Comprehensive Study Notes on Earth Science and the Universe ((FLASHCARDS)

What is Earth Science?

The comprehensive study of our Earth.

What does Geology study?

The specific study of the materials and processes that operate beneath and upon the surface of the Earth.

What is Astronomy?

The study of the universe, the origin of planets, and the various members of the solar system.

Define Oceanography.

The study of the composition and movements of seawater, coastal processes, topography, and marine life.

What does Meteorology focus on?

The study of the atmosphere and the elements that produce weather.

What is Cosmology?

The study of the universe as a whole, including its properties, structure, and evolution.

What is the Big Bang?

The event that marked the beginning of the universe approximately between 10 and 15 billion years ago.

What was the initial state of the universe?

All energy and matter were originally compressed into an extremely hot and dense state.

What is significant about 13.7 billion years ago?

It marks the approximate time when the universe began to expand following the Big Bang.

What occurred 3 minutes post-Big Bang?

Great quantities of helium and hydrogen were created.

What are examples of galaxies?

Milky Way, Large Magellanic Cloud, Andromeda, Cigar Galaxy, and Tadpole Galaxy.

Explain the Big Bang Theory.

It suggests all energy and matter were compressed into a hot, dense state and expanded from a cataclysmic explosion around 13.7 billion years ago.

What is the Creationist Theory?

It posits that God, the Supreme Being, created the entire universe out of nothing.

What does the Oscillating Theory propose?

It suggests that the expansion of the universe will eventually halt and then collapse back to its original form.

What is the Steady State Theory?

It claims that the universe has always been the same since the beginning and will remain in its present state for eternity.

What is the Solar System made up of?

A variety of celestial bodies including the Sun, planets, satellites, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids.

How long does it take for Mercury to rotate?

58 days.

What is the rotation period of Venus?

243 days.

Describe Earth's position in the solar system.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only known planet to support life.

What is the distance of Earth from the Sun?

93 million miles.

What is defined as the Goldilocks Zone?

The habitable zone where temperature ranges allow for liquid water and the potential for life.

What does Earth's atmosphere consist largely of?

78% Nitrogen (N₂).

What is the role of Earth's magnetic field?

It deflects harmful solar winds and radiation.

What covers 71% of Earth's surface?

Water (H₂O).

What are CHNOPS?

Essential nutrients including Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), Oxygen (O), Phosphorus (P), and Sulfur (S).

Define Fault in geological terms.

A break or fracture in the Earth's crust along which significant movement has taken place.

What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?

A horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes and seismic activity associated with subduction zones.

What is the Nebular Hypothesis?

The theory that the Solar System formed from a giant rotating cloud of gas and dust.

What occurs during planetesimal formation?

Dust particles collide and stick together, forming larger bodies through accretion.

What is the difference between the highest and tallest mountain?

The highest mountain is the peak furthest away from sea level, while the tallest mountain is the peak furthest away from the base of the mountain.