EARTH SCI _ MIDTERMS (1)

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Energy during Chemical Reactions

The energy released during chemical reactions that often occur spontaneously.

Activation Energy

The energy required to start a chemical reaction, which is the difference between the required energy and the energy of the reactants.

Burning of Hydrogen Gas

An energy-releasing reaction where hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce water vapor, releasing heat, light, and sound.

Energy

The ability to do work or cause change, required for life processes. Energy resources are sources that can produce heat, power life, move objects, or produce electricity.

Law of Conservation of Energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.

Forms of Energy

Different types of energy, such as solar energy, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, wind energy, and biomass energy.

Renewable Resource

Energy that comes from a source that won't run out, usually with a low or zero-carbon footprint.

Solar Energy

Energy from the sun, used for light, heat, and electricity production through processes like nuclear fusion and photovoltaic cells.

Three Major Ways to Capture Solar Energy

Photovoltaic cells, concentrating solar power technology, and solar heating.

Geothermal Energy

Energy from the Earth's heat, generated by plate tectonics and used to drive turbines in power plants.

Hydroelectric Power/Hydroelectric Energy

Energy from the flow of water, captured by dams and converted into electrical energy through turbines.

Wind Energy

Energy from the wind, used for grinding grain, pumping water, and generating electricity through wind turbines.

Biomass Energy

Energy from burning organic or living matter, such as wood, crops, seaweed, and animal waste.

Non-Renewable Resources

Natural resources that cannot be replenished at a scale comparable to consumption, including nuclear energy, coal, petroleum, and gas.

Nuclear Energy

Energy generated through nuclear fission using radioactive elements like uranium.

Coal, Petroleum, and Gas

Fossil fuels formed over millions of years, used for generating electricity and providing fuel.

Water Resources

Earth's water sources, including oceans, seas, freshwater, rivers, streams, and groundwater.

Water Cycle

The continuous movement of water on Earth through processes like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Oceans

Large bodies of saltwater covering a significant portion of Earth's surface, including the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.

Seas

Smaller bodies of saltwater separated from coastal oceans by various island groups.

Freshwater

The small percentage of water on Earth's surface in the form of ice caps, glaciers, groundwater, and surface water like rivers and lakes.

Rivers

Large natural streams of flowing water that flow towards the sea, a lake, or other oceans.

Streams

Smaller natural flows of water that are smaller than rivers.

Groundwater

Water that seeps into the ground and fills the open spaces beneath the Earth's surface, divided into the zone of saturation and the zone of aeration.

Water Table

The surface that separates the zone of saturation and the zone of aeration in groundwater.

Lake

A depression in the land surface filled with water, influenced by rainfall and land conditions.

Water Use and Management

The various uses of water, including domestic, agricultural, power generation, industrial, and aquaculture purposes.

Livestock raising

Raising herds or flocks of animals for commercial purpose

Water scarcity

The demand for water exceeds the available supply

Water quality

Described in terms of pollutants present in water

Pollution

Reduction of water quality due to farming, forest clearing, road building, and mining

Clean Water Act of 2004

Provides comprehensive water quality management of all water bodies

Pedology

Study of soil, its kinds, and characteristics

Soil

Mixture of weathered rock fragments, mineral grains, organic debris, and moisture

Regolith

Unconsolidated rocky material covering bedrock

Pedogenesis

Process of soil development

Soil profile

Arrangement of soil horizons formed as time passes

O horizon

Consists of organic matter at stages of decomposition

A horizon

Consists of minerals and hummus, makes up topsoil

E horizon

Light-colored material with little organic material, zone of eluviation and leaching

B horizon

Zone of accumulation, also called subsoil

C horizon

Characterized by partially altered parent material

R horizon

Also known as bedrock or parent rock

Types of soil

Sandy, silty, clay, loamy, peaty, chalky, and alkaline

Reduce

Limiting the amount of waste generation

Reuse

Recovery of materials for the same or different purpose without changing properties

Recycle

Converting used material into a new product

Segregation

Separating solid waste at the point of origin

Collection

Removal of solid waste from the source

Composting

Controlled decomposition of organic matter into humus-like products

Landfill

Waste disposal site designed to control environmental impact

Incineration

Combustion of waste in the presence of oxygen

Liquid waste

Waste originating from various activities, including agriculture, domestic, and industrial

Gaseous waste

Waste generated from different sources of energy, causing air pollution

Oxides

Gaseous waste, including carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, methane, and hydrocarbons

Exogenic processes

Responsible for shaping Earth's surface and forming geologic features

Weathering

Process of rocks breaking into smaller pieces physically or chemically

Mechanical weathering

Breakdown of rock into smaller pieces by physical means

Chemical weathering

Breakdown of rock through chemical reactions

Erosion

Process of transporting weathered sediment by agents of erosion to different places

Agents of erosion

Running water, gravity, human activities, and animals

Splash erosion

Raindrops causing tiny particles of soil to be detached and moved

Sheet erosion

Removal of thin layers of soil due to water flow

Gully Erosion

The erosion process in which water flows in narrow channels, eroding gullies into great depth after a heavy rain.

Valley Erosion

The erosion process in which the continuous flow of water alongside land and downward movement deepens a valley.

Bank Erosion

The erosion process in which the continuous flow of water wears out stones along the bank of streams and rivers.

Coastline Erosion

The erosion process in which waves from oceans and seas crash onto shorelines and break down rocks into pebbles.

Seaside Cliff Erosion

The erosion process in which the continuous pounding of waves creates an arch that may fall, leaving nothing but rock columns called sea stocks.

Plucking

A way in which glaciers erode land by loosening and lifting blocks of rock and incorporating them into the ice as it flows over a fractured bedrock surface.

Abrasion

A way in which glaciers erode land by functioning like sandpaper to polish and smoothen the surface below as the ice and its load of rock fragments slide over the bedrock.

Mass Wasting

The mass movement of rocks and soil triggered by gravity, following weathering.

Water

A factor that triggers mass wasting by filling the pores in sediments, destroying cohesion among particles and adding weight to cause material to slide or move downslope.

Over Steepened Slopes

A factor that triggers mass wasting by producing unstable slopes and mass movements in unconsolidated granular materials, cohesive soils, regolith, and bedrock.

Vegetation Removal

A factor that enhances mass wasting by removing plants that contribute to slope stability through their root systems binding soil and regolith together.

Earthquakes

A factor that dislodges enormous volumes of rocks and unconsolidated materials, triggering mass wasting.

Rock Falls and Debris Falls

Types of mass wasting that occur when a piece or mass of rocks becomes dislodged and moves at free fall along a steep cliff.

Landslides

A sudden, fast movement of a cohesive mass of soil or rock, occurring in translational and rotational forms.

Flows

Refers to slurry or granular flows, which can be water-saturated or not.

Creep

The gradual downhill movement of soil and regolith.

Mudflow

The rapid movement of earthflow with a higher water content.