Earth and Life Science Review Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering Earth's structure, atmospheric layers, plate tectonics, geological history, the solar system, and biological classifications.

Crust

The layer of Earth consisting of rocks and soil that floats on the mantle.

Mantle

The thickest layer of Earth, made of thick solid rock substance that is plastic-like.

Outer Core

The layer comprised of lava, specifically iron and nickel.

Inner Core

A solid ball made of iron and nickel that extends toward the center of the earth and is the hottest part of the planet.

Troposphere

The lowest level of the atmosphere where weather occurs and temperature decreases as altitude increases.

Stratosphere

The second lowest layer of the atmosphere where the Ozone Layer is located; temperature rises with altitude and it is free of weather disturbances.

Ozone Layer

Located in the stratosphere, this layer helps absorb harmful UV rays from the sun.

Mesosphere

The atmospheric layer where most meteors burn upon entry.

Thermosphere

A layer where the air is thin, solar radiations are absorbed, and temperatures get really hot.

Exosphere

The outermost layer where air is thin and it transitions into space.

Lithosphere

The solid portion of Earth made of the crust and upper mantle, divided into continental and oceanic crust.

Hydrosphere

The domain of Earth covered by $71\%$ water, where only $2.5\%$ of water is consumable by humans.

Atmosphere

The gaseous layers around the Earth, with Nitrogen being the most common gas.

Biosphere

The parts of Earth where living organisms reside.

Pangaea

A supercontinent formed over $200$ million years ago before the continents split apart.

Continental drift

The process by which the supercontinent Pangaea split up into the $7$ continents known today.

Plate tectonics

The science describing how the Earth's crust is broken into pieces called tectonic plates.

Convergent boundaries

Boundaries where plates move toward each other and collide, pushing land upward to form mountains.

Subduction

A process at a convergent boundary where one plate moves sideways and downwards into the mantle beneath another plate to form a volcano.

Divergent boundaries

Boundaries where two plates move apart, widening the space between them into a massive rift.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

A massive rift between South America and Africa caused by a divergent boundary.

Transform boundaries

Boundaries where Earth's plates slide past one another in opposite directions, creating pressure that leads to earthquakes.

Weathering

The process of breaking down rocks and the geosphere into smaller pieces through water, air, chemicals, plants, or animals.

Mechanical weathering

The process of breaking big rocks into little ones caused by frost, ice, plant roots, running water, or sun heat.

Chemical weathering

Weathering that involves changes in the surface of the rock's shape or color caused by substances like carbon dioxide, oxygen, and acids.

Erosion

The movement of weathered rocks by natural forces such as wind, water, or ice.

Primary (p waves)

The fastest seismic waves that can travel through solids, liquids, and gases.

Secondary (s waves)

Seismic waves that travel through Earth’s interior at about half the speed of primary waves and cannot travel through liquids or gases.

Surface waves

The slowest seismic waves that move along Earth’s surface rather than through the interior.

Hadean Eon

A period $4.5$ billion years ago with no life; Earth was formed from debris, temperatures were high, and the moon formed.

Archean Eon

A period $2.5$ billion years ago featuring the first form of life (prokaryote) and an atmosphere of volcanic and greenhouse gases.

Proterozoic Eon

A period $541$ million years ago where eukaryotes emerged and bacteria began producing oxygen.

Phanerozoic Eon

The period from $541$ million years ago to the present where vertebrates dominate oceans and life expands to land.

Tidal constituents

Forces that contribute to tides, including Earth's rotation and the moon's gravitational pull.

Tsunamis

Large powerful waves caused by geographical disturbances like earthquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions.

Transpiration

The process where plants suck water from roots to pores in leaves, releasing water vapor into the atmosphere.

Sublimation

The process of ice or snow turning directly into water vapor.

Fusion

The process inside a star where hydrogen atoms fuse together to make helium, creating the energy source for the star.

White dwarf

The dead, remnant core of a star left after nuclear fusion has ceased.

Black dwarf

What a white dwarf becomes after it cools down.

Mercury

The closest planet to the sun where $1$ year is $88$ days long.

Venus

The second planet from the sun and the hottest in the solar system due to high carbon dioxide trapping heat.

Jupiter

The largest planet with the shortest day ($9$ hours and $55$ mins) and four moons.

Saturn

A planet with $150$ moons (the largest being Titan) and rings made of dust and ice.

Uranus

A cold planet that takes $84$ Earth years to revolve around the sun and remains dark for half that time.

Neptune

Known as the ice giant, it has $14$ moons and takes about $165$ Earth years to revolve around the sun.

Rotation

The spinning of Earth on its axis, which defines one day.

Revolution

The Earth's orbit around the sun, which defines one year.

Lunar eclipse

An event occurring when the moon passes directly behind Earth into its umbra (shadow).

Solar eclipse

An event that happens when the moon moves in front of the sun.

Prokaryote

A unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus, mitochondria, or membrane-bound organelles; examples include archaea and bacteria.

Eukaryote

A multicellular organism that contains a nucleus, mitochondria, and membrane-bound organelles.

Mitochondria

Cell structures where energy is released from glucose and most respiration occurs.

Chloroplasts

Structures in green plant parts containing chlorophyll where photosynthesis occurs.

Binary fission

A type of asexual reproduction where a single parent cell doubles its DNA and then divides into two cells.

Parthenogenesis

A form of asexual reproduction where an embryo develops from an unfertilized cell.

Complete metamorphosis

An insect transformation involving four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Incomplete metamorphosis

An insect transformation involving three stages: egg, nymph (no wings), and adult.

Cold-blooded

Animals with a body temperature that varies with the environment, such as amphibians, reptiles, and fish.

Warm-blooded

Animals that maintain a constant body temperature regardless of the environment, such as mammals and birds.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.

Commensalism

A relationship where one organism benefits while the other is unharmed and does not benefit.

Parasitism

A relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.