Earth and Space Science Review Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing key concepts in Earth and Space Science, covering topics from space systems and Earth's history to meteorology and Earth's systems.

What process occurs when hydrogen atoms fuse into helium under extreme temperature and pressure?

Nuclear Fusion

Where does nuclear fusion primarily occur?

In the Sun and other stars

What celestial event is capable of producing elements heavier than iron?

Supernova

What determines the ending of a star's life cycle?

Mass

What is the name of the process by which new atomic nuclei are created from existing nucleons?

Nucleosynthesis

What theory describes the origin of the universe as starting from an extremely hot, dense point?

Big Bang Theory

What evidence supports the Big Bang Theory?

Cosmic Microwave Background and Galaxies moving away

What are some pieces of evidence of Earth rotating?

Day and night, Coriolis effect, and Foucault pendulum

What movement of the Earth causes seasons and changes within the constellations?

Revolution around the sun

What is the degree of Earth’s tilt?

23.5 degrees

How many degrees does the Earth spin on its axis per hour?

15 degrees per hour

How many degrees does Earth revolve per day?

1 degree per day

What is the shape of a planet's orbit, according to Kepler's First Law?

Ellipse

What happens to a planet's speed when it is closer to the Sun, according to Kepler's Second Law?

Its speed increases

According to Kepler's Third Law, what is the relationship between a planet's distance from the sun and its period of revolution?

The farther the planet, the longer its period of revolution

What is the term for incoming solar radiation from the sun?

Insolation

What is the maximum amount of insolation in the Northern Hemisphere and when does it occur?

15 hours during the Summer Solstice

During which moon phase does a solar eclipse occur?

New moon

During which moon phase does a lunar eclipse occur?

Full moon

How long is a lunar month (full moon to full moon)?

29.5 days

How do you describe the positions of the sun, moon, and Earth during spring tides?

Straight line

What is planetary accretion?

The process by which solid materials in a protoplanetary disk collide and accumulate, eventually forming planets

How do scientists use radioactive decay to determine the absolute age of an object?

Radioactive dating using parent and daughter isotopes

What natural processes transport Earth's materials, altering or destroying evidence of past events?

Erosion

What type of plate boundary is associated with the creation of new ocean floor at a mid-ocean ridge?

Divergent Plate Boundary

What type of plate boundary is associated with subduction zones and volcanic activity?

Convergent Plate Boundary

What type of plate boundary is characterized by plates sliding past each other, leading to earthquakes?

Transform Plate Boundary

What geological feature is defined as a fracture in the Earth's crust where movement has occurred?

Fault

What geological feature forms at a divergent plate boundary where the crust is thin?

Rift Valley

What is a craton?

The continental crust’s core being very old that has the oldest rock on Earth.

What is the process of rocks breaking down into smaller pieces or altering their composition at the Earth's surface primarily called?

Weathering

What type of weathering breaks down rocks into smaller pieces without changing their chemical composition?

Physical Weathering

What type of weathering weakens the rock’s surface by altering its chemical structure?

Chemical Weathering

What constructive processes create new features on Earth (examples)?

Volcanic eruptions and uplifting land

What destructive processes wear down created features on Earth (examples)?

Weathering and Erosion

What is the process by which sediment settles in a new location?

Deposition

What is the term for when a tectonic plate sinks beneath another into the mantle?

Subduction

What powers plate tectonics and are produced by the heat of magma within the asthenosphere?

Convection Currents

What are magma and lava?

Molten rock

What type of rocks are formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock?

Igneous Rocks

What is the texture of a rock?

Size of crystals

Where do intrusive rocks form and do they cool quickly or slowly?

Inside Earth with magma, cools slowly

Where do extrusive rocks form and do they cool quickly or slowly?

Lava formed at the surface, cools quickly

What kind of rocks are formed by sediment being deposited, buried, compacted and/or cemented?

Sedimentary Rocks

What kind of rocks are formed with heat and pressure but never melt?

Metamorphic Rocks

What is the movement/building (EX: Acadin orogeny)

Orogeny

What is a missing rock layer called?

Unconformity

What is the name of gases escaping from Earth’s interior?

Outgassing

What causes surface ocean water to move in a specific direction, creating currents?

Wind Belts

What causes deflection of ocean currents and air masses?

Coriolis Effect

What causes deflection of ocean currents and air masses?

Coriolis Effect

In which direction North Hem ocean surface rotates due to CE (Clockwise or Counterclockwise)

Clockwise

What cycle explains how elements like carbon move through living, geological, and chemical systems on Earth?

Biogeochemical cycle

Provide example of greenhouse gases

Water vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide

What effect does water have on climate and weathering rates due to its high heat capacity?

Moderates climate and affects weathering rates

What property of water leads to chemical weathering of rocks?

Solvent Abilities

What does ‘Permeability’ mean?

The capacity of transmiting water

What are glacial clues?

Moraines (glacier debris) and shapes

Relate each word with its association CCW, inward, rises

Cyclones

Relate each word with its association Air Sinks, no clouds, outward

Anticyclones

What causes global winds?

Uneven heating of Earth

What is the movement of energy transferred by direct contact called?

Conduction

What is the movement of energy transferred by the mass motion of molecules called?

Convention

What is the movement of energy transferred by electromagnetic radiation called?

Raition

What does it mean when Isobards are close?

Windy

What does it mean when Isobards are far apart?

Calm winds

What happens to the rate of evaporation as humidity increase and temp increases??

Evaporation decreases when Humidity increases and Evaporation increases when Temp increases.

What happens to atmospheric pressure as elevation increases?

Atmospheric pressure decreases

What system is being pushed towards the northeast by the prevailing southwest winds that are located between 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude lines?

L pressure system

When during El Nino event, what happen to trades winds ?

They weaken

When during Cold Front event, the greater the difference in temp, the more likely what will happen?

There will be a major storm

What are the RECCP that leads to cloud formation?

R(Air rises), E(Expand air ‘thin air’, C (cools to dew point), C(condensation occurs) P(precipitation - after process)