Earth Science Midterm

latitude

run across the earth and tell us how far north or south of the equator a place is; can be found by using polaris

tributary

a stream that runs into another stream or river

u-shaped valleys

form when glaciers travel through valleys and erode valley walls

sand dunes

form when wind blows over sand to create a lopsided hill

classification

grouping things based on similar characteristics

plateaus

high elevation, horizontal rock structure, leveling (often sedimentary rock)

mountains

high elevation, steep gradients, distorted rocks, uplift (often metamorphic rock)

contour lines

isolines that measure elevation

erratics

large boulders carried by a glacier which are deposited when the glacier melts

tsunami

large waves caused by underwater earthquakes

plains

low elevation, level surface, leveling (often sedimentary rock)

mineral properties

luster, streak, hardness, cleavage/fracture, color

outer core

made of liquid because s-waves cannot go through it

glaciers

masses of ice and snow that move downhill due to gravity

regional metamorphism

metamorphism that occurs over large areas and is associated with mountains

contact metamorphism

metamorphism that occurs when molten rock comes in CONTACT with other rocks

divergent boundary

mid-ocean ridges, where sea-floor spreading occurs, and new crust is created

mass

the amount of matter in something

density

the amount of matter packed into a certain amount of space; mass divided by volume

volume

the amount of space an object takes up

watershed

the area drained by a river and its tributaries

residual soil

the bedrock beneath the soil is the parent material of the soil

erosion

the movement of sediments from one place to another

epicenter

the spot on the earth directly above the focus of an earthquake

continental crust

thick, less dense, made up of granite

oceanic crust

thin, dense, made up of basalt

hot spots

weak areas in the crust where plumes (columns) of magma rise up

outwash plain

when a glacier melts, the water carries a large amount of sediment and deposits it here (horizontal sorting)

transform boundary

where two plates are sliding past each other

p-waves(primary waves)

- fastest waves - compression waves (back and forth) - can travel through solids, liquids, and gases

s-waves(secondary waves)

- sheer waves (up and down) - can't travel through liquids

river system

a river and all of its tributaries

graded bedding

a series of depositional events in still water

mineral requirements

1. solid at room temperature 2. naturally formed 3. definite crystal shape 4. inorganic 5. definite chemical composition

transported soil

soil formed from transported materials

velocity

speed of a stream

arid landscapes

steep slopes with sharp angles

potential energy

stored energy

convergent boundaries

subduction zones, where plates collide, and old crust is destroyed

discharge

the amount of water in a stream

contour interval

the difference in field value between two consecutive isolines

gravity

the force that drives erosion and mass movements

divide

the highland that separates a watershed from another

magnitude

the measurement of the amount of energy released in an earthquake

zenith

the point in the sky straight overhead, 90 degrees above the horizon

deposition

the process of sediments being dropped or dissolved minerals or salts being released from a water solution

oblate spheroid

the shape of the earth

convection currents

the theory of what makes plates move

v-shaped valleys

the valleys that streams carve out

chemical weathering

weathering that makes rocks break into smaller pieces when the minerals or chemicals in the rocks are changed; warm and moist climates needed

INTERNAL ARRANGEMENT OF ATOMS

what makes minerals different from each other

rate of change

change in field value divided by time

measurement

comparing objects to a known standard

percent error

when the amount of error in calculating something is expressed in a percentage; difference in measured and accepted values divided by accepted value multiblied by 100

metamorphic rock

contains: foliation (platy sheets), banding, lots of mica, distorted/wavy layers; formed: large amounts of heat and/or pressure

sedimentary rock

contains: fossils/shells, layers (all 1 color), sediments/grains/fragments; formed: compaction/cementation (WEDCCA)

igneous rock

contains: vesicular texture (air pockets), polymineralic with scattered crystals, glassy texture (shiny); formed: melting and solidification of magma

extrusive

cools quickly on the surface from LAVA and have small crystals

intrusive

cools slowly underground from MAGMA and have large crystals

agents of erosion

wind, WATER, ice, gravity

meanders

curves in a stream; erosion on the outside, deposition on the inside

drumlins

elongated whale-shaped hills; **the steep slope points to where the glacier came from

kinetic energy

energy in motion

inference

explanations for what you observed

observation

facts or data collected by the 5 senses

intensity

how strong earthquake feels

uplift

is the lifting of the crust (forms mountains)

isotherms

isolines that measure temperature

escarpments(ridge)

layers of rock resistant to weathering that stick out

isobars

measure air pressure

finger lakes

narrow lakes carved by glaciers, filled with melted ice, and dammed at one end by a pile of deposited sediment (moraine)

cyclic changes

natural events that can be predicted

non-cyclic changes

natural events that cannot be predicted

mass movements

occur when the friction that keeps the materials in place is weakened by rain, earthquakes, ocean waves, construction, frost action, melting snow, etc. (landslides, soil creep, etc.)

horizontal sorting

occurs when a stream enters a body of water with a current

vertical sorting

occurs when a stream enters still water

silicates

oxygen and silicon

moraine

piles of sediment (till) dropped at the end, of side, or bottom of the glacier

Alfred Wegener

proposed the theory of continental drift

physical weathering

rocks are broken down into pieces by a physical change; cold and moist climates needed

humid landscapes

rounded with gentle slopes

longitude

run from the north pole to the south pole and tell us how far east or west of the prime meridian a place is

topographic profile

side view of a topographic map

subsidence

sinking of the crust