Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Earth and Space Science > Mid Term > Flashcards

Mid Term Flashcards

(104 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Earth science

A

The scientific study of all aspects of Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

scientific method

A

The way a scientist approaches a problem; steps include observing, formulating a hypothesis, testing, and evaluating results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

hypothesis

A

A plausible, but yet to be proved, explanation for how something happens.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

theory

A

A hypothesis that has been tested and is strongly supported by experimentation, observation, and scientific evidence.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

system

A

A portion of the universe that can be separated from the rest of the universe for the purpose of observing changes that happen in it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

feedback mechanisms

A

Reactions that enhance (positive) or retard (negative) change in an open system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Earth system science

A

The study of Earth as a closed system composed of interacting open systems and how the open systems may be changed as a result of human activities.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

core

A

Earth’s innermost compositional layer, where the magnetic field is generated and much geothermal energy resides

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

mantle

A

The middle compositional layer of Earth, between the crust and the core.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

crust

A

The outermost compositional layer of the solid Earth: part of the lithosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

lithosphere

A

Earth’s outermost rocky layer, comprising the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

asthenosphere

A

A layer of weak, ductile rock in the mantle that is close to melting but not actually molten.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

plate tectonics

A

The movement and interactions of large fragments of Earth’s lithosphere, called plates.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

oceanic crust

A

The thinner, denser, and younger part of Earth’s crust, underlying the ocean basins.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

continental crust

A

The older, thicker, and less dense part of Earth’s crust; the bulk of Earth’s land masses.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

natural resources

A

Useful materials obtained from the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, or biosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

renewable resource

A

A resource that can be replenished or regenerated on the scale of a human lifetime.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

nonrenewable resource

A

A resource that cannot be replenished or regenerated on the scale of a human lifetime.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

hydrologic cycle

A

A model that describes the movement of water through the reservoirs of the Earth system; the water cycle.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

evaporation

A

The process by which water changes from a liquid to a vapor.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

transpiration

A

The process by which water taken up by plants passes directly into the atmosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

condensation

A

The process by which water changes from vapor into a liquid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

deposition

A

The process by which water changes from a vapor into a solid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

