Earth and Space Sciences Practice Exam Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts from Earth and Space Sciences, including cosmology, environmental science, geology, and orbital mechanics, based on the Regents High School Examination transcript.

Big Bang Theory

A physical theory describing how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and high temperature.

Cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR)

Energy distributed throughout the universe that provides evidence of the Big Bang, detectable because the universe cooled and became transparent.

Recessional velocity

The speed at which a galaxy moves relative to Earth; positive values indicate movement away from Earth.

Parsec

A unit of distance used in astronomy equivalent to approximately $3.26 \text{ light years}$.

Red-shift

Evidence used to determine the speeds of most galaxies on Hubble’s graph, indicating that they are traveling away from Earth.

Nucleosynthesis

The process by which stars create elements; the rate is influenced by the mass of the star.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)

An island of floating plastic in the North Pacific Gyre that is approximately $1.6 \text{ million square km}$ in size.

Bioaccumulation

The process through which plastics and microplastics are transferred through the marine food chain to larger organisms and humans.

Microplastics

Small fragments of plastic, often less than $1 \text{ mm}$ in size, which are difficult to capture with standard river and ocean cleanup methods.

Cyanobacteria

Early microbes that formed stromatolites and performed photosynthesis, using water as a fuel to release oxygen into the seawater.

Great Oxidation Event

An atmospheric change between $2.4 \text{ Ga}$ and $2.1 \text{ Ga}$ where oxygen levels increased and methane levels decreased.

Huronian Supergroup

A group of geologic formations $12 \text{ kilometers}$ thick that provide evidence of the first major glacial episodes on Earth.

Dropstones

Embedded volcanic or sedimentary fragments carried by glaciers and dropped into marine sediments, serving as evidence for glacial ice ages.

Banded iron formations

Some of the oldest sedimentary rocks on Earth that formed in oceans containing the planet's first available free oxygen.

Garnet

The official New York State mineral; it is dark red, glassy-looking, has a colorless streak, and is used as an abrasive.

Reclamation

The environmental process of returning a mine site to an ecological or economically usable condition after operations cease.

Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP)

A road resurfacing method that grinds existing road surfaces for on-site use, reducing mining impacts and carbon emissions.

Astronomical Unit (AU)

A unit of measure equal to the mean distance between Earth and the Sun, approximately $149.6 \text{ million km}$; Bennu orbits at $1.1 \text{ AU}$.

Yarkovsky Effect

An orbital change in small asteroids caused by the Sun's radiation striking the object as it spins on its axis.

Albedo effect

The ability of various Earth surfaces to reflect the Sun's radiation, expressed as a percentage (e.g., fresh snow reflects $85\text{--}95 \text{\%}$).

Salinity

The concentration of salts in seawater, measured in grams of salts per kilogram of water ($\text{g/kg}$) or parts per thousand ($\text{ppt}$).

Carboniferous Period

A geologic period characterized by giant swamps, high oxygen levels ($31 \text{\%}$), and the formation of global coal deposits.

Meganeura

An extinct Carboniferous insect related to modern dragonflies that reached a wingspan of $65 \text{ cm}$ due to high atmospheric oxygen.