2025 Environmental Science 1st Semester Test

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

after a mining company stops mining in an area it requires them to replace the topsoil, replant vegetation, contour the land, and monitor the land for 5-10 years

dispersant

an oil cleanup method that uses chemicals that are sprayed on a surface oil slick to break down the oil into smaller droplets that more readily mix with the water

What is the cleanest fossil fuel?

natural gas

What is the most abundant fossil fuel?

coal

3 types of oil spills

well, tanker, pipeline

boom

an oil cleanup device that is a floating, physical barrier to oil, made of plastic, metal, or other materials that slows the spread of the oil and keeps it contained

tar sands oil

a type of oil that is a mixture of clay, sand, water, and viscous bitumen

hydraulic fracturing

using drilled holes and fluid injection to release natural gas from surrounding rocks

Where are natural gas deposits found?

above oil deposits

conventional oil

a fluid mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur that occurs in underground deposits

What was the largest oil spill in US history?

Deep Water Horizon

skimmer

an oil spill cleanup device that uses suction, belts, disks, and/or mops to recover oil from the water's surface

conditions that improve the quality of coal

heat, pressure, depth

aftershock

a small earthquake that follows the main earthquake

stratovolcano characteristics

a composite volcanic cone built of interlayered lava flows and pyroclastic materials

divergent boundary

a tectonic plate boundary where two plates move away from each other

earthquake epicenter

the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus where the earthquake is the strongest and the most damage occurs

transform boundary

a tectonic plate boundary where two plates are sliding past each other horizontally in opposite directions or in the same direction at different rates

What are the 2 types of body waves?

P waves and S waves

Where are most of the world's volcanoes located?

Ring of Fire

convergent boundary

a tectonic plate boundary where two plates move toward each other, the less dense one slips under the more dense one

cinder cone volcano characteristics

a steep, cone-shaped hill or small mountain made of volcanic ash, cinders, and bombs (molten rock) piled up around a volcano's opening

shield volcano characteristics

a wide, gently sloping mountain made of layers of lava and formed by quiet eruptions

seafloor spreading

the process by which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge

ways that a mineral will form

crystallization from magma, hydrothermal solutions, recrystallization due to pressure and temperature

intrusive igneous rock

a rock formed from cooling magma beneath the Earth's surface

chemical weathering

chemical reactions dissolve or alter the minerals in rocks or change them into different minerals

5 characteristics of a mineral

naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, crystal structure, definite chemical composition

compaction

a lot of sediments are pressed together and eventually form a rock

biological weathering

the breakdown of rocks by living things

regional metamorphism

formation of metamorphic rock caused by extreme pressure deforming the parent rock, occurs at a convergent plate boundary

contact metamorphism

formation of a metamorphic rock caused by magma coming into contact with existing rock

mass wasting

erosion caused by gravity

What are sulfur scrubbers used for?

used to remove the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide released from the burning of fossil fuels at energy plants

What is the main way that mining can contaminate the water?

increased turbidity

acid mine drainage

pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams

biotic

living or once living things, ex. plants, animals, corpses

abiotic

non-living things, ex. rocks, oxygen, water

biosphere

all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

atmosphere

the layers of gases immediately surrounding the earth

geosphere

the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle

hydrosphere

all the waters on the earth's surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth's surface, such as clouds.

carbon cycle processes

photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, combustion

ocean acidification

when CO2 dissolves in seawater, it reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which lowers ocean pH

aquifer

a body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater, held by a layer of impermeable rock

water cycle

evaporation/transpiration: water turns into gas, condensation: water turns into liquid in a cloud, precipitation: liquid water falls back down to earth

layers of atmosphere in order (closest to Earth to furthest)

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

weather front

a boundary that forms when air masses meet that have different temperature, pressure, and humidity conditions (causes weather)

permeable

capable of allowing liquids or gases to pass through

impermeable

not allowing liquids or gases to pass through