Earth Science EXAM #1

Deductive reasoning

Focuses on observation; involves logical conclusions drawn from general premises.

Inductive reasoning

Deals with inference; involves generalizing from specific observations.

Atacama Desert dryness

Caused by cold ocean currents and trade wind latitude, but not by intense evaporation.

Coriolis Effect

Influences Trade Winds and ocean gyres but not sinking polar air.

Features D

In landforms, refers to Terminal Moraine.

Wind-driven sediment transportation

Does not include Hoodoo; involves creep, saltation, and sliding stones.

Rifting

Current activity evident in the East Africa region.

NOT important in judging the credibility of a source?

Made by scientists who have never been wrong before

Clouds at the equator

Maintain speed due to inertia when blown northward.

Alpine glacier

Confined to a long, narrow valley in mountainous areas.

Ephemeral streams

Characteristic includes being dry much of the year and not being fed by groundwater.

Desertification feedback loop

Arid conditions kill plants, making soil less able to absorb moisture.

Tributary glaciers

Five tributary glaciers join to form the trunk glacier.

Plate sinking evidence

Lines of progressively-deeper earthquakes near arcs and trenches.

Glacier melting effects

Leads to isostatic rebound of land and rising sea levels.

Coriolis Effect wind deflection

In the Northern Hemisphere, wind deflects to the right.

Dominant erosion agent in deserts

Water is more effective than dust storms and wind.

Earth layers description

Asthenosphere moves plates, outer core is the only liquid layer, lithosphere is made of plates.

Glacier advancement factors

Global warming hinders glacier advance.

Liquid magma creation

Occurs in subduction zones.

What separates pseudoscience from science?

Concepts in science must be falsifiable.

Features F

Identified as a Horn in glacial landforms.

Transform fault example

San Andreas fault separates the Pacific Plate and North American Plate.

Desert dune characteristics

Cross bedding is most characteristic of dunes.

Desert landform similarity

Alluvial fan is similar to a river delta.

Glacier definition

An iceberg is NOT considered a glacier.

Plastic deformation

A material bends or flows when stressed by a force.

Faster rotating location

Brazil moves faster in the context of Earth's rotation.

Sandstone composition observation

The observation that 23% is quartz is a quantitative and objective observation.

Uniformitarianism inconsistency

A large asteroid impact led to mass extinction is NOT consistent with uniformitarianism.

Aristotelian empiricism

Fell out of favor as it relied on evidence only observable by human senses.

Transform boundary motion

Plates move by slipping past each other.

Uniformitarianism assumption

Processes have always followed the same set of rules of nature.

Glacial striations cause

Grains of rock in ice grind against bedrock.

Ice Age trigger

Milankovitch Cycles cause glacial cycles.

Shallow earthquakes indicator

Often indicate a transform plate boundary.

Continental plate vs oceanic plate

Continental plates are ductile and can flow internally.

Igneous rocks formation

Igneous rocks form by crystallization.

Desert landscape sequence

Correct order: Alluvial Fan > Bajada > Inselberg.

Importance of piercing points

They track movement along transform boundaries.

Mid-ocean ridge danger level

It is the least likely to be dangerous to humans.

Drainage basins

Areas from which streams collect water separated by topographic highs.

Focus of an earthquake

Where the rupture of rock occurs beneath the Earth's surface.

Objective statement

An unbiased observation, e.g. 'I observed that it rained yesterday'.

Seismic intensity localization

In a horst-graben situation, seismic shaking is greatest in valleys.

Importance of objective observations

Help remove bias in scientific investigations.

Transform boundaries uniqueness

Characterized by fewer volcanoes compared to other boundaries.

Evidence against uniformitarianism

Banded iron formed as oxygen entered the atmosphere.

Antarctic ice sheet thickness

Can reach up to 13,000 feet thick.

Feature A

Identified as a Hanging Valley in glacial features.