precipitation

A

The process by which water that has condensed in the atmosphere falls back to the surface as rain, snow, or hail.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
surface runoff
Precipitation that drains over the land or in stream channels.
26
infiltration
The process by which water works its way into the ground through small openings in the soil.
27
stream
A body of water that flows downslope along a clearly defined natural pathway.
28
channel
The clearly defined natural passageway through which a stream flows.
29
gradient
The steepness of a stream channel.
30
discharge (1)
The amount of water passing by a point on the channel's bank during a unit of time.
31
load
The suspended and dissolved sediment carried by a stream.
32
floodplain
The relatively flat valley floor adjacent to a stream channel, which is inundated when the stream overflows its banks.
33
alluvium
Unconsolidated sediment deposited by a stream.
34
drainage basin
The total area from which water flows into a stream.
35
divide
A topo-graphic high that separates adjacent drainage basins.
36
flood
An event in which a water body overflows its banks.
37
groundwater
Subsurface water contained in pore spaces in regolith and bedrock
38
water table
The top surface of the saturated zone.
39
porosity
The percentage of the total volume of a body of rock or regolith that consists of open space.
40
permeability
A measure of how easily a solid allows fluids to pass through it.
41
percolation
The process by which groundwater seeps downward and flows under the influence of gravity.
42
recharge
Replenishment of groundwater.
43
discharge (2)
The process by which subsurface water leaves the saturated zone and becomes surface water.
44
spring
Where the water table intersects the land surface, allowing groundwater to flow out
45
aquifer
A body of rock or regolith that is water-saturated, porous, and permeable
46
aquiclude
A layer of impermeable rock
47
cave and cavern
Underground open space; a cavern is a system of connected caves.
48
continental drift
The slow, lateral movement of continents across Earth's surface.
49
paleomagnetism
The study of rock magnetism in order to determine the intensity and direction of Earth's magnetic field in the past.
50
seafloor spreading
The processes by which the seafloor splits and moves apart along a midocean ridge and new oceanic crust forms along the ridge.
51
plate tectonics
The movement and interactions of large fragments of Earth's lithosphere, called plates.
52
fault
A fracture in the lithosphere along which movement has occurred.
53
divergent margin
A boundary along which two plates move apart from one another.
54
convergent margin
A boundary along which two plates move toward one another
55
subduction zone
A boundary along which one plate of lithosphere descends into the mantle beneath another plate.
56
transform fault
An approximately vertical fracture in the lithosphere along which two plates slide past each other.
57
conduction
The process by which heat moves through a solid body without deforming it.
58
convection
A form of heat transfer in which hot material circulates from hotter to colder regions, loses its heat, and then repeats the cycle.
59
tectonic cycle
Movements and interactions of the lithosphere by which rocks are cycled from the mantle to the crust and back; includes earthquakes, volcanism, and plate motion, driven by convection in the mantle.
60
earthquake
A sudden motion in Earth caused by the abrupt release of slowly accumulated energy.
61
seismology
The scientific study of earthquakes and seismic waves.
62
elastic rebound theory
The theory that continuing stress along a fault results in a buildup of elastic energy in the rocks, which is abruptly released when an earthquake occurs.
63
seismic wave
An elastic shock wave that travels outward in all directions from an earthquake's source.
64
paleoseismology
The study of prehistoric earthquakes.
65
seismograph
An instrument that detects, measures, and records vibrations of Earth's surface.
66
seismogram
The record made by a seismograph.
67
body wave
A seismic wave that travels through Earth's interior.
68
surface wave
A seismic wave that travels along Earth's surface.
69
focus
The location where rupture commences and an earthquake's energy is first released.
70
P wave
The first, or primary, wave to be detected by a seismograph.
71
compressional wave
A seismic body wave consisting of alternate pulses of compression and expansion in the direction of travel; P wave or primary wave.
72
S wave
The second kind of body wave to be detected by a seismograph
73
shear wave
A seismic body wave in which rock is subjected to side-to-side or up-and-down forces, perpendicular to the direction of travel; S wave or secondary wave.
74
epicenter
The point on Earth's surface that is directly above an earthquake's focus.
75
Richter magnitude scale
A scale of earthquake intensity based on the heights, or amplitudes, of the seismic waves recorded on a seismograph.
76
moment magnitude
A measure of earthquake strength based on the rupture size, rock properties, and amount of displacement on the fault surface.
77
seismic discontinuity
A boundary inside Earth where the velocities of seismic waves change abruptly.
78
refraction
The bending of a wave as it passes from one material into another material, through which it travels at a different speed.
79
reflection
The bouncing back of a wave from an interface between two different materials.
80
stress
The force acting on a surface, per unit area, which may be greater in certain directions than others.
81
pressure
A particular kind of stress in which forces acting on a body are the same in all directions.
82
tension
A stress that acts in a direction perpendicular to and away from a surface.
83
compression
A stress that acts in a direction perpendicular and toward a surface.
84
shear
A stress that acts in a direction parallel to a surface.
85
strain
A change in the shape or volume of a rock in response to stress.
86
elastic deformation
A temporary change in the shape or volume from which a material rebounds after the deforming stress is removed.
87
ductile deformation
A permanent but gradual change in the shape or volume of a material, caused by flowing or bending.
88
brittle deformation
A permanent change in shape or volume, in which a material breaks or cracks.
89
normal faults
A fault in which the block above the fault surface moves down relative to the block below.
90
reverse fault
A fault in which the block on top of the fault moves up and over the block on the bottom.
91
thrust fault
A reverse fault that cuts Earth's surface at a shallow angle.
92
transform fault
An approximately vertical fracture in the lithosphere along which two plates slide past each other.
93
uniformitarianism
The concept that the processes governing the Earth system have operated in a similar manner throughout Earth's history and that past events can be explained by phenomena and forces observable today.
94
relative age
The age of a rock layer, fossil, or other natural feature relative to another feature.
95
stratigraphy
The science of rock layers and the processes by which strata are formed.
96
numerical age
The age when a rock layer or natural feature was formed, in years before the present.
97
unconformity
A substantial gap in a stratigraphic sequence that marks the absence of part of the rock record.
98
paleontology
The study of fossils and the record of ancient life on Earth; the use of fossils for the determination of relative ages.
99
correlation
A method of equating the ages of strata that come from two or more different places.
100
geologic column
The succession of strata, fitted together in relative chronological order.
101
radioactivity
A process in which an element spontaneously transforms itself into another isotope of the same element, or into a different element.
102
half-life
The time needed for half the parent atoms of a radioactive substance to decay into daughter atoms.
103
radiometric dating
The use of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes to determine the numerical ages of minerals, rocks, and fossils.
104
magnetic reversal
The period of time in which Earth's magnetic polarity reverses itself.

Earth and Space Science (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions