Earth Science Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing vocabulary related to Earth Science.

Biosphere

Includes all living organisms on Earth and the ecosystems they form.

Hydrosphere

Encompasses all of Earth's water, in various forms and locations.

Geosphere

Refers to the solid parts of the Earth, including the crust, mantle, and core.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding the Earth, held in place by gravity.

Evaporation

Water from the Earth’s surface turns into water vapor due to solar energy.

Transpiration

Plants release water vapor through tiny pores (stomata) in their leaves.

Condensation

Water vapor cools and condenses into clouds.

Precipitation

Condensed water droplets become heavy enough and fall back to the Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Runoff

Precipitation flows over the land, collecting in rivers, streams, and eventually reaching the oceans.

Infiltration

Some precipitation seeps into the ground, replenishing groundwater.

Groundwater Flow

Underground, water moves within aquifers, contributing to the overall water cycle.

Crust

The thinnest and least dense outermost layer of the solid earth.

Mantle

The largest and thickest layer of the earth, composed of very hot dense rock.

Core

The densest layer of the internal structure of the earth, made up of heavy metals.

Outer Core

The only liquid layer of the earth, composed of melted metals nickel and iron.

Inner Core

The solid center of the planet, composed mostly of iron, with immense temperature and pressure.

Lithosphere

The solid outer section of the earth, made up of the crust and the upper layer of the mantle.

Asthenosphere

A part of the upper mantle that flows like hot asphalt under heavy weight, where lithospheric plates float and move.

Mohorovicic Discontinuity (Moho)

The interface between the crust and the mantle.

Gutenberg Discontinuity

Marks the boundary between the mantle and the outer core.

Troposphere

The layer closest to Earth's surface where weather phenomena occur.

Stratosphere

Contains the ozone layer and is more stable than the troposphere.

Mesosphere

The coldest layer of the atmosphere where meteors burn up.

Thermosphere

Temperature increases significantly with altitude and contains the ionosphere.

Exosphere

The outermost layer, gradually thinning into outer space.

Earthquakes

Vibrations caused by earth movements at plate boundaries and at major fault lines.

Focus (Hypocenter)

The point within the earth where faulting begins.

Epicenter

The point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus.

Seismic Waves

Waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth.

Body Waves

Seismic waves that travel through the layers of the planet.

P-Waves (Primary Waves)

Fastest moving compressional seismic waves that can travel through solids and liquids.

S-Waves (Secondary Waves)

Seismic waves that move slower than P-waves and can only travel through solids.

Surface Waves

Seismic waves that travel only on the surface of the Earth.

Love Waves

Fastest type of surface wave that moves from side to side and can cause significant damage.

Rayleigh Waves

Surface waves that roll in a circular motion and are responsible for greater devastation during an earthquake.

Tsunami

Long wavelength oceanic waves generated by the sudden displacement of seawater by a shallow earthquake.

Liquefaction

Occurs when waterlogged sediments are agitated by seismic shaking.

Magnitude

A measure of the energy released at the source of the earthquake.

Intensity

Measures the effects of an earthquake at specific locations on the Earth's surface.

Volcano

An opening in Earth’s crust through which molten rocks, rock fragments, and hot gases erupt.

Vent

The opening from which lava flows, connected to the magma chamber.

Crater

The funnel-shaped pit at the top of a volcano.

Summit

The top of the volcano.

Magma

Molten rock beneath the Earth’s surface.

Lava

Magma that reaches the Earth’s surface and begins to flow.

Shield Volcanoes

Broad, gently sloping volcanoes with non-explosive eruptions of fluid, basaltic lava.

Lava Domes (Volcanic Domes)

Steep, dome-shaped mounds formed by slow, viscous lava eruptions.

Calderas

Large, depression-shaped features formed by the collapse of a volcano after massive eruptions.

Convergent Boundary

A boundary where two plates meet and push one another.

Subduction

The process where the denser plate sinks under another plate at a convergent boundary.

Volcanic Arc

A chain of volcanoes formed above a subducting plate.

Divergent Boundary

Regions where a plate moves away from each other/comes apart.

Rift Valley

A linear-shaped lowland between several highlands created by a geologic rift or fault.

Transform Boundary

Places where plates slide sideways past each other.

Hadean Eon

The Earth forms from the solar nebula.

Archean Eon

The earliest known life forms appear.

Proterozoic Eon

Cyanobacteria produce oxygen through photosynthesis.

Phanerozoic Eon

Rapid diversification of life forms, including many major groups of animals.

Paleozoic Era

The Cambrian Explosion, a major diversification of life, occurs.

Mesozoic Era

Dinosaurs and mammals first appear.

Cenozoic Era

Mammals diversify and become the dominant land animals.

Pangaea

A supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.

Igneous Rocks

Formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock (magma or lava).

Sedimentary Rocks

Formed from the accumulation and compaction of sediments or by the precipitation of minerals from water.

Metamorphic Rocks

Formed from the alteration of existing rock types through heat, pressure, and/or chemically active fluids.

Weather

Describes the short-term atmospheric conditions in a specific place at a specific time.

Climate

Refers to the long-term average of weather patterns in a particular region over a significant period.

Sea Breeze

Blows from the sea to the land during the day due to differential heating.

Land Breeze

Blows from the land to the sea at night due to differential cooling.

Polar Easterlies

Dry, cold prevailing winds that blow from the east, originating from the polar regions.

Westerlies

Winds that blow from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes.

Trade Winds

Steady winds that blow from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.

Monsoons

Seasonal wind patterns that cause dramatic changes in precipitation.

Tropical Depression

A cyclonic weather system with sustained winds of up to 38 mph.

Tropical Storm

A more intense cyclonic weather system with sustained winds ranging from 39 to 73 mph.

Hurricane

A type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which forms over warm tropical or subtropical waters with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour) or greater.

Typhoon

A tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere with sustained hurricane-force winds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph).

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

A belt of low pressure that encircles the Earth near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together.

Solar Eclipse

Occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking all or part of the Sun's light.

Lunar Eclipse

Occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.

Meteor

The streak of light produced when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up.

Meteoroid

A small rocky or metallic body traveling through space.

Meteorite

A meteoroid that survives its passage through the Earth's atmosphere and lands on the Earth's surface.

Comet

An icy body that releases gas or dust and typically has a visible coma.

Asteroid

A small rocky body that orbits the Sun, primarily found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Stellar Nebula

A vast cloud of gas and dust in space where star formation begins.

Protostar

The early stage of a star’s life where a dense core forms.

Main Sequence Star

The longest stage in a star’s life cycle, where the star is stable and hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium.

Red Giant / Supergiant

The phase where the star expands and cools, becoming much larger and redder.

White Dwarf

A small, dense, and hot remnant of a star’s core after shedding its outer layers.

Neutron Star

An extremely dense remnant made mostly of neutrons.

Black Hole

A region of space with gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape, formed from the collapse of a massive star’s core.

Sunspots

Dark spots on the photosphere caused by strong magnetic fields.

Solar Flares

Sudden, intense bursts of radiation from the Sun’s surface.

Solar Wind

A continuous flow of charged particles from the Sun.

Inner Core (Sun)

Central region where nuclear fusion occurs in the Sun.

Radiative Zone (Sun)

Region where energy is transferred from the core to the outer layers through radiation in the sun.

Convective Zone (Sun)

Outer layer where energy is transported by convection currents in the sun.

Photosphere (Sun)

The visible surface of the Sun, where most of the Sun’s light is emitted.

Chromosphere (Sun)

Layer above the photosphere where solar flares and prominences are visible.