Earth and Environmental Science

A scientist is searching for areas where new solar systems might form. What feature is the scientist looking for?

A cloud of dust and gas.

A scientific article about the universe will MOST likely describe the universe as?

Consisting of billions of galaxies.

Which of the following is a crucial piece of evidence supporting scientists' theory of how the continents and the ocean basins formed?

Currents redistribute heat in an unevenly heated liquid.

The length of a year is determined by the amount of time it takes?

Earth to revolve around the Sun.

The length of time between night and day on Earth varies throughout the year. This time variance is explained primarily by?

Earth's angle of tilt.

Which object is a planet found in the Milky Way galaxy?

Earth.

Tectonic motion caused tension between plates in Earth's crust. A sudden release of this energy occurred. Based on this information, which event happened?

Earthquake

As Earth revolves around the Sun, the number of daylight hours varies from place to place. In which location would the number of daylight hours remain constant?

Equator.

A low tide and a high tide occur in the oceans two times each day. Which factor has the greatest effect on the size of the tides?

Gravitational pull from the Moon.

The rotation of Earth on its axis is gradually slowing. This change in rotation rate will MOST likely cause the?

Length of days on Earth to become longer.

Which conclusion is BEST supported by the discovery of the same fossils on separate continents?

Modern land masses were once connected but moved apart.

Which scale is used to report the intensity of an earthquake?

Modified Mercalli Scale

During a solar eclipse, the Moon is positioned between Earth and the sun. During which phase of the moon does a solar eclipse occur?

New Moon.

Which is the BEST explanation why the remains of a small reptile living millions of years ago have been found only in Brazil and South Africa?

Plate Tectonics

Which of these are scientific classifications for galaxies in the universe?

Spiral, elliptical, irregular.

Which ongoing process causes the buildup of energy that is released at a later time when an earthquake occurs?

Tectonic plates near a fault continue to move even though the fault remains motionless.

The influence of the Moon on the tides on Earth is greater than that of the Sun. Which BEST explains this?

The Moon is closer to Earth than the Sun.

Why has only one-half of the Moon ever been observed from Earth?

The Moon rotates at the same rate that it revolves around Earth.

Which of these statements is true concerning the Milky Way Galaxy?

The Sun is one star that can be found in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Approximately 59% of the Moon is visible from Earth because the moon rotates and revolves in the same period. Which MOST likely causes this phenomenon?

The gravitational pull of Earth.

During the year, the angle at which the path of the Sun appears in the sky varies. In the Northern Hemisphere, the path of the Sun appears higher on the horizon during the summer and lower on the horizon during the winter. Which factor MOST contributes to the variation in the path of the Sun across the sky?

The tilted axis of Earth.

Which layer of Earth is the source of lava that erupts from volcanoes?

asthenosphere

Some scientists theorize plate motion could alter the level of water in Earth's seas. How would the nature of plate motion limit the possible changes to sea level?

by causing changes to occur at very slow rates

In 1911, Alfred Wegener read a paper discussing how identical fossils had been found on continents separated by great distances. How did this evidence contribute to the modern theory of how the continents resulted in their current shapes?

by suggesting that forces have caused continents to separate over time

Which will most likely form when movement along a plate boundary forces a landmass to be pulled apart?

continental rift

A fold observed in layers of sedimentary rock MOST likely resulted from the

converging of crustal plates.

The theory of plate tectonics is based on

evidence of sea floor spreading.

The theory of plate tectonics revolutionized scientific thought because it

explained the movement of oceanic and continental crusts.

Which features form when magma emerges between two diverging oceanic plates?

mid-ocean ridges

Which of these is the BEST evidence that Earth's continental landmasses drifted apart over time?

the fossil record along the edges of continents