave**
**crest**
62
Comparing what you already know with information you are given in order to decide whether you agree with it
**Critical thinking**
63
The brittle, rocky outer layer of the earth.
**crust**
64
solid in which the atoms are arranged in an orderly, repeating pattern
**crystal**
65
The process by which atoms form a solid with an orderly repeating pattern
**crystallization**
66
chlorophyll containing, photosynthetic bacteria thought to be one of Earth's earliest life forms.
cyanobacteria
67
Matter that emits no light at any wavelength
dark matter
68
The breaking down of dead organisms and organic waste
Decomposition
69
destruction and cutting down of forests- often to clear land for mining, roads, and grazing of cattle-resulting in increased carbon dioxide levels.
**deforestation**
70
A large deposit of sediment that forms where a stream enters a large body of water
delta
71
**mass/volume**
**density**
72
factor being measured in an experiment
dependent variable
73
Laying down or settling of eroded material.
Deposition
74
A spoken or written summary of observations
Description
75
Temperature at which air is fully saturated because of decreasing temperatures while holding the amount of moisture constant
**Dew point**
76
Dominant Mesozoic land vertebrates that walked with their legs positioned directly below their hips
Dinosaur
77
Boundary between 2 plates that move away from each other.
Divergent plate boundary
78
A specialized type of radar that can detect precipitation as well as the movement of small particles, which can be used to approximate wind speed
**Doppler radar**
79
The shift to a different wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum
Doppler shift
80
Period of below average precipitation
Drought
81
dune
82
vibrations produced when rocks break along a fault.
earthquake
83
study of Earth and space, including rocks, fossils, climate, volcanoes, land use, ocean water, earthquakes, and objects in space.
Earth science
84
**The entire range of radiant energy carried by electromagnetic waves**
**Electromagnetic spectrum**
85
**particle with a negative charge**
**electron**
86
**substance that is made of only one type of atom**
**element**
87
**climatic event that begins in the tropical Pacific Ocean, may begin when trade winds weaken or reverse, and can disrupt normal temperatures and precipitation patterns around the world**
**El Niño**
88
**longest subdivision in the geologic time scale that is based upon the abundance of certain types of fossils and is subdivided into eras, periods, and epochs.**
**Eon**
89
**point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus.**
**epicenter**
** **
** **
90
**A division of geologic time smaller than a period**
**Epoch**
91
**A large division of geologic time, but smaller than an eon**
**era**
92
**process in which surface materials are worn away and transported from one place to another by agents such as gravity, water, wind, and glaciers**
**erosion**
93
**study of moral values**
**ethics**
94
**When Earth’s rotation is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun**
**Equinox**
95
**The process of a liquid changing to a gas at the surface of the liquid**
**evaporation**
96
**An interpretation of observations**
**Explanation**
97
**Life that originates outside Earth**
**Extraterrestrial**
98
**Igneous rock that forms when volcanic material erupts, cools, and crystallizes on Earth’s surface**
**Extrusive rock**
99
**surface along which rocks move when they pass their elastic limit and break**
**fault**
100
**Parallel ridge that forms where blocks of crust move up or down along faults**
**Fault-block mountain**
101
**An area of many fractured pieces of crust along a large fault**
**Fault zone**
102
**in an earthquake, the point below Earth's surface where energy is released in the form of seismic waves**
**focus**
103
**a stratus cloud that forms when air is cooled to its dew point near the ground**
**fog**
104
**Rocks that contains parallel layers of flat and elongated materials**
**Foliated rock**
105
**remains, imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms that can tell when and where organisms once lived and how they lived.**
**fossils**
106
**Breaking of a mineral along rough or irregular surface**
**Fracture**
107
**boundary between two air masses with different temperatures, density, and moisture; can be cold, warm, occluded, and stationary**
**front**
108
**Huge collection of stars, gas, and dust**
**Galaxy**
109
**The four largest of Jupiter’s 63 moons; discovered by Galileo**
**Galilean moons**
110
**beautiful, rare, highly prized mineral that can be worn in jewelry**
**gem**
111
**The separation of a population of organisms from the rest of its species due to some physical barrier such as a mountain range or an ocean**
**Geographic isolation**
112
