Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Describe the layers of the Earth |
-Core: Inner is solid. Outer is fluid & contains iron magnetic field -Mantle: Includes asthenosphere -Crust: Continental crust (25 miles of granite). Oceanic crust is 71% of crust ( 6-7 miles of thick basalt) |
|
|
Difference between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere |
-Lithosphere is crust, rigid, and outermost part of mantle ( Above asthenosphere) -All plates move on top of asthenosphere |
|
|
Describe the three different types of plate boundaries |
-Divergent: move apart in opposite directions -Convergent: plates pushed together forming a trench (earthquakes and volcanoes) -Transform:Plates move in opposite directions but parallel (slide past each other) |
|
|
What is subduction |
One plate is pushed downward below another plate |
|
|
Describe the three major types of rocks |
-Metamorphic: rock is exposed to high temperature and high pressure -Igneous: forms below Earth's surface - Sedimentary: sedimentation of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water |
|
|
Metallic and nonmetallic resources |
-Metallic: reflect light (shiny). Aluminum, iron, and copper -Nonmetallic: do not reflect light ( not shiny). Sand, gravel, and limestone |
|
|
What are spoil, gangue, and tailings |
-Spoil: deposits of rock left close to a mine site - Gangue: waste material of economically important rock ( no value) -Tailings: unused material after dredged from a stream |
|
|
Four types of surface mining |
-Strip mining: minerals close to the surface -Open pit mining: dig hole -Contour mining: coal-hills or mountains- cut terrace -Mountain top removal |
|
|
Large waves generated in the ocean by an earthquake, landslide, or volcanic activity are called |
tsunamis |
|
|
Who has the world's largest coal reserves? |
United states |
|
|
Wort volcano is US history? The world? |
Mount St. Helens Mt.Pinatubo |
|
|
Why has nuclear power declined in the United States? |
Decrease in the amount of uranium |
|
|
Why does oil have a high net energy ratio? |
It is cheap to extract deposits |
|
|
The slowest of the earth's cyclic processes is the |
Rock cycle |
|
|
The most commonly used nonmetallic metals are |
sand and gravel |
|
|
Who are the three largest users of fossil fuels |
US, European Union, and Russia |
|
|
What type of energy source is nuclear power |
non-renewable resource |
|
|
Most and least energy efficient |
Most: passive solar heating Least: incandescent light bulbs |
|
|
One weakness of the electric car |
energy storage system |
|
|
In 2004, which energy sources represented the highest total cost of producing electricity? |
solar cells |
|
|
Examples of renewable energy sources |
Sun, wind, biomass, water |
|
|
Windows designed for capturing solar energy should face what direction? |
South |
|
|
What are some advantages os solar space heating? |
Free energy source, No CO2 emissions in the atmosphere |
|
|
Explain a solar thermal system |
Track the sun, run turbines, focus sun on heat collection point |
|
|
Pro of solar power plants |
Can be built as small or large as needed |
|
|
Cells that convert solar energy directly into electricity are called |
photvoltaic |
|
|
What is one disadvantage of hydroelectric plants? |
-Expensive -Dams decrease biodiversity -Clean up built up sediment |
|
|
The world's fastest growing energy resource is |
Solar energy |
|
|
What is an advantage of using wind power |
Unlimited |
|
|
Which fossil fuel has the least environmental impact |
natural gas |
|
|
Sequence of layers of the atmosphere (innermost to outermost) |
Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermoshpere |
|
|
The atmosphere is divided into layers by |
temperature changes |
|
|
the atmospheric layer containing 75% of the mass of earth's air is the |
troposphere |
|
|
Most of earth's weather occurs in which layer? |
troposphere |
|
|
What is the job of the stratospheric ozone layer? |
filter out UV light |
|
|
One in every _ person lives in urban areas with air that is unhealthy to breathe |
6 |
|
|
What are VOCs? Examples? |
Carbon based chemicals that are easily evaporated from solids and liquids. -Methane, benzene |
|
|
Harmful chemicals emitted directly into the air from natural processes and human activities are called |
primary pollutants |
|
|
Photochemical smog is formed when primary pollutants interact with |
Sunlight |
|
|
What is temperature inversion? |
Lid of warmer air on top of cooler air |
|
|
What are the four most dangerous indoor air pollutants? |
asbestos, radon, cigarette smoke, formaldehyde |
|
|
What is a product of uranium decay and an indoor air pollutant? |
radioactive radon |
|
|
what is the leading cause of water pollution? |
agriculture |
|
|
a 100 milliliter sample of water should contain_ colonies of coliform bacteria |
0 |
|
|
What is a point source of water pollution? |
identifiable source -treatment plants |
|
|
What is a non-point source of water pollution? |
unidentified source -fertilizers, urban runoff |
|
|
What causes an oxygen sag curve? |
When oxygen demanding wastes are added to water |
|
|
What is eutrophication? |
natural nutrient enrichment of lakes and streams |
|
|
Why can't contaminated groundwater cleanse itself? |
cold water slows down reactions |
|
|
What is the most effective way to protect groundwater |
prevent contamination |
|
|
The root cause of food insecurity |
poverty |
|
|
Top three most important food crops |
sugarcane, rice, corn |
|
|
What type of agriculture is most characteristic of developing countries |
traditional subsistence |
|
|
The major goal of industrialized agriculture for any crop has been to steadily increase its |
yield |
|
|
Slash and burn agriculture is a type of |
traditional subsistence agriculture |
|
|
Industrialized agriculture requires large inputs of |
money, water, fossil fuels |
|
|
Why is there a decline in the World Grain Carryover Stock? |
increased ethanol production, increased temperature, feeding more livestock |
|
|
Which soil horizon is considered topsoil? |
A |
|
|
A second green revolution has been taking place since 1967, based on |
fast growing rice and wheat |
|
|
What is desertification |
expanasion of dry lands due to poor agricultural practices |
|
|
Repeated irrigation in dry climates leads to soil degradation of the uppers called |
salinization |
|
|
What is conservation tillage? |
leaving the previous year's crops on the field( reduces soil erosion and runoff) |
|
|
Order of soil textures (largest to smallest) |
Gravel, sand, silt, clay |
|
|
What important environmental benefits do ecosystems provide? |
Breakdown of toxic material and clean water |
|
|
What clause stated that no food additive shall be considered safe if it is found to induce cancer when ingested by man or animal? |
The Delaney Clause |
|
|
Approximately 70% of the world's electronic waste ends up |
shipped to China |
|
|
Wastes that includes paper, food wastes, cans, bottles, yard wastes, glass, wood, and similar items is called |
municipal waste |
|
|
With 4.6% of the world's population, the United States produces about_ of the world's solid waste |
1/3 |
|
|
What is waste management? |
reducing environmental impact without reducing the amount of waste produced |
|
|
The recycling and composting rate of US municipal solid waste is about |
32% |
|
|
The most energy efficient beverage container on the market is |
glass |
|
|
What is compost? |
soil conditioner and organic fertilizer |
|
|
Consumers of recycled products are most effective when they maximize the amount of |
post consumer waste in the products |
|
|
Partially biodegradable plastics need what to be broken down? |
oxygen and moisture |
|
|
The top priority when dealing with hazardous waste should be |
pollution prevention and waste reduction |
|
|
What are some ways to detoxifying hazardous and toxic wastes? |
phyto-remediation, bioremediation, nano-magnets, chemical methods |
|
|
What is phyto- remediation? |
using plants to remove toxic waste |
|
|
What principles contribute to a transition to a low waste society? |
No away, dilution is not the solution, reduce reuse recycle, everything is connected |
