Year 11 ATAR Earth & Environmental Science 2025 Flashcards

Flashcards based on the Year 11 ATAR Earth & Environmental Science course outline for 2025, covering topics from the geosphere and dating to atmospheric processes and biogeochemical cycles.

What scientific theory is accepted as the best explanation for the origins of matter and energy in our universe?

The Big Bang theory

Approximately how many years ago did our planet form in the solar system?

4.543 billion years ago

What are the major layers of Earth, from the inside out?

Solid metallic inner core, liquid metallic outer core, silicate mantle, and crust

What principle is used to infer past events by observing present-day processes?

The Principle of Uniformitarianism

What data is used to assign precise dates to the relative geological timescale?

Data derived from the decay of radioisotopes in rocks and minerals

What properties characterize minerals?

Color, streak, luster, transparency, cleavage, fracture, hardness (Moh’s Scale), magnetism, and density

Into what groups are common minerals classified?

Silicates, Oxides, Sulfates, Sulfides, Carbonates, Native Elements, and Halides

Name the three processes in the rock cycle.

Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic

Describe igneous processes in the rock cycle.

Melting and crystallization

Describe metamorphic processes in the rock cycle.

Heat, pressure, and recrystallization

Describe sedimentary processes in the rock cycle.

Weathering, erosion, deposition, and diagenesis

What are some examples of sedimentary structures that provide evidence of past processes and depositional environments?

Cross-bedding, graded bedding, and mud cracks

Name some sedimentary rocks that can be identified according to their composition and texture.

Conglomerate, breccia, sandstone, limestone, siltstone, shale, and mudstone

How was the Earth's early atmosphere derived?

Volcanic outgassing during the cooling and differentiation of Earth

What are the layers of the modern atmosphere?

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere

Where did water on Earth's surface come from?

Volcanic outgassing and impact by icy bodies from space

Approximately when did life first appear on Earth, according to fossil evidence?

Approximately 4 billion years ago

Under what conditions do current theories suggest life emerged?

Anoxic atmospheric conditions in an aqueous mixture of inorganic compounds

How do index fossils enable correlation?

of rock strata for relative dating

How can the characteristics of past environments and communities be inferred?

From the sequence and internal textures of sedimentary rocks and enclosed fossils

What can be inferred from the fossil record regarding the diversification and proliferation of living organisms over time?

Increases in marine animals in the Cambrian period, and the catastrophic collapse of ecosystems (including mass extinction events)

What are some major sources of energy for Earth systems?

The Sun and the interior of Earth

What drives the movement of tectonic plates?

Transfers and transformations of heat and gravitational energy in Earth's interior, including mantle convection, plume formation, and slab sinking

Name some igneous rocks that can be identified based on texture and mineralogy.

Basalt, dolerite, gabbro, andesite, diorite, rhyolite, pegmatite, granite, pumice, tuff, and obsidian

What influences the net transfer of solar energy to Earth’s surface?

Its passage through the atmosphere, including interaction with atmospheric ozone and the physical characteristics of Earth’s surface, including albedo

What causes the naturally occurring Greenhouse Effect?

Reflection or scattering of some thermal radiation emitted from Earth’s surface by greenhouse gases back toward Earth

What causes systematic atmospheric circulation?

Movement of atmospheric air masses due to heating and cooling, and Earth’s rotation and revolution

What causes systematic ocean currents?

The behaviour of the global oceans as a heat sink, and Earth’s rotation and revolution

What phenomena can result from the interaction between Earth’s atmosphere and oceans?

El Niño and La Niña

What is the principal mechanism for the transformation of energy from the Sun into energy forms useful for living things?

Photosynthesis

What is involved in the biogeochemical cycling of matter, including nitrogen?

The transfer and transformation of energy between the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere