Which of the following is NOT one of the main areas of Earth Science?
D. astronomy
What is the study of the atmosphere and the processes that produce weather and climate?
meterology
According to the nebular hypothesis, our solar system formed from a huge rotating cloud made of mostly of what two gases?
helium and hydrogen
Which of Earth's spheres includes the oceans, groundwater, lakes and glaciers?
the hydrosphere
What is the first layer in Earth's Geosphere?
the crust
What is the third layer of the Geosphere?
athenosphere
What is the driving force for the movement of the lithosheric plates?
plate tectonics
The distance, measured in degrees, north and south of the equator is refered to as___.
latitude
On the global grid, the prime meridian is at _____.
0 degrees latitude
The crust and uppermost mantle makeup the rigid outer layer of Earth called the ______.
lithosphere
Differences in elevation are est shown using a __________ map.
topographic
On a topographic map, countor lines that form a circle indicate a(n)
hill
What are the two sources of energy for the Earth system?
earth's interior and the sun
Which of the foolowing is an evironmental hazard created by humans?
D. air pollution
Wich of the following is an example of a renwable reaource?
C. energy from flowing water
Reasources that can be replenished overa relatively short time spanane are called ________?
renewable resource
A scientific hypotheses can become a theory if ________?
the hypthesis is tested extensicely and competing hypothesis are eliminated
A preliminary untested explanation that tries to explain how or why things happen in the manner observed is a scientific (best guess) _______.
hypothesis
A scientific ideo that is well tested and widley accepted by the scientific community is cale a scientific ______.
theory
The most abundant element in Earth's continental crust ( by wieght) is ________.
Oxygen 46.6
What are the building blocks of minerals?
elements
the central region of an atom is called the __________.
nucleus
The smallest particle of an element is 6 and its mass number is 14, how many neutrons are contained in the nucleus?
8
An atom that loses or gains electrons is called a(n) _______?
Ion
Atoms containing the some numbers of protons and different numbers of neutrons are ________.
Isotopes
The mass number of an atom is otained by totaling the number of _____?
protons and neutrons
When two or more elements bond together in definite proportions, they form a(n) _____?
compund
which subatimic particles are most involves in chemical bonding?
electrons
The main types of chemical bonds are ________.
ionic, covalent, and metallic
what type of chemical bond forms between postive and negative ions?
Ionic
What is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with an orderly crystalline structure and a definite chemical composition?
mineral
Minerals for from bodies of water due to the process of _______.
precipitation
The process of mineral formation from magma is called _______.
crystallization
Mineral formation caused by high pressures and high temperatures would most likely occur in which of the following environments?
C. deep within Earth
A mineral that contains carbon, oxygen, and the metallic element magnesium would be classified as a(n) ________.
carbonate
The building block of the silicate minerals is called the ________.
silicon-oxygen tetrahedron
minerals with the silicon-oxygen structure are classified into what group?
silicates
All minerals in the in the sulfate and sulfide groups contain what element?
sulfur
The most common mineral group in Earth's crust in the _________.
Silicates
Which of the properties is generally the least useful in identifying minerals?
color
The appearance or quality of light reflected from the surfae of a mineral is called ______.
luster
The color of the powdered form of a mineral is called_________.
streak
Mohs scale is ue to determine what prperty of minerals?
hardness
The tendency of minerals to break along smooth flat surfaces is called ______.
clevage
What is the uneven breakage of a mineral called?
fracture
What is the density of a mineral with a mass of 41.2 and a volume of 8.2 cm3?
5.02
Which mineral will fizz in the contact with hydrochloric acid?
calcite
What is a naturally occuring, solid mass of mineral or mineral-like matter?
rock
Name the 3 main types of rocks
metamorphic, sedimentary, and ignous
All of the energy that drives Earth's rock cycle comes from _________.
Earth's interior and the sun
What type of rocks are formed by processes powered by the sun?
sedimentary
What is the process of the rock cycle.
igneous rock-weathering and erosion-sediment-compaction and cementation-sedimentary rocks-heat and pressure-metamorphic rocks-melting-magma-cooling (and them starts over again)
*ignous- heat and pressure- metamorpic
*metamorphic- weathering and erosion- sediments
Where is the energy source found that drives the processes that form igneous and metamorphic rocks?
Earth's Interior
A rock that forms when magma hardens beneath Earth's surface is called an ________.
Intrusive ignous
A rock that forms that forms from cooling lava is classified as an _____.
extrusive igneous
What is the use for fossils found in sedimentary rocks?
interpreting past environments
Fossils are only found in ________ rocks.
Sedimentary
Sedimentary rocks with ripple marks suggest that the roks formed _____.
along a beach or stream bed
What rock- like forming process occurs when hot magma forces its way into rock?
contact metamorphism
Renewable resources ________.
can be replenished over months, years or decades
Placer deposits form when _______.
heavy eroded particles settle out of moving water
Vein deposits are usually produced by _________.
hydrothermal solutions
Which of the following nonmetallic mineral resources is use both as a building material and as and indudtrial mineral?
limestone
The advantages of solar energy include the face that it is ________.
non-polluting
What is one of the drawbacks to hte extensive use of solar energy?
Mecessary equipment and installation are expensive
What is a problem associated with the increased use of nuclear energy?
coast of building safe nuclear facilities, major hazards involced in nuclear waste disposal, and a concern over the possibility of a serious nuclear accident
How does nuclear fission produce energy?
Controlled nuclear chain reaction prodices heat, driving steam turbines to produce energy.
