Earth Systems Midterm (Ch. 1-6)

Formally, a _______ is defined as a group of interacting, or interdependent, parts that form a complex whole. (Ch. 1)

System

The first step of the scientific method takes place when an ____ is made regarding some event or characteristic of the world. (Ch. 1)

Observation

The ____ is the mixture of gases- predominantly nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, & water vapor - that surrounds the earth. (Ch. 1)

Atmosphere

A ____ is a statement that some aspect of nature is always observed to happen in the same way & no deviations have ever been seen. (Ch. 1)

Law

When a hypothesis has been examined & found to withstand numerous experimental tests & makes a fundamental generalization about nature, the hypothesis is classified as a ____. (Ch. 1)

Theory

The ____, which is the slid earth, is composed primarily of rock & negolith (the irregular blanket of loose, uncemented rock particles that covers the solid Earth). (Ch. 1)

Geosphere

The ____ is part of the Earth System, which lies beyond Earth's atmosphere, including the planets, stars, etc. (Ch. 1)

Exosphere

A scientific investigation provides understanding through ____. (Ch. 1)

Experimental evidence

The ____ is the totality of the Earth's water, including oceans, lakes, streams, under-ground water, & all the snow & ice. (Ch. 1)

Hydrosphere

Science advances by the application of the ____, a systematic approach to answering questions about the Universe. (Ch. 1)

Scientific method

Obsidian exhibits this texture. (Ch.2)

Glassy

Bowen's reaction series helps to explain different igneous rock textures. (Ch.2)

False

According to Bowen's series: (Ch.2)

Quartz forms last

Which mineral would not have a metallic luster? (Ch.2)

Calcite

The hardness of a mineral is rated using the (Ch.2)

Mohs scale

Sedimentary rocks (Ch.2)

May contain fossils, hold important clues to Earth's history, are layered (all of the above)

The most abundant chemical sedimentary rock is ( Ch.2)

Limestone

The classification of rocks is based on (Ch.2)

Texture & composition

The common rock produced by the metamorphism of limestone is (Ch.2)

Marble

List the two most abundant elements found in Earth's crust. (Ch.2)

Silicon & oxygen

Pioneering investigations into the crystallization of magma were carried out by ____. (Ch.2)

Bowen

Olivine & quartz are commonly found together in the same rock. (Ch.2)

False

Limestone & dolomite are ____. (Ch.2)

Carbonates

This rock gets it's name from a chain of mountains in South America (Ch.2)

Andesite

The mass of an atom is concentrated in its (Ch.2)

Nucleus

Igneous rock is formed. (Ch.2)

By crystallization of molten rock

A mineral can be composed entirely of one element. (Ch. 2)

True

The color of a mineral in its powdered form is known as ____. (Ch. 2)

Streak

An example of a metamorphic rock is. (Ch.2)

Marble

All minerals exhibit cleavage (Ch.2)

False

Heat & pressure change rocks into. (Ch.2)

Metamorphic rocks

On Mohs hardness scale, which is the softest mineral?

Talc

An example of a sedimentary is _____.

Shale

An aggregation of one or more minerals that have been brought together into a cohesive solid is a. (Ch.2)

Rock

Each element is defined by the numbers of. (Ch.2)

Protons

You are planning a garden and need soil that will hold moisture for plant growth but also drain well. The soil that you want to purchase is. (Ch.3)

Loam

Tree roots grow & expand, & eventually break through a sidewalk. This is an example of. (Ch.3)

Wedging

Decay-resistant, altered organic material is. (Ch.3)

Humus

The formation of a shallow layer of water by rain on the surface, which dissolves materials & carries fragments away, is called. (Ch.3)

Sheet erosion

Chemical weathering, the dissolving or breaking down of minerals in rocks, is also called. (Ch.3)

Decomposition

The deposit at the mouth of a river where sediments are dropped is called a. (Ch.3)

Delta

The agent that has the least ability to erode is. (Ch.3)

Wind

A likely source of loess is. (Ch.3)

Rock flour

The picking up of loose materials from the surface by wind is. (Ch.3)

Deflation

Freezing water exerts pressure on the wall of a crack in a rock mass, making the crack larger. This is an example of. (Ch.3)

Mechanical weathering

The slow movement downhill of soil on the side of a mountain is called. (Ch.3)

Creep

Damage to the Lincoln Memorial by rain & smog is an example of. (Ch.3)

Chemical weathering

A mixture of unconsolidated weathered earth materials & humus is. (Ch.3)

Soil

The weak acid formed by the reaction of water with carbon dioxide is. (Ch.3)