**The solid part of the Earth**
**geosphere**
113
**Thermal energy from Earth’s interior**
**Geothermal energy**
114
**Grooves in solid rock formations made by rocks that are carried by glaciers**
**Glacial grooves**
115
**Large mass of ice, formed by snow accumulation on land that moves slowly across Earth’s surface.**
**Glacier**
116
**A set of complex equations used to predict future climates**
**Global climate model**
117
**increase in the average global temperature of Earth**
**global warming**
118
**An individual particle in a rock**
**grain**
119
**An attractive force that exists between all objects that have mass**
**Gravity**
120
**A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs Earth’s outgoing infrared radiation**
**Greenhouse gas**
121
**natural heating that occurs when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere, such as methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, trap heat.**
**greenhouse effect**
122
**Large circular system of air current**
**Gyre**
123
**time it takes for half the atom of an isotope to decay**
**Half-life**
124
**The resistance of a mineral being scratched**
**Hardness**
125
**Explosive growth of algae that harms organisms**
**Harmful algal bloom**
126
**A graph that plots luminosity v. temperature of stars**
**Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram**
127
**a mixture which is not mixed evenly and each component retains its own properties**
**heterogeneous mixture**
128
**A large body of circulating air with high pressure at its center and lower pressure outside of the system**
**High-pressure system**
129
**The current epoch of geologic time which began 10,000 years ago**
**Holocene epoch**
130
**a mixture which is evenly mixed throughout**
**homogeneous mixture**
131
**Layers of soil formed from the movement of the products of weathering**
**horizons**
132
**Location where volcanoes form far from plate tectonics**
**Hot spot**
133
**amount of water vapor held in the air**
**Humidity**
134
**large, severe storm that forms over tropical oceans, has winds of at least 120 km/h, and loses power when it reaches land**
**hurricane**
135
**Electricity produced by flowing water**
**Hydroelectric power**
136
**System containing all of Earth’s water**
**Hydrosphere**
137
**an educated guess**
**hypothesis**
138
**A period of time when a large portion of Earth’s surface is covered by glaciers**
**Ice age**
139
**mechanical weathering process that occurs when water freezes in the cracks of rocks and expands, causing the rock to break apart**
**ice wedging**
140
**rock formed when magma or lava cools and hardens**
**igneous rock**
141
**A round depression formed on the surface of a planet, moon, or other space object by the impact of a meteorite**
** **
**Impact crater**
142
**A piece of older rock that becomes part of a new rock**
**inclusion**
143
**The factor that is changed by the investigator to observe how it affects a dependent variable**
**Independent variable**
144
**A fossil representative of a species that existed on Earth for a short length of time, was abundant, and inhabited many locations**
**Index fossil**
145
**A logical explanation of an observation that is drawn from prior knowledge or experience**
**Inference**
146
**A body of water formed when ocean water floods continents**
**Inland sea**
147
**A warm period that occurs during an ice age**
**Interglacial**
148
**The internationally accepted system of measurement.**
**International Systems of Units (SI)**
149
**Igneous rock that forms as magma cools underground**
**Intrusive rock**
150
**electrically charged atom whose charge results from an atom gaining or losing electrons**
**ion**
151
**A region within the mesosphere and thermosphere containing ions**
**Ionosphere**
152
**Lines that connect all places on a map where pressure has the same value**
**Isobar**
153
**atoms of the same element that have different number of neutrons**
**isotopes**
154
**narrow belt of strong winds that blows near the top of the troposphere**
**jet streams**
** **
155
**movement of air from land to sea at night, created when cooler, denser air from the land forces up warmer air over the sea**
**land breeze**
156
**A landform that connects two continents that were previously separated**
**Land bridge**
157
**A topographic feature formed by processes that shape Earth’s surface**
**Landform**
158
**Rapid, downhill movement of soil, loose rocks, and boulders**
**Landslide**
159
**molten rock that flows from the volcanoes onto Earth's surface**
**lava**
160
**The distance light travels in one year**
**Light-year**
161
**The rigid outermost layer of Earth that includes the uppermost mantle and crust**
**Lithosphere**
162
**A crumbly, windblown deposit of silt and clay**
**Loess**
163
