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Midterm Study Guide
1. List and briefly describe Earth’s four major spheres.
2. What is latitude?
3. What do contour lines represent on a topographic map?
4. Define the term nonrenewable resource.
5. What is the difference between a scientific hypothesis and a scientific theory?
6. What is a rock?
7. Which type of rock in the rock cycle can only be formed at depths of a few kilometers below Earth’s
surface?
8. What two sources of energy drive the processes that form rocks in the rock cycle?
9. What is the difference between extrusive igneous rocks and intrusive igneous rocks?
10. List and briefly describe the two characteristics used to classify igneous rocks.
11. What are the two main groups of sedimentary rocks?
12. What are fossils and why are they useful?
13. What type of metamorphism occurs during mountain building, resulting in the formation of high-grade
metamorphic rocks?
14. What are the three agents of metamorphism?
15. What are the three processes that break rocks into smaller pieces during mechanical weathering?
16. List three factors that affect the rate of weathering.
17. What are the most important factors that influence soil formation?
18. Briefly describe the characteristics of each soil horizon from the top layer to the bottom layer.
19. What is a mass movement?
20. What factors, other than gravity, are important in triggering mass movements?
21. Compare and contrast an earthquake focus and the epicenter of an earthquake.
22. What are the three types of seismic waves?
23. If you know the distance of an earthquake epicenter from three seismic stations, how can you find the
exact location of the epicenter of the earthquake?
24. Describe the two types of measurements scientists use to describe earthquakes.
25. List at least four dangers that are associated with earthquakes.
26. Briefly summarize Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift.
27. List four lines of evidence that supported the hypothesis of continental drift.
28. Briefly explain the theory of plate tectonics.
29. According to the plate tectonic theory, what is a plate?
30. What are the three main types of plate boundaries?
31. Explain why divergent plate boundaries are also called constructive plate margins.
32. What features are common at convergent continental-continental boundaries? Give an example.
33. Describe what happens at transform fault boundaries, and include the geologic hazard that is associated
with this type of boundary on continental crust.
34. List the lines of evidence that support the theory of plate tectonics.
35. What are the primary factors that determine whether a volcano erupts explosively or relatively quietly?
36. What are the three main types of volcanoes?
37. What is a caldera?
38. Who was the first Greek to believe in the heliocentric universe?
39. Who formulated the law of universal gravitation?
40. What is revolution?
41. What causes lunar phases?
42. In what four ways do terrestrial planets differ from Jovian planets?
43. What process is responsible for the transfer of energy in the uppermost part of the sun’s interior?
44. What is a galaxy?
45. What type of galaxy is composed mainly of young stars?