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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is humus? |
Organic compound of soil formed by the decomposition of plants and soil microorganisms. |
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What is loam? |
Soil composed mostly of sand, silt, and small amounts of clay. |
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What terms are used to describe the movement of material during a mass wasting event? |
Fall, slide, and flow. |
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What is the controlling factor of mass wasting? |
Gravity. |
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What enviroment is chemical weathering most effective? |
In warm and humid climates. |
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What is mechanical weathering? |
Mechanical weathering is the process through which large rocks are broken into increasingly smaller pieces. |
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What is mass wasting? |
Process by which soil, sand, and rock move downslope as a solid under the force of gravity. |
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What is the focus of an earthquake? |
The point in the Earth where the earthquake occurs. Also called a hypocenter. |
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What are the characteristics of a primary wave? |
Always first, they're compressional (go through solids and liquids). |
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What is a tsunami? |
Long sea wave caused by earthquakes, submarine landslide, or other disturbance. |
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What is the instrument to measure earthquakes? |
Seismographs. |
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What is the epicenter? |
Point on Earth directly above the focus of an earthquake. |
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What is the most destructive s wave(seismic wave)? |
Surface waves. |
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What is used to find the distance from a seismic station to a earthquake? |
Measure the distance from the first p and s waves. |
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What is Earths dense core thought to consist of? |
Iron and nickel. |
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What is the thinnest layer of Earth? |
The crust. |
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What is a shield volcano? |
Broad domed volcano with gently sloping sides. |
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What is the belt that has most of the active volcanoes on Earth? |
Ring of Fire. |
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Why does rock tend to rise to the Earths surface? |
Due to combination of different densities with other rocks in the crust, and pressures. |
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What effects the size of crystal formation in rocks and materials? |
Dissolved material, evaporation, pressure and temperature. |
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What is an intrusive rock? |
Formed when magma crystallizes and solidifies underground to form intrusions. |
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How is igneous rock formed? |
Extrusive- formed at surface as the result of partial of rocks within mantle/crust. Intrusive- formed by cooling of magma on surface. |
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What is metamorphism? |
Alteration of the composition of a rock by heat, pressure, or other natural agency. |