**A current that flows parallel to the shoreline**
**Longshore current**
164
**A large body of circulating air with low pressure at its center and higher pressure outside the system**
**Low-pressure system**
165
**True brightness of an object**
**Luminosity**
166
**Term that refers to anything related to the moon**
**Lunar**
167
**An occurrence during which the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow**
**Lunar eclipse**
168
**describes the way a mineral reflects light from its surface, can be metallic or nonmetallic**
**luster**
169
**hot, melted rock material beneath Earth's surface**
**magma**
170
**An event that causes a magnetic field to reverse direction**
**Magnetic reversal**
171
**The outer part of Earth’s magnetic field that interacts with charged particles**
**Magnetosphere**
172
**measure of energy released in an earthquake**
**magnitude**
173
**The thick middle layer in the solid part of the Earth**
**mantle**
174
**The large, dark, flat areas on the moon**
**Maria**
175
**A term that refers to anything related to oceans**
**marine**
176
**The extinction of many species on Earth within a short period of time**
**Mass extinction**
177
**The downhill movement of a large mass of rocks or soil due to gravity**
**Mass wasting**
178
**anything that has mass and takes up space**
**matter**
179
**A broad, C-shaped curve in a stream**
**Meander**
180
**physical process that break rock apart without changing its chemical makeup; can be caused by ice wedging, animals, and plant roots**
**mechanical weathering**
181
**Large mammal of the Cenozoic era**
**Mega-mammal**
182
**The middle era of the Phanerozoic eon**
**Mesozoic era**
183
**forms when heat, pressure, or fluids act on igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rock to change its form or composition, or both**
**metamorphic rock**
184
**Process that affects the structure or composition of a rock in a solid state as a result of changes in temperature, pressure, or the addition of chemical fluids**
**Metamorphism**
185
**A meteoroid that has entered Earth’s atmosphere and produces a streak of light**
**Meteor**
186
**A meteoroid that strikes a planet or a moon**
**Meteorite**
187
**A small rocky particle that moves through space**
**meteoroid**
188
**studies weather and uses information from Doppler radar, weather satellites, computers, and other instruments to make weather maps and provides forecasts**
**meteorologist**
189
**A localized climate that is different from the climate of the larger area surrounding it**
**microclimate**
190
**area where new ocean floor is formed when lava erupts through cracks in Earth's surface**
**mid-ocean ridge**
191
**naturally occurring inorganic solid that has a definite chemical composition and an orderly internal atomic structure**
**mineral**
192
**Scientist who studies the distribution of minerals, mineral properties, and their uses**
**Mineralogist**
193
**The impression of an organism in a rock**
**mold**
194
**group of atoms connected by covalent bonds**
**molecule**
195
**A wind circulation pattern that changes direction with the seasons**
**monsoon**
196
**A mound or ridge of unsorted sediment deposited by a glacier**
**moraine**
197
**Landform with high relief and high elevation**
**Mountain**
198
**processes by which organism that are suited to a particular environment are better able to survive and reproduce than organisms that are not**
**natural selection**
199
**Lowest tidal range that occurs when Earth, the moon, and the Sun form a right angle**
**Neap tide**
200
**A cloud of gas and dust**
**Nebula**
201
**particle without an electrical charge**
**neutron**
** **
202
**A dense core of neutrons that remains after a supernova**
**Neutron star**
203
**A nitrogen based compound often used in fertilizer**
**nitrate**
204
**Metamorphic rock with mineral grains that have a random, interlocking texture**
**Non-foliated rock**
205
**Pollution from several widespread sources that cannot be traced back to a single location**
**Nonpoint source pollution**
206
**Resource that is used faster than it can be replaced by natural processes**
**Nonrenewable resource**
207
**When magnetized objects, such as compass needles, orient themselves to point north**
**Normal polarity**
208
**Energy stored in and released from the nucleus of an atom**
**Nuclear energy**
209
**A process that occurs when the nuclei of several atoms combine into one larger nucleus**
**Nuclear fusion**
210
**The act of using one or more of your senses to gather information and to take note of what occurs**
**observation**
211
**A large volume of water flowing in a certain direction**
**Ocean current**
212
**A deep, underwater trough created by one plate subducting under another plate at a convergent plate boundary**
**Ocean trench**
213
