ES 1st Semester Exam Review (1-10)

geology

study of the Earth

Oceanography

study of oceans including the composition & movements of seawater, as well as coastal processes, seafloor topography, & marine life

Meterology

study of atmosphere & the processes that produce weather & climate

astronomy

study of the universe

hydrosphere

water portion of Earth

cryosphere

portion of hydrosphere that controls frozen water

latitude

distance north or south of the equator

longitude

distance east or west of the prime meridian

map

flat representation of Earth's surface

prime meridian

0 degrees longitude

contour interval

difference in elevation between adjacent lines

renewable resource

can be replenished over relatively short time spans

renewable resources examples

plants/animals, natural fibers for clothing, forest products, energy from flowing water, wind & sun

nonrenewable resource

processes that create these are slow & may take millions of years for significant deposits to accumulate

nonrenewable resource examples

metals (iron, aluminum, copper), oil, natural gas & coal

nitrogen

Most abundant gas in the atmosphere

matter

anything that has volume & mass

periodic table

chart where elements are organized by their properties

proton

dense particles with positive charge

electron

small particles with little mass & negative charge surrounding the nucleus

atomic number

of protons in nucleus of atom

isotopes

atoms with same number of protons but different number of neutrons

compound

substance that consists of two or more elements that are chemically combined in specific proportions

covalent bond

form when atoms share electrons

molecule

neutral group of atoms joined by one or more covalent bonds

ductile, malleable, conductor

properties of metals

mineral

naturally occurring, inorganic solid with an orderly crystalline structure & definite chemical composition

magma

molten rock formed deep within Earth

silicates

most common minerals on Earth

hardness

measure of the resistance of a mineral to being scratched

Mohs scale

consists of 10 minerals arranged from 10 (hardest) to 1 (softest)

density

property of all matter that is the ratio of an object's mass to its volume

sulfur

streak smells like rotten eggs

rock

solid mass of mineral or mineral-like matter that occurs naturally as part of our planet

lava

magma that reaches Earth's surface

weathering

process in which rocks are physically & chemically broken down by water, air, & living things to produce sediment

intrusive igneous rock

form when magma hardens beneath Earth's surface (granite)

extrusive igneous rock

form when lava hardens (rhyolite)

erosion

involves weathering & removal of rock by water, wind, ice or gravity

deposition

process where sediments drop once force carrying them stop (wind, water, etc)

how they form

How are rocks classified?

bottom

Where are oldest layers found in sedimentary rock?

sedimentary

type of rock with fossils

metamorphic rock

form when existing rocks are changed by heat or pressure

texture & composition

How are metamorphic rocks classified?

foliated metamorphic rock

rock with a texture that gives rock a layered appearance (gneiss & schist)

sedimentary

rock formed when sediment is compacted & cemented

igneous rock

rock that forms when magma cools and solidifies

mechanical weathering

occurs when physical forces break rock into smaller and smaller pieces without changing the rock's mineral composition

exfoliation

when pressure on rocks reduced, the outer layers of rock expand more than rock below & slabs of outer rock separate like layers of an onion & break loose

water

most important agent of chemical weathering

spheroidal weathering

when water enters along the joints in a rock, it weathers the corners and edges most rapidly so the corners and edges become more rounded & rock takes on a spherical shape

differential weathering

when different parts of rock mass often weather at different rates

regolith

layer of rock & mineral fragments produced by weathering that covers nearly all of Earth's land surface

humus

organic matter in soil

parent material

source of mineral matter in soil

pedalfer

usually forms in temperate areas, most often in forested areas in eastern US

pedocal

found in drier western US in areas that have grasses & brush vegetation

gullies

as more water enters the rills, they erode the soil further, creating trenches

gravity

primary force behind mass movements

slide

block of material moves suddenly along a flat, inclined surface

mudflow

flows that move quickly & are common in semiarid mountainous regions

creep

slowest type of mass movement which usually travels only a few millimeters or centimeters per year

infiltration

movement of surface water into rock or soil through cracks & pore spaces

runoff

when rate of rainfall exceeds Earth's ability to absorb it, excess water flows over surface into lakes & streams

transpiration

process where plants absorb water & release it into atmosphere

headwaters

source of stream, usually in mountainous region

mouth

point downstream where river empties into another body of water

tributary

stream that empties into another stream

dissolved load

sediment carried in solution within stream

suspended load

most sediment in stream carried this way

oxbow lake

abandoned bend from once meander in a river

flood

occurs when discharge of stream becomes so great that it exceeds the capacity of its channel & overflows its banks

artificial levee

earthen mounds built on banks of river that increase the volume of water channel can hold

drainage basin

land area that contributes water to stream

zone of saturation

area where water fills all of the open spaces in sediment & rock

water table

upper limit of zone of saturation

hot spring

6-9° warmer than mean annual air temp where spring occurs

geyser

intermittent hot spring or fountain in which column of water shoots up with great force at various intervals

far below zone of saturation

where wells are drilled

stalactites

icicle-like stone pendants that hang from ceiling of cavern

stalagmites

formations that develop on the floor of cavern & reach up toward ceiling

ice age

period of time when much of Earth's land is covered in glaciers

valley glaciers

ice masses that slowly advance down valleys that were originally occupied by streams

Antarctica & Greenland

Where are the ice sheets located in the world?

iceberg

pieces of ice that break off into the ocean

glacial trough

U shaped valley created by glacier

cirque

bowl-shaped depression at head of glacial valley that is surrounded on three sides by steep rock walls

arete

snaking, sharp-edged ridges

horn

sharp pyramid-like peaks

outwash plain

wide gently-sloping apron of rock debris formed when streams of fast-moving meltwater emerge from bases of glacier

eskers

narrow winding ridges composed of sand & gravel that were deposited by streams once flowing in tunnels beneath glaciers

glacial erosion transformed lowlands into wide, deep basins that filled with water

How did Great Lakes form?

washes

dry channels in desert

alluvial fan

fan-shaped deposit of sediment formed when stream's slope is abruptly reduced

loess

windblown silt that has built up forming a thick deposit

sand dunes

deposits of sand in mounds or ridges when wind encounters an obstruction

earthquake

vibration of Earth produced by rapid release of energy within lithosphere

fault

break or fracture in lithosphere where movement has occurred during EQ

focus

point within Earth where EQ starts (located along fault beneath surface)