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72 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is the term for the layer of rock around earth?
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lithosphere
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What is the term for the layer of water around the earth?
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hydrosphere
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What is the term for the layer of air around the earth?
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atmosphere
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What is the term for the layer of life around the earth?
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biosphere
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What gas makes up most of our atmosphere?
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nitrogen
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What gas has been increasing in our atmosphere and is linked to global warming?
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CO2
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What is the protective layer of oxygen around earth?
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ozone layer
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From what does the ozone layer protect life?
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UV radiation
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What do clouds do for an ecosystem?
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Precipitation
trapping heat light reflection UV filtration ozone layer |
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How does having more vegetation affect cloud cover?
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more plants mean more moisture for clouds
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What chemical is causing a hole in the ozone layer?
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CFCs - chlorofluorocarbons
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What happens to organisms when the ozone layer diminishes?
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more cancer
kills microbes blindness |
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What is the difference between weather and climate?
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weather - short term
climate - long term |
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Give some factors of weather?
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temperature
barometric pressure cloud cover and type wind speed and direction precipitation |
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What factors affect climate?
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latitude
altitude precipitation topography prevailing wind solar radiation relative humidity |
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Give 2 natural phenomena that affect weather.
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volcanoes
lightning |
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Give 2 human factors that affect climate.
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CFCs
burning fossil fuels changes in land surface – deforestation/asphalt |
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What are the 3 major climate zones on earth?
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tropical, temperate, polar (arctic)
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What causes wind and weather patterns on earth?
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unequal heating of earth's surface
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Where on Earth gets the most direct sunlight?
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equator
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What does warm air do?
cool air? |
warm air rises
cool air sinks |
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Name 3 ways heat is transferred.
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conduction
convection radiation |
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the imaginary horizontal lines around the earth - affect climate
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latitude lines
- equator - arctic circle - horse latitudes |
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The imaginary vertical lines on Earth
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longitude lines
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Name, and describe 4 basic types of clouds.
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1. Nimbus clouds are the big ones that produce rain.
2. Stratus clouds look like they are arranged in layers. 3. Cumulus clouds look like big fluffy piles of white. 4. Cirrus clouds are long, thin and look like strands of hair. |
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What is the term for storm clouds?
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cumulonimbus
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When two different air masses meet, the boundary between them is called a
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front
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What is the result when two different air masses meet?
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storms
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where warm, humid air masses are forced to rise as they pass over mountains, or large hot cities.
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rainshadow effect
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What tool measures air pressure?
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barometer
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What human activities can damage water supply?
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landfills
herbicides fertilizers farming septic systems erosion pavement/new construction cooling factory equipment |
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What is karst topography?
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limestone with caves
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How do limestone caves form?
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water is an excellent solvent
– especially with acid rain |
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Give 2 examples of destructive geological forces.
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ocean waves and erosion
subduction of geologic plate |
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Give an example of a constructive geological force.
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island formation
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The time it takes for the number of atoms you start with to halve is called the substance's
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half life
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How old is the earth believed to be?
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4 1/2 billion years old
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Our deepest mine is a gold mine in South Africa – 3.8 km.
SO… How do we know about the interior of the Earth? - 6,000 km to center |
seismic waves
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supercontinent
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Pangaea
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What causes the outer crust of the earth to move?
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convection in mantle
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What is plate tectonics?
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the idea that the earth's crust consists of moving fragments
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Give some geologic events explained by plate tectonics.
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1. ROCK CYCLE
2. VOLCANOES 3. EARTHQUAKES 4. MID OCEAN RIDGE – VENTS |
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What happens when plates collide?
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buckles forming mountains
one subducts forming volcanoes catch and break loose causing earthquakes |
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the place where two plates collide
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convergent boundary
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the place where two plates pull apart
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divergent boundary
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the place where two plates move sideways against one another
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transform boundary
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Name the 3 major types of rock and explain how each is formed.
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Igneous – cooled molten rock
Sedimentary – weathered particles pressed and cemented together in layers Metamorphic – existing rock changed by heat and pressure or chemical reactions - forms underground |
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Give 3 pieces of evidence for plate tectonics.
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1. The land masses seem to fit like a jigsaw puzzle.
2. landforms such as mountain ranges in Africa and South America line up 3. Glacial deposits in South Africa 4. plant fossils of late Paleozoic age found on several different continents are quite similar |
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- the point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus, point in the crust where a seismic rupture begins
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epicenter
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Why is there no soil on mars or jupiter!
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no life - life contributes organic matter to soil
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What is the term for the nutrient rich upper layer of soil?
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topsoil
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Give some ways minerals are identified.
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Hardness – Moh’s Hardness Scale
Color – only a few can be identified this way, many vary Streak – streak color doesn’t vary streak plate Luster – how it reflects light Density Crystal shape |
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What is a rock?
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made of 2 or more minerals
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-a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition
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mineral
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What are some factors that cause weathering?
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freezing and thawing water
(contraction and expansion) wind plant roots gravity chemical decomposition floods mudslides volcanoes/earthquakes plate motion – folding, uplift |
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Name the fossil fuels.
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coal, oil and natural gas
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Why are fossil fuels nonrenewable?
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take millions of years to form
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What is evidence that the early earth had no oxygen?
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deepest rocks are not red - red color comes from oxidation of iron in rock
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what happens during ice ages?
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glaciers expand
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How do ice ages affect climate
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cool earth
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How do cars affect the environment?
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1. pollution - respiratory health
2. release emissions that cause acid rain (NOx and SOx)and global warming (CO2) |
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What type of rock would form from a glacier or river?
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sedimentary
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What type of rock would form from a volcano?
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igneous
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What type of rock would form from heat and pressure
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metamorphic
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Why is atmospheric pressure lower at the equator?
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warm air rises
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What important resources are found in the ocean?
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water, salt, food, minerals
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What explains the fact that damage form an earthquake occurs in all directions from the epicenter?
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seismic waves are circular
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Describe the outer core of the earth
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hot, dense liquid
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How does large scale deforestation impact the atmosphere
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less photosynthesis - more CO2 - global warming
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What manmade structures help control river flooding?
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dams
levees reservoirs |
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What natural structures help control flooding of rivers?
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wetlands
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Name a geologic force that describes how the Antarctic could at one time have had jungles.
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plate tectonics
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