Carbonic acid

Muddy water rushing downstream after a heavy rain is an example of. (Ch.3)

Transportation

The soil called loam is. (Ch.3)

Equal amounts of sand, silt, & clay

Small changes that result in the breaking up, crumbling, & destruction of any kind of rock are. (Ch.3)

Weathering

The wide, level floor of a valley built by a stream is called a. (Ch. 3)

Floodplain

What are you doing to crock if you dissolve it in acid? (Ch.3)

Chemical weathering

The major processes of wind erosion are. (Ch.3)

Abrasion & deflation

The process or physically removing weathered materials is called. (Ch.3)

Erosion

What are you doing to the fragments of a smashed rock if you carry the fragments to a new location? (Ch.3)

Transportation

The phrase weathering of rocks means. (Ch.3)

Physical or chemical destruction

Fragments of rocks fall into a mountain stream & are carried into the valley. This is an example of. (Ch.3)

Transportation

The physical breakup of rocks without any changes in their chemical composition is. (Ch.3)

Mechanical weathering

The farthest advance of an alpine valley glacier is marked by a deposit of: (Ch.4)

Terminal moraine

A streamlined asymmetrical hill composed of till is a. (Ch.4)

Drumlin

During the most recent ice age, glaciers covered about ____ percent of Earth's land area. (Ch.4)

30

Desert pavement is ____. (Ch. 4)

A layer of course rocks & pebbles left by deflation

The Great Ice Age is believed to have ended approx. (Ch.4)

10,000 to 15,000 years ago

The term “drift” (Ch. 4)

Means any sediments of glacial origin

In deserts, the main cause of erosion is. (Ch.4)

Running water

A bowl-shaped hollow ne'er the top of a high mountain range where snow & ice accumulate & erode is a: (Ch.4)

Cirque

A playa is a dry, flat lake bed on the floor of a desert basin. (Ch.4)

True

The most important condition needed for the accumulation of glacial ice is: (Ch.4)

Winter snowfall should be greater then summer melting & evaporation

A ____ forms when a block of ice is buried in drift subsequently melts creating a pit. (Ch.4)

Kittle

Which of the following is a wind deposit? (Ch.4)

Both loess & dune

How much of the earth's land area is classified as desert? (Ch.4)

30%

Dessert pavement is the result of. (Ch.4)

Deflation

A ____ is an accumulation of earth, stones, & other debris deposited by a glacier. (Ch.4)

Moraine

A glacier forms when. (Ch.4)

A solid mass of snow moves downhill under the influence of gravity

The windward slope of a sand dune is known as the slip face. (Ch.4)

False

Crevasses form in the zone of fracture. (Ch. 4)

True

The loess deposited in many parts of the mid-west. (Ch.4)

Was once glacial outwash deposits

Running water is the most important erosial agent in arid regions. (Ch.4)

True

A broad accumulation of stratified drift deposited adjacent to the downstream edge of an end moraine is an. (Ch.4)

Outwash plain

How does an alpine glacier modify the valley through which it moves? (Ch.4)

Deepens it, widens it, straightens it, (all of these)

What feature is created when two lateral moraines join? (Ch.4)

Medial moraine

Drumlins are? (Ch.4)

Not found singly, but in clusters

The hole left behind by melting blocks of ice in glacial moraine is a: (Ch.4)

Kettle

The name of the single large continent suggested by Wegener is. (Ch.5)

Pangaea

The Red Sea was formed along a. (Ch.5)

Divergent boundary

Plates move apart leaving a gap at. ( Ch. 5)

Divergent plate boundaries

The three main areas of Earth's interior are. (Ch.5)

Core, mantle, & crust

Convergent boundaries are zones where plates. (Ch.5)

Move together, causing one to go beneath the other

Plates move together along. (Ch.5)

Convergent plate boundaries

Iceland is located along a. (Ch.5)

Divergent boundary

Records of the strength & directions of Earth's magnetic field are found in. (Ch.5)

Igneous rocks

Subduction zones are associated with. (Ch.5)

Convergent plate boundaries

The Mid-Atlantic ridge is an example of a. (Ch.5)

Divergent boundary

Evidence from meteorite studies proposes that the core is composed of. (Ch. 5)

Nickel & iron

The asthenosphere is. (Ch.5)

A source of magna at divergent boundaries

San Andres fault exemplifies this type of plate boundary. (Ch.5)

Transform fault boundary

The energy that causes plates to move is derived from. (Ch.5)

Earth's internal heat

Divergent boundaries are zones where plates. (Ch.5)

Move apart