**curved path followed by a satellite as it revolves around an object**
**orbit**
214
**deposit in which a mineral exists in large enough amounts to be mined at a profit**
**ore**
215
**Remains of something that was once alive**
**Organic matter**
216
**Layered sediment deposited by streams of water that flow from a melting glacier**
**outwash**
217
**chemical weathering process that occurs when some minerals are exposed to oxygen and water over time**
**oxidation**
218
**layer of the stratosphere with a high concentration of ozone; absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation**
**ozone layer**
219
**Scientist who studies fossils**
**paleontologist**
220
**The oldest era orf the Phanerozoic era**
**Paleozoic era**
221
**large ancient landmass that was composed of all the continents joined together**
**Pangaea**
222
**Starting material of soil consisting of rock or sediment that is subject to weather**
**Parent material**
223
**The mix of both solid and liquid particles in the air**
**Particulate matter**
224
**The lighter part of a shadow where light is partially blocked**
**penumbra**
225
**A unit of geologic time smaller than an era**
**period**
226
**The time it takes an object to travel once around the Sun**
**Period of revolution**
227
**The time it takes an object to complete one rotation**
**Period of rotation**
228
**describe soil and rock with connecting pores through which water can flow**
**Permeable**
229
**scale used to determine how acidic or basic something is**
**pH scale**
230
**The lit part of the Moon or a planet that can be seen from Earth**
**phase**
231
**Air pollution that forms from the interaction between chemicals in the air and sunlight**
**Photochemical smog**
232
**The apparent surface of a star**
**photosphere**
233
**Landform with low relief and low elevation**
**plain**
234
**The permanent change in shape of rocks caused by bending and folding**
**Plastic deformation**
235
**Theory that Earth’s surface is broken into large, rigid pieces that move with respect to each other**
**Plate tectonics**
236
**An area with low relief and high elevation**
**Plateau**
237
**The first epoch of the Quaternary period**
**Pleistocene epoch**
238
**Mesozoic marine animal with a small head, long neck, and flippers**
**plesiosaur**
239
**Pollution from a single source that can be identified**
**Point-source pollution**
240
**Cold winds that blow from the east to the west near the North Pole and the South Pole**
**Polar easterlies**
241
**climate zones that receive solar radiation at a low angle, extend from 66 degrees N and S latitude to the poles, and are never warm**
**polar zones**
242
**A condition in which opposite ends of a molecule have slightly opposite charges but the overall charge of the molecule is neutral**
**polarity**
243
**Small holes and spaces in soil**
**Pores**
244
**water falling from clouds-including rain, snow, sleet, and hail-whose form is determined by air temperature**
**precipitation**
245
**A type of seismic wave which causes particles in the ground to move in a push-pull motion similar to a coiled spring**
**Primary wave**
246
**imaginary line that represents 0 degrees latitude and runs from the north pole through Greenwich, England, to the south pole**
**prime meridian**
247
**states that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rocks are on the bottom, and the rocks become progressively younger toward the top**
**principle of superposition**
248
**A series of space missions designed to send people to the Moon**
**Project Apollo**
249
**particle that has a positive charge**
**proton**
250
**Mesozoic flying reptile with large bat-like wings**
**pterosaur**
251
**energy transferred by waves or rays**
**radiation**
252
**A shell of cooler hydrogen above a star’s core**
**Radiative zone**
253
**process in which some isotopes break down into other isotopes and particles**
**radioactive decay**
254
**A telescope that collects waves and some microwaves using an antenna that looks like a TV satellite dish**
**Radio telescope**
255
**An area of low rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain**
**Rain shadow**
256
**A process in which mined land must be recovered with soil and replanted with vegetation**
**reclamation**
257
**A telescope that uses a curved mirror to concentrate light from distant objects**
**Reflecting telescope**
258
**A telescope that uses a convex lens to concentrate light from distant objects**
**Refracting telescope**
259
**Formation of metamorphic rock bodies that are hundreds of square kilometers in size**
**Regional metamorphism**
260
**the age of something compared with other things**
**relative age**
261
**The amount of water vapor present in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air could contain at that temperature**
**Relative humidity**
262
