Earth Science, Space & Chemistry Study Guide
Glaciers
1. What are the two main types of glaciers?
Mountain (alpine)
Continental
2. What shape is a glacier-carved valley?
U-shaped
3. What conditions are needed for glaciers to form?
Cold summers
Heavy snowfall
Snow does not fully melt
4. Why are glaciers important?
Store freshwater
Shape land
Affect climate
Earth’s Layers & Plate Tectonics
5. What is the thinnest layer of Earth?
Crust
6. What are the three main layers of Earth?
Crust
Mantle
Core
7. What is plate tectonics?
Earth’s crust is made of moving plates
8. What are the three plate boundaries?
Divergent
Convergent
Transform
Memory Trick
Divergent = divide
Convergent = collide
Transform = slide past
9. What causes earthquakes?
Movement of tectonic plates
10. What is an aftershock?
Smaller earthquake after a major one
11. What is a fault?
Crack in Earth where movement happens
Rocks, Volcanoes & Erosion
12. Which rock forms when magma or lava cools?
Igneous rock
13. What are the three rock types?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Memory Trick
Igneous = fire
Sedimentary = layers
Metamorphic = changed by heat and pressure
14. What is the difference between magma and lava?
Magma = underground
Lava = surface
15. What are the three volcano activity levels?
Active
Dormant
Extinct
16. What are the three volcano shapes?
Shield
Composite
Cinder cone
17. What is weathering?
Breaking down rock
18. What is erosion?
Movement of dirt and rocks by water, wind, ice, or gravity
19. What is mechanical weathering?
Physical breaking of rock
20. What is chemical weathering?
Rock changes chemically
21. What is terracing?
Flat steps cut into hillsides to reduce erosion
Caves
22. What is the most common type of cave?
Solution cave
23. Difference between stalactites and stalagmites
Stalactites hang from the ceiling
Stalagmites grow from the floor
Memory Trick
Stalactites hold “tight” to the ceiling
Stalagmites “might” reach the ceiling
Important Earth Science Terms
24. What is uniformitarianism?
Natural processes today worked the same in the past
25. Difference between soil and dirt
Soil has nutrients and supports life
26. What is elevation?
Height above sea level
27. How deep have scientists explored into Earth?
Only partway through Earth’s crust
Atmosphere, Weather & Climate
28. Layers of the atmosphere
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere
Memory Trick
The Sky Makes Tiny Explosions
29. What causes seasons?
Earth’s tilted axis
30. Difference between weather and climate
Weather = short-term conditions
Climate = long-term average weather
31. What causes tides?
Gravity from the moon and sun
Fossils & Resources
32. Types of fossils
Mold
Cast
Trace fossils
33. Renewable vs nonrenewable resources
Renewable = naturally replaced
Nonrenewable = limited supply
Space Unit
Solar System
34. Planets in order from the Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Memory Trick
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos
35. What is the hottest planet?
Venus
36. Largest planet
Jupiter
37. Smallest planet
Mercury
38. Planet that rotates on its side
Uranus
39. Inner planets
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
40. Outer planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
41. Gas giants
Jupiter
Saturn
42. Ice giants
Uranus
Neptune
43. Why is Pluto not considered a planet?
It has not cleared its orbit
44. What keeps planets in orbit?
Gravity
45. Rotation vs revolution
Rotation = spinning
Revolution = orbiting
Space Objects
46. Asteroid
Rock in space
47. Meteor
Streak of light in atmosphere
48. Meteorite
Meteor that hits Earth
49. Comet
Ice and dust object with a tail
Space Exploration
50. NASA program that put humans on the moon
Apollo Program
51. First man on the moon
Neil Armstrong
52. Space shuttle that exploded
Challenger
Sun & Stars
53. Two elements that make up most of the sun
Hydrogen
Helium
54. What are sunspots?
Cooler, darker spots on the sun
55. Surface temperature of the sun
About 11,000°F
56. Type of energy from the sun
Electromagnetic energy
57. How long sunlight takes to reach Earth
About 8 minutes 20 seconds
58. Brightness of a star depends on
Distance from Earth
Amount of light it gives off
59. Supernova
Exploding star
60. Nova
Temporary brightening of a star
61. Nebula
Cloud of dust and gas in space
62. Plasma
Material the sun is made of
Moon & Eclipses
63. Solar eclipse
Moon blocks sunlight from reaching Earth
64. Why the moon has many craters
Almost no atmosphere to burn up meteors
65. Why we only see one side of the moon
Moon rotates and revolves at the same speed
66. Moon phases to know
New Moon
Waxing Crescent
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter
Shortcut
New → Waxing → Full → Waning
Space Vocabulary
67. Milky Way
Our galaxy
68. Astronomy
Study of space
69. Light-year
Distance light travels in one year
70. Constellation
Group of stars forming a pattern
71. Most common galaxy shape
Elliptical galaxy
Chemistry Basics
72. What is an ion?
Atom that gains or loses electrons and becomes charged
73. Ionic bond
Electrons transferred between atoms
Metal + nonmetal
74. Covalent bond
Atoms share electrons
Nonmetal + nonmetal
75. Metallic bond
Metals bonded with freely moving electrons
Metal + metal
76. Valence electrons
Electrons in the outer energy level
77. Atomic number
Number of protons
78. Exothermic reaction
Reaction that releases energy
79. What metals usually do with electrons
Lose electrons easily
80. Sulfur’s atomic number
16
81. Carbon valence electrons
4
82. Protons in arsenic
33
Parts of an Atom
83. Proton
Positive charge
84. Neutron
Neutral charge
85. Electron
Negative charge
86. Where particles are found
Protons & neutrons = nucleus
Electrons = electron cloud
Periodic Table
87. Groups/Families
Vertical columns
Same valence electrons
88. Periods
Horizontal rows
Same number of energy levels
Metals
89. Six characteristics of metals
Shiny/lustrous
Solid at room temperature
Malleable
Ductile
Conduct heat/electricity
Reactive
Noble Gases
90. Why are noble gases nonreactive?
Full valence electron shell
Other Chemistry Terms
91. Electronegativity
Ability of an atom to attract electrons
92. Free electron model
Electrons move freely through metals
93. First law of thermodynamics
Energy cannot be created or destroyed
94. Reactants
Starting substances in a reaction
95. Products
New substances formed
Acids & Bases
96. pH scale
0–6 = acidic
7 = neutral
8–14 = basic
Nutrition
97. Three macronutrients
Carbohydrates
Fats
Proteins
Examples
Carbs = bread/pasta
Fats = avocado/nuts
Proteins = meat/beans
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