Abeka, Science: Earth and Space, Semester Exam (Test 6)
Seymouria
"missing link" thought to be the transitional form between amphibians and reptiles
tsunamis
A giant wave caused by an underwater disturbance on the ocean floor
Uniformitarianism
Charles Lyell's idea that geologic processes is key to understanding earth's geological history
crevasses
Deep cracks that develop on the surface of a glacier.
metric unit kilopascals
How do oceanographers usually measure hydrostatic pressure?
Because plates are spreading apart at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, magma is closer to the surface.
Iceland is known for its many hot springs and volcanos. Why would this be expected based on Iceland's location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
dependent
In an experiment, what variable is observed to determine the results?
metamorphic
Rocks "cooked" by intense heat or extreme pressure
The California Current cools Santa Cruz, but the Gulf Stream warms Newport News.
The California Current flows south along the coast of California. During June through August, the city of Santa Cruz, on the California coast, has average high temperatures of about 23 degrees celsius. During the same months, Newport News, Virginia, at about the same altitude on the U.S. East Coast, has average high temperatures of about 31 degrees celsius. Which of the following is a likely reason why Newport News is warmer than Santa Cruz during the summer?
the area is formed by deposits of minerals and sediments
The Nile River, especially the area around the rivers's fan shaped mouth, is known as one of the most fertile areas in the world. Why would the area around the river's mouth be the most fruitful part of the river?
sound waves produced by surface ships are reflected off the thermocline.
The boundary between two water layers with different densities will affect the movement of sounds waves. If sound waves traveling in the lower-density layer hit the boundary at a shallow angle, they will be reflected off the boundary instead of traveling into the higher-density layer. Why can submarines use this fact to avoid detected by sound waves?
These organisms should have evolved at the same rate as other organisms.
The coelacanth is a fish that shows practically no difference between fossils (supposedly millions of years old) and living specimens. Why do the coelacanth and organisms like it pose a problem for evolution?
luster
The way a mineral reflects light from its surface
exfoliation
Type of weathering that involves the breaking or peeling away of rock into layers.
atoll
a circular coral-reef that grows around an underwater volcano
anomaly
a fossil organism found in strata that are supposedly too old or too young to contain that organism
spring tide, because the moon, earth, and sun are in line
a person is walking on the beach at night the light of a full moon. Is this tide a spring tide or a neap tide? How do you know?
Bathyscaphe
a submersible consisting of a crew compartment suspended from a float
breaker
a wave that grows taller and steeper as it travels to shore and topples forward with a white crest.
rift
an underwater valley that gives mid-ocean ridges the appearance of having twin mountain ranges.
upwelling
an upward current that occurs when a land breeze pushes surface water away from the coast
hadal zone
any area of the sea that exceeds 6000 meters in depth
gyres
circular paths that ocean currents move in
Challenger Deep
deepest known point in the sea
gravity corer
device that has an open time that is dropped to the sea floor to allow its weight to puncture sediment and bring up sediment samples
Expendable bathythermograph
device that oceanographers use to measure the temperature at different levels and report them back to a surface ship
sonar
device that uses underwater sound waves to determine the size, distance, and direction of object
polystrate fossils
fossils that extend through multiple strata
sapphire
gemstones that are blue in color
trench
huge, muddy valley that cuts into the deep ocean floor
kettles
large holes left from the melting of huge chunks of glacial ice lodged in washed-out sediments
silicates
largest group of minerals, which compose over 90% of the earth's crust
water
main agent of chemical weathering
sodium chloride
makes up most of the salt in the oceans
surf
mass of foaming water formed when waves wash up unto a beach
strip-cropping
method of erosion prevention that involves planting alternating strips of different types of crops
terracing
modifies a smooth slope into a series of level, stairlike steps
ROV
oceanographic tool is a highly maneuverable robot linked to a support ship by cables
karst regions
regions of the earth's surface where limestone is exposed and abundant
composite volcano
tall, cone-shaped mountains in which layers of lava alternate with layers of ash
radiometric dating
technique that evolutionists use to assign supposedly exact ages to rocks and fossils
repeatability
the ability to duplicate an experiment several times while keeping all factors as similar as possible between experiment and coming to the same conclusion.
Flood
the biblical event that was probably directly responsible for laying down most of Earth's sedimentary rock layers
theistic evolution
the idea that God used evolution to make everything in the world
natural selection
the idea that states that the fittest and strongest organisms are most likely to survive and reproduce
the principle of uniformity
the idea that the natural laws in operation today have existed throughout Earth's history
natural color
the main factor that affects the color of the oceans
load
the materials carried by a stream
modified Mercalli scale
the method of measuring an earthquake's strength is based on the earthquake's effects on people and structures
mantle
the middle layer of the earth, between the crust and the core
levees
the natural ridges along a river's edge
profiling float
the oceanographic tool that charts currents far beneath the surface and sends back accurate measurements of those currents and water properties.
cranial capacity
the scientific term for the volume of the portion of the skull that includes the brain
topsoil
the top layer of soil, which contains most of the organic substances and nutrients
soil creep
the very slow downslope movement of soil and rock fragments
Cro-Magnon man
thought to be a missing link in man's evolution but was later found to be the remains of a modern human
salinity and temperature
two main factors that determine the density of seawater
turbidity current
type of current that is made up of seawater mixed with mud or silt and can erode the ocean floor to produce submarine canyons
star dune
type of dune that looks like a pyramid with several out-reaching arms
thrust fault
type of fault tat occurs when rocks on one side of a fault are shoved on top of the rocks on the other side of the fault
conglomerate rock
type of rock consists of smooth pebbles embedded in hardened sand or clay
diurnal (tide)
type of tide that occurs when there is one high tide and one low tide each day
aftershocks
weaker earthquakes that often follow an earthquake at frequent intervals for days or months
scoria
well known amorphous igneous rock has a glass-like texture and splits to form sharp edges
rip currents
what are dangerous currents that form when large amounts of water from waves surge out to sea through a break in a sandbar
drumlins
what are hills that form when advancing glaciers overrun old piles of till
index
what kind of fossils used by evolutionists to date rock layers
continental slope
what marks the beginning of a sharp drop-off at the end of the sandy, underwater plain that borders the land
uranium
what metal is used as a fuel for nuclear reactors
icebergs are less dense than seawater
why can icebergs float in seawater?