**The process of collecting information about an area without coming into contact with it**
**Remote sensing**
263
**A resource that can be replenished by natural processes at least as quickly as it is used**
**Renewable resource**
264
**When magnetized objects reverse directions and orient themselves to point south**
**Reversed polarity**
265
**Earth's year-long elliptical orbit around the Sun**
**revolution**
266
**The process that results when magma rises at a mid- ocean ridge and pushes oceanic plates in two different directions away from the ridge**
**Ridge push**
267
**mixture of one or more minerals, rock fragments, volcanic glass, organic matter, or other natural materials; can be igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary**
**rock**
268
**model that describes how rocks slowly change from one form to another through time**
**rock cycle**
269
**A vehicle propelled by the exhaust made from burning fuel**
**Rocket**
270
**spinning of Earth on its imaginary axis, which takes 24 hours to complete and causes day and night to occur**
**rotation**
271
**The line on which an object rotates**
**Rotation axis**
272
**A measure of the mass of dissolved salts in a mass of water**
**Salinity**
273
**Any small object that orbits a larger object other than a star**
**Satellite**
274
**process of looking at and studying things in the world in order to gain knowledge**
**science**
275
**rule that describes the behavior of something in nature; usually describes what will happen in a situation but not why it happens**
**scientific law**
276
**problem solving procedures that can include identifying the problem or question, gathering information, developing a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, analyzing the results, and drawing conclusions**
**scientific method**
277
**An explanation of observations or events that is based on knowledge gained from many observations or investigations**
**Scientific theory**
278
**movement of air from sea to land during the day when cooler air from above the water moves over the land, forcing the heated, less dense air above the land to rise**
**sea breeze**
279
**Hess' theory that new seafloor is formed when magma is forced upward**
**seafloor spreading**
280
**The average level of the ocean’s surface at any given time**
**Sea level**
281
**short period of climate change in an area caused by the tilt of Earth's axis as Earth revolves around the Sun**
**season**
282
**Water from a sea or ocean that has an average salinity**
**Seawater**
283
**seismic wave that moves rock particles at right angles to the direction of the wave**
**secondary wave**
284
**loose materials, such as rock fragments, mineral grains, and the remains of once living plants and animals, that have moved by wind, water, ice, and gravity**
**sediments**
285
**Energy that travels as vibrations on and in Earth**
**Seismic wave**
286
**A graphical illustration of seismic waves**
**Seismogram**
287
**instrument used to register earthquake waves and record the time each arrived**
**Seismograph**
288
**Scientist that studies earthquakes**
**Seismologist**
289
**Parallel forces acting in opposite directions at a transform boundary**
**Shear**
290
**A large volcano with gentle slopes of basaltic lavas, common along divergent plate boundaries and oceanic hot spots**
**Shield volcano**
291
**describes a mineral that contains silicon and oxygen and usually one or more other elements**
**silicate**
292
**mixture of weathered rock and mineral fragments, decayed organic matter**
**soil**
293
**An occurrence during which the Moon’s shadows appears on Earth’s surface**
**Solar eclipse**
294
**Energy from the sun**
**Solar energy**
295
**When Earth’s rotation axis is tilted directly toward or away from the sun**
**Solstice**
296
**a homogeneous, molecular mixture of two or more substances**
**solution**
297
**An unscrewed spacecraft sent from Earth to explore objects in space**
**Space probe**
298
**Reusable spacecraft sent from Earth to explore objects in space**
**Space shuttles**
299
**large facility with living quarters, work and exercise areas, and equipment and supported systems for humans to live and work in space while conducting research**
**space station**
300
**The amount of thermal energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of material 1 degree Celsius**
**Specific heat**
301
**A ball shape with all points on the surface at a equal distance from the center**
**Sphere**
302
**The largest tidal range that occurs when Earth, moon, and the Sun from a straight line**
**Spring tide**
303
**Whether or not air motions will be strong or weak**
**Stability**
304
**A large sphere of hydrogen gas, held together by gravity; that is hot enough for nuclear reactions to occur in its core**
**Star**
305