Hydroelectric power is prodiced by _________.
falling water that turns the turbine
What is the source of geothermal energy?
very hot minerals deep underground
Fresh water is used for?
drinking, growing food, and cooking
What amount of Earth's total water supply is usable fresh water?
less than 1%
The process that occur when physical forces break rock into smaller pices wthout changing the rock's chemical composition is called ________.
mechanical weathering
which of the following weathering processes involves the constant freezing and thawing of water?
frost wedging
When water freezes, its volume _______.
increases
The gradual rounding of the corners and edges of angular blocks of ock is called_____________.
spheroidal weathering
Whenever the characteristics and chemical composition of weatered materials have been altered, they have undergone ________.
chemical weathering
What would cause the insciption on a marble gravestone to become harder and harder to read over time?
chemical weathering
The process responcible for moving material sownslpe uner the influence of gravity is called_________.
mass movement
What is the force that ultimately causes mass movements?
gravity
What factor commonly triggers mass movement?
saturation of surface materials with water, earthquakes and removal of vegitation.
What energy source runs/drives the water cycle?
the sun
Plants release water into the atmosphere through a process called ______.
transpiration
The single most important erosional agent on Earth is _________.
running water
One major cause of floods is _________.
rapid spring snow melt
Springs form where _________.
the water table intersects the ground surface
A fault is __________.
a fracture in the Earth where movement has occured
An earthquakes epicenter is where in relation to an earth quakes focus?
above the focus
when an earthquake occur's energy radiates in all directions from its source, which is called the ___________.
focus
Earthquakes are usually associated with ________.
faults
The hypothesis that explains the rapid release of which kind of energy stored in roc subjected to great foces?
elastic
The adjustments of materials that follow a major earthquake often generate smaller earthquakes called_____________?
afterschicks
Major earthquakes are sometimes preceded by smaller earthquakes called ___________.
foreshocks
The San Fransico eathquake of 1906 occured along what fault?
the san andreas fault
Which seismic wavestravel most rapidly?
p waves
Which seismic waves compress and expand rocks in the direction the waves travel?
p waves
Overall, which siesmic waves are the most destructive?
surface waves
What is the minimumnumber of siesmic stations tat is needed to determine the location of an earthquakes epicenter?
three
A travel-time graph can be used to find the _______________-.
focus of an earthquake
The scale most widely used by scientists for measuring earthquakes is the _________.
momnet magnitude
what instrument records earthquake waves?
seismograph
The trace or report that records and earthquake from seismic instruments is called a ______________.
seismogram
A tsunami can occur when there is veritical movement at a fault under _______.
the ocean floor
Why do earthquakes oftern cause damaging fires?
earthquake vibrations can break gas lines , and electrical lines
The Moho is _________.
boundary between the crust and mantle
earth's inner core is solid because of ____________.
immense pressure
Wegner's continental drift hypothesis stated that all the coninents once joined togherther to form _________.
one major super continent
The supercontinent in the continental drift hypothesis was called _________.
pangaea
One kind of evidence that supports Wegener's hypothesis is that __________.
fossils of the same organism have been foundon different continents
the geographic distribution of the seimming reptile Desosaurus prvides evidence that ______________.
South America and Africa were once joined
What was the main reason Wegner's continental drift hypothesis was rejected?
He could not provide a mechanism for the movement of the continents
According to the theory, the lithosphere is divided into ________.
7 major plates and many smaller plates
the lithosheric plates move an average of ______________.
5 cm per year
What kind of plate boundary occurs where two plates grind past each other without distroying or producing lithospere?
transform fault boundary
What type of boundary occurs where two plates move together, causing one plat to decend into the mantle beneath the other plate?
transform fault boundary
What is an example of transform fault boundary?
the san andreas fault
New ocean crust is formed a ________________.
divergent boundaries
what is the result when divergence occurs between two oceanic plates?
sea floor spreading
Deep ocean trenches are associated with _______________.
subduction zone
Continental volcanic arcs are assocated with what type of plate boundary?
convergent oceani-continental boundary
Strips of alternating magnetic polarities found in rocks in hte ocean basins _____________.
provide evidence for sea floor spreading
The thermal converction that drives plate motion is caused by _____________.
an unequal distribution of heat
What are the factors that help determine whether a volcanic eruption will be violent or relatively quiet?
amount of dissolved gases in the magma, temperatue and composition of magma
As the temperature of lava increases ___________.
its viscosity
a volcanic bomb is a ___________.
piece of semi- molten rock ejected as glowing lava
The particles of hardened laca ejected from a volcano are called ______________.
pyroclastic material
Large particles of hardend lava ejected form a volcano are called __________.
blocks
What is the most abundant gas associated iwth colcanic activity?
water vapor
what type of volcano is built almost entirely from ejected lava fragments?
cinder cone
The broad, slightly domed-shaped volcanos of hawaii are _________.
shiel volcanos
a volcano that is fairly symmetrical and has both layers of lava and pyroclastic deposits is a ____________.
composite come volcano
The most violent volcanic eruptions are associated iwth what type of volcano?
composite cones
The volcanic landforms at dicergent ocean plate boundaries are ____________.
oceanic ridges
Most of the active volcanoes on earth are located in a belt know as the
ring of fire
all changes in the original shape and or size of a rock body are called __________.
deformation
A material that undergoes tensional stress tends to
strech
What is not a type of stress seen in rocks?
treansitional stress
Folding is usually the reult of
compressional stresses
Tensional stresses commonly cause what kind of fault
normal faults
A fault in which the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall is a __________.