Unit 1 - Early Earth Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Biology of the Living Earth Unit 1 Early Earth study guide, defining key terms related to Earth's spheres, scientific argumentation, and solar system formation.

Atmosphere

A layer of gasses surrounding a planet, moon, or other celestial body held in place by that object's gravity.

Biosphere

The global ecological system containing all living organisms and their relationships.

Geosphere

The solid part of Earth, rocks, minerals, landforms, soils, and layers of Earth's interior all the way to the core.

Claim

A direct statement or conclusion that answers a specific question or explains a natural phenomenon.

Evidence

Data and information gained through experimentation, systematic observation, measurement, and reasoning.

Reasoning

The logical and systematic processes used to form hypothesis, design tests, evaluate evidence, and draw valid conclusions.

Hydrosphere

The total amount of water on a planet, liquid, ice, water vapor, everywhere.

Photosynthesis

The biological process where plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar.

Anaerobic

Living, active, or occurring in the absence of free or molecular oxygen ($O_2$).

Aerobic

Living, active, or occurring only in the presence of free oxygen.

Solar System

A gravitationally bound group of celestial objects centered on a star.

Radiometric Dating

A scientific method used to find the absolute age of rocks, minerals, or organic remains.

Lunar Rocks

Any piece of solid matter that originates from Earth's moon.

Meteorite

Solid piece of debris from an asteroid, comet, or meteoroid that originates in space and survives its passage through a planet's or moon's atmosphere to reach the surface.

Plate Tectonics

The scientific theory that Earth's outer shell is split into huge, solid pieces called tectonic plates.

Erosion

The geological processes where natural forces wear away rock, soil, and rock debris from the Earth's surface and move it to another place.

Planet

A celestial body that orbits a star, has enough mass for its gravity to make it round, and has cleared other objects out of its orbit.

Accretion Disk

A flat, spinning ring of gas, dust, and plasma that orbits a heavy space object like a star or black hole.

Nebula

Giant cloud of dust and gas from outer space.

Planetesimal

A tiny, solid object formed from cosmic dust and rock early in the solar system.

Crater

A bowl-shaped pit or circular hollow on the surface of a planet, moon, or other solid body.

Composition

What a substance is made of and the amounts of each part in it.

Terrestrial

Relating to the planet Earth or living and growing on land instead of in water or air.

Crust

The outermost solid shell of a rocky planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite.

Volcano

A vent or opening in a planet's crust that lets hot magma, ash, and gases escape from deep inside.

Nuclear fusion

A reaction where two light atomic nuclei combine to form a singular, heavier nucleus, releasing a massive amount of energy.

Cyanobacteria

Organisms that used photosynthesis to create oxygen, causing oxygen to build up in the atmosphere over time.

Stellar winds

Blasts of energy, particles, and winds sent out by the sun that blasted off the gases of the first $4$ planets, making them smaller and rocky.