**specific location, using a combination of symbols on a map**
**station model**
306
**A change in shape of the rock caused by stress**
**Strain**
307
**The atmospheric layer directly above the troposphere**
**stratosphere**
308
**color of a mineral when it is in powdered from**
**streak**
309
**break in rock cause by shear forces where rocks move past each other without much vertical movement**
**strike slip fault**
310
**The process that occurs when one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate**
**subduction**
311
**The downward vertical motion of Earth’s surface**
**subsidence**
312
**An ancient landmass which separated into present-day continents**
**supercontinent**
313
**An enormous explosion that destroys a star**
**supernova**
314
**Principle that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rock layers are on the bottom**
**Superposition**
315
**A description of weather measurements made on Earth’s surface**
**Surface report**
316
**A type of seismic wave that causes particles in the ground to move up and down in a rolling motion**
**Surface wave**
317
**use of scientific discovery for practical purposes, making people's lives easier and better**
**technology**
318
**Climate zones with moderate temperatures that are located between the tropics and the polar zones**
**temperate zones**
319
**A temperature increase as altitude increases in the troposphere**
**Temperature inversion**
320
**The pulling force at a divergent boundary**
**tension**
321
**Farming methods used to reduce erosion on steep mountains**
**terracing**
322
**Earth and other inner planets that are closest to the Sun including Mercury, Venus, and Mars**
**Terrestrial planets**
323
**A rock’s grain size and the way the grain fits together**
**texture**
324
**The difference in water level between a high tide and a low tide**
**Tidal range**
325
**The periodic rise and fall of the ocean’s surface caused by gravitational force between Earth and the Moon, and Earth and the Sun**
**tide**
326
**A mixture of various sizes of sediment that has been deposited by a glacier**
**till**
327
**The shape and steepness of the landscape**
**topography**
328
**A violent, whirling column of air in contact with the ground**
**tornado**
329
**The preserved evidence of the activity of an organism**
**Trace fossil**
330
**Steady wind that flows from east to west between 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitude**
**Trade winds**
331
**The boundary between two plates that slide past each other**
**Transform plate boundary**
332
**The process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves**
**transpiration**
333
**organism with a three lobed exoskeleton that was abundant in Paleozoic oceans and is considered to be an index fossil**
**trilobite**
334
**climate zone that receives the most solar radiation, is located between latitudes 23 degrees North and 23 degrees South, and is always hot, except at high elevations**
**tropics**
335
**layer of Earth's atmosphere that is closest to the ground, contains 99% of the water vapor and 75% of the atmospheric gases, and is where clouds and weather occurs**
**troposphere**
336
**seismic waves that begins over an earthquake focus and can be highly destructive when it crashes on shore**
tsunami
337
**a type of energy that comes to Earth from the Sun, can damage skin and cause cancer, is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer**
ultraviolet radiation
338
**Principle stating that geological processes that occur today are similar to those that occurred in the past. **
**Uniformitarianism**
339
**gap in the rock layer that is due to erosion or periods without any deposition**
unconformity
340
vertical circulation in the ocean that brings deep, cold water to the ocean's surface
upwelling
341
**different factors that can be changed in an experiment**
variables
342
**opening where magma is forced up and flows out onto Earth's surface**
**vent**
343
**opening in Earth's surface that erupts sulfurous gases, ash, and lava; can form at Earth's plate boundaries, where plates move apart or together, and at hot spots**
volcano
344
**Series of natural processes by which water continually moves water throughout the hydrosphere. **
water cycle
345
**rhythmic movement that carries energy through matter or space; can be described by its crest, trough, wavelength, and wave height**
wave
346
**state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place; determined by factors including air pressure, amount of moisture in the air, temperature, wind, and precipitation**
**weather**
347
**mechanical or chemical surface processes that break rock into smaller and smaller pieces**
**weathering **
348
**Movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.**
**wind **
