Download Review for Earth Science

Review for Earth Science
1. Geologist ~ is scientists that study the forces that make and
shape earth.
2. The earth is composed of four layers.
a. Crust~ a layer of rock that forms Earth’s outer skin.
The crust is mainly made of basalt and granite.
b. Mantle ~ a layer of hot rock. The upper mantle is a
soft layer called the asthenosphere. This material can
flow very slowly.
c. Outer Core ~ a layer of molten metal that surrounds the inner core.
d. Inner Core ~ a dense ball of solid metal.
3. As you go deeper into the earth, the temperature and pressure increase.
4. Convection ~ is heat transfer by the movement of a heated fluid. Convection within the asthenosphere is
responsible for the movement of tectonic plates.
5. Pangaea ~ a supercontinent that existed 300 million years ago.
6. Continental Drift ~ Wegener’s idea that the continents slowly moved over the earth surface. Evidence
for continental drift includes fossils, landforms, and climate.
a. Fossils ~ a plant fossil that flourished 250 million
years ago has been found in South America, Africa,
Antarctica, India, and Australia.
b. Landforms ~ a mountain range found in Africa lines
up with a mountain range in South America when
you put the continents together.
c. Climate ~ Plants fossils that are adapted to live near
the equator are found in Antarctica. Antarctica must
have once been near the equator and moved.
7. Plates ~ the lithosphere (crust) is broken into separate
sections called plates.
8. Plate Tectonics ~ is the geological theory that states that
pieces of Earth’s crust plates are in constant, slow motion
driven by convection currents in the mantle.
9. Plate Boundary ~ the edges of different pieces of the lithosphere meet at line plate boundaries.
10. Divergent Boundary ~ a place where two plates move apart. Mid ocean ridges and rift valleys are
landforms found at divergent boundaries.
11. Transform Boundary ~ a place where two plates slip past each other, moving in opposite directions.
Earthquakes commonly occur here.
12. Convergent Boundaries ~ the place where two plates
com together. Mountains are commonly found at
convergent boundaries.
13. Minerals ~ a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that
has a crystal structure and a definite chemical
composition.
14. Each mineral has its own specific properties that can
be used to identify it. Properties include hardness,
color, luster, density, streak, crystal shape, and
cleavage or fraction.
15. Hardness ~ also called a scratch test. It is a scale from 1-10 that ranks minerals from softest to hardest.
16. Streak ~ is the color of its powder. You can observe a streak by rubbing a mineral against a piece of
unglazed tile called a streak plate.
17. Luster ~ is the term used to describe how a mineral reflects light from its surface. Some minerals can
have a metallic luster, while others can be glass, dull, waxy, earthy, nonmetallic luster.
18. Weathering ~ a process by which rock is broken down into smaller pieces. Weathering can be classified
as either physical/mechanical or chemical weathering.
19. Physical weathering occurs when rock is broken down, but remains the same type of rock. Examples
include frost action, plant and animal action, and abrasion. Water expands when it freezes making
cracks larger. Roots and burrowing animals dig through the ground breaking up rock. Moving
sediments in streams slowly cause abrasion of rocks making them rounded.
20. Chemical weathering occurs when acidic water eats away at rocks. This can create huge underground
caverns.
21. Erosion is the process by which sediments are carried away by wind, water, glaciers, or gravity. Water
is one of the most powerful agents of erosion. Moving water can carry away huge amounts of
sediment. Landslides are a good example of erosion by gravity. Glaciers can push huge amounts of
rock like a snow plow pushing snow. Huge out of place boulders called erratic’s are evidence of glacial
erosion.
22. Igneous Rocks ~ formed when magma cools. Examples include pumice, granite, basalt, and obsidian.
23. Sediment ~ small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks.
24. 4661cemented together forming sedimentary rock. Fossils are generally found in sedimentary rock.
25. Law of Superposition ~ older layers of sedimentary rock is found at the bottom. Younger layers of
sedimentary rock is found at the top.
26. Metamorphic Rock ~ heat and pressure deep beneath Earth’s surface can change any rock into
metamorphic rock. Gneiss, anthracite coal, slate are all good examples of metamorphic rock.
27. Rock Cycle ~ Forces inside Earth and at the surface produce a rock cycle that builds, destroys, and
changes the rocks in the crust. The rock cycle is a series of process that on Earth’s surface and inside
the planet that slowly change rocks from one kind to another.