Empirical World; Earth Science

The names of the constellations tell us much about the

people in the cultures that named them

Earth's internal layers were discovered by studying

seismic waves

The two most abundant elements in Earth's crust are

silicon and oxygen

A mineral's hardness is dependent on the

strength of its chemical bonds

The star nearest the Earth is

the Sun

Geologists measure earthquakes on the moment magnitude scale. This scale measures

the energy released by an earthquake

A black hole is

the remains of a giant collapsed star

Luminosity is

the total amount of light energy that star emits into space

The most destructive earthquakes are caused by the passage of surface waves because

they occur at the surface, where the ground shakes up and down and from side to side

The thickness of Earth's crust

varies from about 5 km under the oceans to about 70 km under the continents

Rock breaks down to form sediment via

weathering

Compared to your weight on Earth, your weight on Jupiter would be about

3 times

Scientists can predict that earthquakes will occur in a certain area within a timeframe of

30 to 100 years

The percentage of the Earth's surface covered by ocean is about

70%

The Ring of Fire is famous among geologists because

90% of earthquakes and 75% of the world's volcanoes occur here

The first minerals to crystallize are those with the

Higher melting point

The mineral that crystallizes first from a cooling magma is the one with the

Highest melting point

What was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history?

Hurricane Katrina

How can a food chain exist in a deep-ocean trench where it is completely dark and very cold?

Hydrothermal vents emit chemicals that certain organisms can consume, forming the base of the food chain.

Rocks altered by heat and pressure beneath Earth's surface are

Metamorphic rocks

Which of these makes contact with Earth's surface?

Meteorite

In a museum collection you can likely see a

Meteorite but not a meteoroid

The longest mountain chain in the world is the

Mid-Ocean Ridge

During the time of a new Moon, the

Moon is between the Sun and Earth

The predominant gas in the atmosphere of Earth is

Nitrogen

The Milky Way is

a spiral galaxy

The difference between cleavage and crystal form is

cleavage represents how a mineral breaks, and crystal form represents how a mineral grows.

Minerals are formed by the process of

crystallization

Igneous rock is formed from

crystallization of magma

What generally causes earthquakes?

motion of tectonic plates

How far is a light year?

nearly 10 trillion km

The three kinds of plate convergence are

oceanic-oceanic, continental-oceanic, and continental-continental

Asteroids are small rocky bodies that

A. orbit the Sun. B. reside mainly between Mars and Jupiter. C. are smaller than Earth's Moon.

On the H-R diagram, the Sun is

An average star

The tails of comets point in a direction

Away from the sun

What is the primary component of Venus' atmosphere?

CO2

What are Saturn's rings composed of?

Chunks of ice and rock

The property of a mineral to break along planes of weakness is referred to as

Cleavage

Moving toward the poles, climate becomes

Colder

Earth's layer with the most brittle behavior is the

Crust

Divergent boundaries are areas of

Crustal formation

During the time of a full Moon, the

Earth is between the Sun and the Moon

Tsunami are usually caused by

Earthquakes

Earth's magnetic field is attributed to the

Flow of molten fluid in Earth's outer core

The parts of Saturn's rings with the greatest rotational speed are the

Inner parts

Which of the following is NOT part of the definition of a mineral?

It has a definite color

A star's color tells us

It's surface temperature

How long does it take for Earth to revolve around the sun?

One year

Which of the following pairs of elements makes up over 75% of the Earth's crust?

Oxygen and silicon

The fastest seismic wave is a

Primary wave

Which star radiates light of the lowest frequency?

Red star

A mineral's hardness describes

Resistance to scratching

The most destructive earthquake waves are

S-waves

What kind of volcano erupts runny lava?

Shield

Earth's crust is mostly comprised of minerals from which class?

Silicates

Asteroids orbit the

Sun

The lithosphere includes

The crust and the upper part of the mantle.

What most strongly influences a mineral's hardness?

The strength of a mineral's chemical bonds

The event that changes a protostar to a full-fledged star is

Thermonuclear fusion

A hurricane is a group of rotating

Thunderclouds

Regions in which earthquakes are common are also regions in which

Volcanoes are common

Giant stars

are close to exhausting their supply of hydrogen

The most characteristic feature of sedimentary rocks is that they

are formed in layered sequences—strata

Where do the strongest earthquakes occur?

at subduction zones

Between which planets is the asteroid belt found?

between Mars and Jupiter

Coal is composed of

buried plant material that has partially decayed

Dark Matter is matter that

cannot be seen or felt, but can be measured through its gravitational effects

Minerals are composed of

elements joined as compounds

Coarse-grained igneous rocks occur because

minerals cooled and grew over long periods of time