Download Earth_Science_Standards_Review_Sheet

Earth Science Standards Review Sheet
Science Processes and Skills
 Be able to convert from one metric unit to another.
 Be able to convert units using the factor label method.
 Understand how to read and interpret a topographic map to interpret surface
features on earth.
o Be able to identify the contour interval, and elevation.
o Be able to calculate the slope.
o Be able to construct a topographic profile and calculate the vertical
exaggeration.
Scientific Method
 Understand the components of how to design a controlled experiment in order
to compile valid data.
o Be able to identify the independent and dependent variable, control,
constants, sample, trial.
o Understand the difference between precision and accuracy.
o Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative data.
o Be able to analyze the results to determine if the hypothesis has been
supported.
 Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, and how
they are recorded.
Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes
 Be able to evaluate and describe the evidence used to construct the continental
drift hypothesis, sea floor spreading model, and plate tectonic theory.
o Wegner’s evidence (fit of continents, fossils, rock evidence, climate
evidence).
o Additional evidence discovered after Wegner’ death. (location of
earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches, age of the sea floor, paleomagnetism)
o Be able to explain the basic theory of plate tectonics.
o Be able to identify the different types of plate boundaries and the
movement that occurs at each boundary.
 You should be able to create an illustrated cross-section of each
boundary, the movement occurring, and the landforms being
created.
o Understand how thermal energy in the mantle drives plate motion. Be
able to explain how a convection cell works.
o Be able to explain and provide evidence of the relationship between the
plates, plate movements, and landforms on Earth.
o Be able to predict how plate tectonics would affect Earth’s landforms and
locations of continents in the future.
 Be able to identify and describe the properties of the layers of the Earth.
o Inner Core
o Outer Core
o Mantle
o Crust
o Lithosphere
o Asthenosphere
 Understand how to calculate density, the relative density of each earth layer, and
how the density of each layer affects plate movement.














Be able to explain what causes the formation of the shadow zone, and how
earthquake waves have been used to infer the properties and composition of the
Earth layers.
Be able to identify the 3 types of seismic waves on a seismogram, and
understand the properties of each wave.
Be able to read a seismogram and use a time travel graph to determine the
distance to epicenter, start time of the earthquake, location of the epicenter.
Understand the process of triangulation and how it is used to determine the
epicenter of an earthquake.
Know the difference between the epicenter and the focus of an earthquake.
Be able to describe the different ways in which earthquakes are measured, and
how each scale works.
o Understand how to determine magnitude on the Richter scale, and the
exponential nature of the Richter scale.
o Understand how to classify data using the Mercalli scale, and how to
make/interpret an isoseismal map.
o Understand the differences between Richter magnitude, Moment
magnitude, and Mercalli magnitude.
Understand the elastic rebound theory on earthquakes.
Understand the other factors that affect the intensity of an earthquake.
o Tsunami
o Landslide
o Fires
o Liquefaction
o Building design
o Time of day
o Population Density
Understand the factors that influence how explosive a volcanic eruption is.
Understand what viscosity is, how it is measured, and how it affects an eruption.
Be able to compare and contrast the different types of volcanoes in terms of
shape, structure, eruptive style, geographic location, and associated hazards.
o Shield
o Composite
o Cinder
o Lava Plateau
o Continental Caldera
Understand and be able to explain how scientists determine create a hazard map
for a volcano.
o Be able to explain what a lahar and pyroclastic flow are.
o Be able to calculate how long it will take a lahar to reach a location if
given a topographic profile.
Understand what a hot spot is and how it differs from a plate boundary.
o Be able to calculate the rate of plate movement over a hot spot.
o Be able to provide an example of a hot spot and its associated landforms.
Understand how the various intrusive igneous structures are created and be able
to identify them. (Dike, Sill, Batholith, Volcanic Neck)
Geologic Time
 Know the 4 main geologic time periods and a brief description of the type of life
in each.
 Be able to diagram the rock cycle, and the processes that transform one rock
type into another.
o How do rocks allow geologists to interpret Earth’s history?



