Download 100 Facts – Earth Science

100 Facts – Earth Science
1. Earth’s rotation around the sun equals about 24 hours
2. Revolution is the motion of earth along a path around some point in space.
3. Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted about 23.5 degrees.
4. Precession of Earth is the slight movement over a period of 26,000 years of Earth’s axis.
5. Nutation is the wobbling of Earth around the precessional axis.
6. Barycenter is the center of mass where two or more celestial bodies orbit each other.
7. The axis of rotation causes the yearly cycle of seasons.
8. During the winter, the Earth is closest to the sun, while during the summer, the Earth is farthest from the sun.
9. When the Earth’s axis points towards the sun, it is summer for that hemisphere.
10. Ocean tides result from the gravitational attraction exerted upon the Earth by the moon.
11. The shape of the earth is not a true sphere, it is an oblate spheroid, bulging at the equator.
12. The moon revolves around the earth.
13. The universe is made of galaxies which consists of many stars.
14. Fusion is the process that produces radiant energy for the stars.
15. The sun is the ultimate source of energy.
16. During photosynthesis, plants take in sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to create glucose and releases oxygen
17. The path of each planet around the sun is an ellipse.
18. Our solar system is located on the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy
19. Land heats more rapidly and to higher temperatures than water.
20. It takes more heat energy to change the temperature of water.
21. The strong magnetic field generated by the movement of the Earth’s liquid outer core absorbs harmful radiation
released by solar winds.
22. Air pressure is the force of air, exerted on the objects on Earth’s surface being pushed from every direction.
23. Air pressure is measured by a tool called a barometer.
24. Air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
25. An air mass takes on the temperature and moisture characteristics of the surface below it.
26. Air masses are classified by their temperature (hot or cold) and humidity (moist of dry).
27. A cold front, represented by blue triangles on a weather map, occurs when a cold air mass pushes up on warm air causing
severe weather.
28. A warm front, represented by red semicircles on a weather map, occurs when a warm air mass slides up and over a cold
air mass, creating rainy weather.
29. Relative humidity is measured using a hygrometer.
30. Dew point is the temperature at which air releases excess moisture causing precipitation.
31. The atmosphere is divided into 5 layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.
32. The troposphere is the layer closest to the surface and is where life and most weather occurs
33. The ozone layer protects us from harmful UV radiation from the sun and is found in the stratosphere.
34. The Köppen Climate Classification System classifies the world's climates based on the average temperature and
precipitation.
35. Climate is the average daily weather for an extended period of time at a certain location
36. El Niño is a climate pattern representing an unusual warming of the Pacific Ocean including wetter conditions for the
southeast US.
37. Water vapor and carbon dioxide (greenhouse gases) are the major gases that absorb solar radiation.
38. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change.
39. Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime energy demand, air conditioning costs, and air pollution.
40. Salinity is the total amount of salt dissolved in water.
41. Ocean density depends on the temperature and salinity of water.
42. Surface currents move warm water from the equator towards the colder water at the poles.
43. Water has a higher heat capacity than soil and rock.
44. Ocean acidification is a consequence of human emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
45. Climate change is the driving force of processes that change sea levels over time.
46. The ocean is a “carbon sink,” which means that it removes CO2 from the atmosphere.
47. Sea level rise depends on land elevation changes that occur as a result of subsidence (sinking) or uplift (rising) of coastal
areas.
48. An ecosystem is a community of organisms that interact with biotic and abiotic factors in that environment.
49. A biome is a group of ecosystems that share both biotic and abiotic conditions.
50. A limiting factor is a factor that restricts the size of a population from reaching its full potential.
51. Biodiversity is the genetic variation within populations.
52. Invasive species grow uncontrolled where native species otherwise would occur.
53. Alternating crops maintain nutrients in the soil.
54. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can support.
55. Growing human population leads to habitat destruction and a loss of biodiversity.
56. CFCs are nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals that deplete the ozone layer.
57. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are two of the gases involved in the creation of acid rain.
58. CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) are used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays and refrigerants.
59. Aerosols are minute particles suspended in the atmosphere that scatter and absorb sunlight.
60. Fossil fuels account for nearly 90% of the energy used in the US.
61. Reducing carbon footprint, reusing, and recycling help to reduce human impacts on the environment.
62. Peat which is partially decayed plant material is the first stage of coal production.
63. Evaporation is the process of converting liquid water into water vapor.
64. Transpiration is the process of plants releasing water through their leaves.
65. Infiltration occurs when water is absorbed into the surface of the earth.
66. An aquifer is an underground layer of rock or soil that contains water.
67. A well is a hole dug into the earth used to pump water for use and consumption.
68. Dams trap sediment from flowing water sources, reducing the water volume.
69. Salt water intrusion is the movement of saline water into areas of freshwater near coasts and beaches.
70. As the population on Earth increases, water availability decreases.
71. A watershed is the area of land where all of the water goes into the same place.
72. Water quality can be reduced due to the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
73. Pollutants can then affect the amount of oxygen in waters which aquatic animals need to live.
74. Soil is the result of weathering of rocks and includes weathered particles such as sand, silt, and clay.
75. Physical weathering occurs when physical forces break rock into smaller pieces without changing the rock’s mineral
composition.
76. Chemical weathering is the transformation of rock into one or more new compounds.
77. There are four agents of erosion: Wind, water, ice and gravity.
78. Deposition is when an agent of erosion loses energy and drops sediments.
79. A soil texture triangle is used to classify soils using different proportions of sand, silt and clay.
80. Sinkholes are caused by soluble rock that is dissolved by acid rain.
81. Urbanization is the increasing number of people that live in urban areas.
82. Deforestation is the removal of trees in a forest for the conversion of farms, ranches, or urban use.
83. Point source pollution is pollution that comes from one source such as a waste water treatment plant or industry.
84. Non-point source pollution is pollution that enters the environment through some means other than a direct source such
as runoff or construction sites.
85. Human activities often contribute to or accelerate the shoreline erosion process.
86. The forms of energy that drive the rock cycle include heat and mechanical energy.
87. Rock is any solid mass of mineral or mineral-like matter that occurs naturally as part of our planet.
88. Igneous rock is formed by the crystallization of molten magma.
89. Sedimentary rock is formed from the weathered products of pre-existing rocks that have been transported, deposited,
compacted, and cemented.
90. Metamorphic rock is formed by the changing pre-existing rock through heat and pressure.
91. The rock cycle is a continuous process that cause rocks to change.
92. An earthquake occurs when rocks break or slip along fault lines in the Earth’s crust.
93. The focus of an earthquake is the point of origin of the earthquake and the epicenter is the point on the surface.
94. Surface waves arrive last and are the most destructive of all the seismic waves.
95. Volcanic activity begins when a crack develops in the crust as magma is forced towards the surface.
96. Plate movement is driven by unequal distribution of heat within the Earth.
97. The lithosphere is divided into segments called plates which move and change shape and size.
98. A divergent boundary occurs when two plates move apart.
99. A convergent boundary forms where two plates move together.
100. A transform boundary occurs when two plates slide past each other without the production or destruction of lithosphere.