Oceanic crust movement

As it moves away from the mid-ocean ridge, it gets colder.

Asthenosphere location

Is farthest from the surface during continental collisions.

Liquefaction requirements

Saturated unconsolidated sediment is necessary for liquefaction in earthquakes.

Driest state in America

Nevada holds the title of the driest state.

Theory definition

A well-tested and accepted concept in science.

Galileo's discovery evidence

Moons orbiting Jupiter proved Earth could not be the center of the universe.

Glacier advance definition

Terminus shifting forward indicates glacier growth.

Season affecting glacial budget

Summer controls the glacial budget with advance and retreat.

Ductile deformation location

Occurs in the lower part of the glacier where stress exceeds 100 kilopascals.

Earthquake location determination

Triangulation is used to determine earthquake locations.

Hot-spot volcanism difference

Hot spots display age trends compared to plate tectonic volcanism.

Hawaiian hot spot uniqueness

Different tectonic plate interactions set it apart from Yellowstone.

East coast seismicity explanation

Not near a plate boundary hence fewer earthquakes.

Quantitative data preference

Reveals trends for better analysis in scientific conclusions.

Dune type with limited sand

Barchan dunes indicate limited sand supply and constant wind.

Desert landform and salt flats

Playa is most associated with salt flats.

Desert weathering product

Desert varnish is a result of desert weathering.

Water budget definition

Compares precipitation to evaporation and discharge in hydrology.

Great Basin desert cause

Resulting from rain shadow and latitude.

Glacier base behavior

Ice slides over bedrock on a thin meltwater film.

Desert weathering and erosion rate

Slower due to limited water availability.

Rift feature prediction

An ocean basin can form as a rift develops.

Richter scale energy relation

An increase of one corresponds to 32 times more energy released.

Coriolis Effect in the Southern Hemisphere

Hurricanes rotate clockwise as influenced by the Coriolis Effect.

Great Basin uniqueness

All water drains internally without reaching the ocean.

Saltation effect on sand grains

Generates rounding and frosting on the surface of saltating grains.

Inductive reasoning example

Discovery of a new mineral on Mars leads to new water hypotheses.

Ephemeral streams definition

Streams that are dry much of the year.

Inductive reasoning advantage

Focus on observation rather than conclusions.

Lake Bonneville formation cause

Resulted from less evaporation and more precipitation.

Crustal divergence feature

Mid-ocean ridges are associated with crustal divergence.

Continental subduction reason

Continents have lower density which prevents subduction.

Natural sandblasting effect

Yardang forms from natural sandblasting.

Continental collision mountain formation

Similar densities of plates prevent one from subducting beneath the other.

Liquid Earth layer

Outer core is the liquid layer of the Earth.

Event marking recent ice age onset

Closing of the gap between North and South America occurred about 3 million years ago.

Seismic shaking measure

Mercalli Scale measures qualitative seismic shaking.

Feature G identification

Identified as a Cirque in glacial landforms.

Scientific method hypothesis process

Hypothesis development typically follows observation.

Science deniers arguments

Do not generally present alternative scientific data.

Geologic conclusion technique usage

Comparing ancient rocks and fossils to modern counterparts.

Crust age towards mid-ocean ridge

The crust gets younger as you approach mid-ocean ridges.

Deep Earth information source

Seismic waves provide the most direct information about the Earth's interior.

Wegener's hypothesis support lack

He couldn't provide a mechanism for continental drift.

Glacial evidence in valleys

A U-shaped valley with a broad bottom suggests glacial occupation.

Wilson Cycle sequence after collision

Rifting is likely to occur after continental collision.

Deepest earthquake location

Subduction zones are associated with the largest and deepest earthquakes.

Post-experimentation process in scientific method

Typically involves peer review.

Transform faults movement

Move left (sinistral) and right (dextral).

Ice age solar energy reflection reason

The albedo effect from ice and snow is primarily responsible.