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11 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Describe Internal Heat |
The gravitational collapse of materials making up the planets caused them to heat up along with the energy from collisions with other planetesimals; primary driver of geological activity |
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Pressure Waves |
Waves that push on the molecules in front of them in a manner similar to a coiled spring. They travel through all material. |
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Side-to-Side Oscillations/ S Waves |
Oscillations that can only travel through solids; travel slower through rock than P waves |
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What causes the northern Aurora Borealis and the southern Aurora Australis? |
Occurs when charged particles from the Sun colliding with atoms and molecules |
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What are the four major geological processes that shape Earth's surface? |
-Impact cratering -Volcanism -Plate Tetonics -Erosion |
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What are the most common gases released by a Volcano? |
-Water Vapor (H20) -Carbon Dioxide (CO2) -Nitrogen (N2) -Sulfate bearing gases with hydrogen sulfide and sulfide dioxide |
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How has life affected Earth's atmosphere? |
-Photosynthesis in plant life consumes CO2 and water and release oxygen O2 -Animal life consumes O2 and releases CO2 in the respiration process -Certain bacteria extract oxygen from minerals called nitrates and liberate nitrogen into the atmosphere |
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Describe how greenhouse gases reflect infrared radiation |
When sunlight reaches the Earth it warms the planet which in turn radiates in the infrared portion of the spectrums. Green house gases trap the infrared warmth. |
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What determines the surface temperature of planets? |
Depends on the radius of orbit, the albedo, and the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are present in the atmosphere |
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Describe the Carbon Dioxide Cycle |
1. Atmospheric CO2 dissolves in the ocean 2. Rivers carry eroded minerals to the ocean 3. Eroded minerals combine with CO2 to make carbonate rocks such as limestone 4. Plate tetonics carries carbonate rocks to subduction zones and turn into mantle 5. The rocks melt and release their CO2 which then out gasses to the atmosphere through volcanoes |
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Is the amount of carbon dioxide higher or lower today than 400,000 years ago? |
Higher |