Understand the difference between relative time and absolute time.
o Be able to define uniformitarianism, and provide an example.
o Be able to describe the principals of relative time, and be able to use the
principals to sequence rock layers.
 Principle of Original Horizontality
 Principle of Superposition
 Principle of Crosscutting
 Law of Unconformities
 Law of Included Fragments
Understand how rock layers in different geographic regions are correlated.
o Know what a key bed is and how it is used to correlate rock strata.
o Principal of Fossil Succession
 Understand the processes that create fossils.
 Understand and be able to use the principal of fossil succession to
correlate rock layers.
Understand how rock layers can be dated using absolute time methods.
o Be able to determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in
an atom.
o Know the difference between an isotope and an ion.
o Be able to determine the average atomic mass of an atom and it’s
isotopes.
o Understand how radiometric decay allows scientists to determine the age
of a rock.
 Know the following terms: half life, parent isotope, daughter
isotope.
 Be able to solve problems using radiometric decay to determine
the age of various rock structures.
Energy
 Understand the difference between potential and kinetic energy, the various
forms of energy, and be able to identify the energy transformation.
 Understand the law of conservation of energy.
 Understand the differences between renewable and nonrenewable energy, and
the advantages and disadvantages of each type.
 Understand how each source of energy works (fossil fuels, wind, geothermal,
hydrothermal, nuclear), and the costs and benefits of each type.
 Be able to convert between energy units, and calculate the energy content of a
fossil fuel.
 What is the difference between conservation and efficiency? Be able to provide
an example of each.
 Be able to compare the cost of different products based on their energy usage.
Astronomy
 Understand the history of astronomy, and the development of major ideas.
 Be able to determine the circumference of the Earth using the method of
Eurasthenes.
 Understand the development of the heliocentric and geocentric view of the
solar system.
 Understand what retrograde motion is.
 Understand and be able to describe Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion.
Be able to calculate eccentricity, and orbital periods for planets using
Kepler’s laws.
 Understand and be able to describe how the following scientists advanced
astronomical understanding.
 Galileo
o Invention of telescope
o Proof of Heliocentric Solar System
 Newton
o Law of Universal Gravitation
 Be able to determine how gravitational force would be
affected in a general way if you changed mass or distance
(ie. 4x stronger)
Understand the movement of the Earth; rotation and revolution.
Understand what precession of the Earth’s axis is, and how it affects the Earth.
Understand the phases of the moon and their causes.
o Be able to identify each phase and the geometry/alignment that creates
each phase.
o Be able to deduce the time of day that the moon would rise, be highest in
the sky, and set based on its alignment.
Understand what causes eclipses, and each type.
o Understand the geometry the Earth, Moon, and Sun that creates solar and
lunar eclipses.
o Understand why eclipses do not occur each month.
o Understand why some people see a total solar eclipse and some create a
partial eclipse depending on their location.
o Understand the different conditions that create a total, partial, or annular
eclipse.
 What is angular size?
 Perigee? Apogee?
 Umbra, Penumbra?
Understand what causes tides, and how they vary cyclically.
o Understand how the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon create tides.
o Understand the difference between a spring and neap tide.
o Be able to read a tide graph or lunar calendar to calculate tidal changes.
Understand the theory of how the solar system formed.
o Understand the differences between the Jovian and Terrestrial planets.
o Understand the scale (relative size) of the solar system.
Distances in the Universe
o Be sure you can calculate distances, rates, and travel times.
Understand how scientists measure the distance to stars indirectly.
o What is the parallax shift?
o What two variables affect it?
o How does the parallax angle become a measurement of distance?
o Can you calculate the distance to stars based on their parallax shift?
Understand the life cycle of red, yellow and blue stars.
o Be able to list each step in the life cycle of different mass stars, and
describe the process that occurs to move stars from one stage to the
next.
Understand the different methods that are used to classify stellar brightness.
o Understand the difference between the apparent and absolute magnitude
of a star, and how the scale quantifies each.
o Understand how the absolute and apparent magnitude of a star can be
used to infer the stellar distance from Earth.
o















Understand how stars are classified on by their properties on the Hertsprung
Russell Diagram.
o Be able to identify the locations of different types of stars on the graph.
o Understand the relationship between temperature, luminosity, and size,
be able to infer one property if given the other two.
Understand the electromagnetic spectrum.
o Relationship between wavelength, frequency, energy and speed of light.
o Be able to identify forms of electromagnetic radiation from longest to
shortest wavelength.
Understand how the spectra of a star can be used to determine its composition.
Understand the Doppler Effect, and be able to identify what red shifts and blue
shifts tell us about astronomical objects.
What is the general concept of the big bang theory, and what evidence is used to
support it.
Meteorology
 Understand the difference between weather and climate.
o Understand the different factors that affect climate on earth, and be able
to explain each factor. (continentality, latitude and geographic position,
altitude, solar cycles).
 Understand what causes the seasons on Earth.
o Understand the position of the Earth and Sun on summer solstice, winter
solstice, and spring and fall equinox.
o Be able to identify the location of direct sunlight, latitude that would
receive 24 hour of daylight or darkness, and length of daylight for each
season at key locations (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Equator,
Arctic and Antarctic Circle).
o Understand and be able to explain how the sun’s path in the sky changes
seasonally.
o Be able to calculate the noon solar angle for particular latitude.
 Understand and be able to explain the structure of the atmosphere, the
composition, temperature, and properties of each layer.
 Understand the difference between heat and temperature.
 Understand and be able to describe the different mechanisms of heat transfer;
conduction, convection, and radiation.
 Understand and be able to describe the water cycle.
 Understand the ways in which we measure moisture in the air, and the
relationships between each.
o Relative humidity, specific humidity, dew point, saturation, capacity.
o Understand how a sling psychrometer is used to measure humidity, and
be able to calculate how the relative humidity would change with changes
in temperature, and specific humidity.
 Understand the process of adiabatic cooling and the formation of clouds in the
atmosphere.
o Be able to calculate the height at which a cloud would form.
o Be able to classify cloud types based on their height and form.
 Understand what air pressure is, and the factors that affect it.
 Be able to describe how a barometer is used to measure air pressure.
 Understand how differences in air pressure create wind, and how the pressure
gradient on a weather map can be used to determine wind speed.
 Understand what the Coriolis effect is, and how it affects global wind patterns.
 Understand what a high and low pressure system is, and how air circulates in
each.





Understand the development and characteristics of different air masses, and
how each interact.
Be able to describe the different types of fronts (warm, cold, stationary, and
occluded), the interactions that occur between different air masses at a frontal
boundary, and the weather that results.
Be able to predict the type of weather a location would receive if given a weather
map showing air pressure, frontal boundaries, isotherms, and isobars.
o Be able to read a weather map to determine air temperature, air pressure,
wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and relative humidity.
Understand the development of thunderstorms and tornadoes, and be able to
describe the different stages of a thunderstorm.
Understand how hurricanes develop, are tracked, and how the energy level
changes at landfall.