CETs EARTH SCIENCE

formal, social, natural science

the main branches of science

formal science

branch of science that deals with abstract structures in formal systems (math and logic)

social science

branch of science that deals with human behavior around its social and cultural aspects

natural science

branch of science that deals with natural phenomena

life science, physical science

the branches of natural science

biology

branch natural science that studies life

physics

branch of physical science under natural science that studies matter and how it behaves through space and time

chemistry

branch of physical science under natural science that studies matter and it’s characteristics, behavior, and changes

astronomy

branch of physical science under natural science that studies outer space

earth science

branch of physical science under natural science that studies earth

pure, applied science

branches of science categorized by their function

solar wind

stream of high energy particles sent into space which causes the light displays aurora borealis (in the north) and aurora australis (in the south)

prominences

storms that look like huge arches extending outward the suns surface

solar flares

more intense and shorter to appear than prominences

sunspots

dark, cooler parts of the sun’s surface

sun

a ball of hot plasma that serves as the source of

heat and light; holds 99.8% of the mass of the solar system

mercury

smallest planet; closest to the sun and has no atmosphere

venus

hottest planet and slowest rotation in the solar system; Earth’s “twin sister”

earth

only planet that supports life located in the “Goldilock’s zone”

mars

the red planet caused by iron oxide

jupiter

the largest planet known as “the gas giant” or “the great red spot”; mainly composed of hydrogen and helium

saturn

also a gas giant but has a ring

uranus

the coldest gas giant’ bluish color comes from methane ice

neptune

gas giant that’s farthest from the sun and the only planet not visible to the naked eye

pluto

dwarf planet

moon

Earth’s only natural satellite; brightest object in the night sky

asteroids

small rocky objects that orbit the sun

meteoroid

smaller rocks than asteroids that also orbit the sun; “space rocks”

meteor

meteoroids that enter the Earth’s atmosphere but burned up; “shooting stars”

meteorite

a fragment of an asteroid, comet, or meteoroid that reached Earth’s surface

light year

the distance light travels in one year

milky way

galaxy where the solar system belongs

supernova

explosion of a big star

black hole

areas in space with a very strong fravitational field that even light cannot escape

moon phases

a cycle that repeats every 29.5 days

29.5

days of the moon phases

spring, neap

kinds of tides

spring tides

type of tide that occur when the sun, earth, and moon line up which give the strongest tides

• every full and new moon

neap tides

type of tide that occur when the positions of the sun, earth, and moon produce a right angle and produce moderate tides

crust, mantle, core

compositional layers of the earth

lithosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core

mechanical layers of the earth

crust

compositional layer of the earth that is the outermost layer

mantle

compositional layer of the earth that lies between the crust and the core

• composed of aluminum and silicates

core

compositional layer of the earth that is the innermost layer that is composed of iron and nickel

lithosphere

mechanical layer of the earth that is the outermost and most rigid layer that includes the crust and top of the mantle

asthenosphere

mechanical layer of the earth called the “plastic layer” where the mantle flows easily (not liquid)

mesosphere

mechanical layer of the earth that includes the lower mantle where it flows more slowly

outer core

mechanical layer of the earth that is the liquid layer of the core and produces the earth’s magnetic field

inner core

mechanical layer of the earth that is the solid layer of the core due to intense pressure

transform, convergent, divergent

kinds of plate boundaries

transform

kind of plate boundary that happens when plates slide past away each other

• causes earthquakes

divergent

kind of plate boundary that happnes when plates move past away each other

• occurs in mid-oceanic ridges

convergent

kind of plate boundary that happnes when plates collide or move toward each other

continental-continental, oceanic-continental, oceanic-oceanic

types of convergence

continental-continental

type of convergence that occurse when two continental plates collide and results in little to no subduction

oceanic-continental

type of convergence that occurs between and oceanic and continental plate wherein the oceanic plate subducts beneath the less dense continental plate

• creates volcanic ranges

oceanic-oceanic

type of convergence that occurs between two oceanic plates and the older (and cooler plate) subducts beneath the younger one

magnitude

the size of the earthwuake measured using the richter scale

focus/hypocenter

a point at some depth in the crust where the earthquake originates

epicenter

the point on earth’s surface directly above the focus

body, surface

types of seismic waves

body waves

type of seismic waves that travel through earth’s interior

surface waves

type of seismic wave that travel through earth’s surface

primary, secondary

types of body waves

love, rayleigh

types of surface waves

p waves

longitudinal waves that can travel within earth’s surface and can pass through all kinds of media (solid, liquid, gas)

• faster than s waves

s waves

transverse body waves that can pass through solids

• side-to-side shaking of the surface

love waves

surface waves that move parallel to the earth’s surface (horizontally) and with a side-to-side motion

rayleigh waves

surface waves that move in an elliptical, rolling motion, similar to those on the surface of water

igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary

types of rocks

igneous rocks

rocks that are formed by the cooling and solidification of magma or lava

metamorphic

igneous or sedimentary rocks that are subjected to heat and pressure are metamorphosed

sedimentary

rocks formed by the accumulation of deposits or rock fragments, minerals, and/or fossils

fossils

preserved reamains of plants and animals found in rock, soil, or amber

paleontology

the study of ancient and prehistoric life through fossils

ichnofossils

preserves pieces of evidence of movement and activity of an organism that lived in the past (footprints, burrows, nests)

pangaea

the supercontinent that was composed of all the landmasses on earth during the late paleozoic and early mesozoic era

laurasia, gondwanaland

the supercontinents that resulted from the splitting of pangaea

paleomagnetism

the study of changes in the earth’s magentic field over millions of years

hotspot

a focused locale where hot plumes rise and melt the crust forming volcanic features and activities

exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere

layers of the atmosphere

exosphere

outermost layer of the atmosphere where artificial satellites orbit

thermosphere

the hottest later of the atmosphere where aurora mainly occurs

mesosphere

coldest part of the atmosphere where meateors start to be visible

stratosphere

part of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer where most commercial aircraft fly

troposphere

atmospheric layer that coincides with the surface of the earth and contains most of the air and water vapor in the atmosphere

barometer

instrument that measures air pressure

anemometer

instrument that measures wind speed

hygrometer

instrument that measure the humidity or amount of water vapor in the air

wind vane

instrument that indicates the direction of the wind

rain gauge

instrument that measure the amount of liquid pr

infiltration

the seepage of water from precipitation into the ground

salinity

the amount of dissolved salts in a body of water

sea breeze

breeze that occurs during the day when sea heats more slowly than the land

• air moves from the sea to the land

land breeze

breeze that occurs during the night wherein the land cools down faster

• air moves from land to sea

23.5 degree axial tilt

tilt of the earth

march equinox, june solstice, september equinox, december solstice

kinds of seasons

march equinox

the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere; autumn in the Southern Hemisphere

june solstice

beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere; winter in the Southern Hemisphere

september equinox

the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere; spring in the Southern Hemisphere