ACT - Science Vocabulary - Earth Science Flashcards
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| 387416430 | Atmosphere | a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing | |
| 387416431 | Biogeochemical cycles | process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another | |
| 387416432 | Biosphere | the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist | |
| 387416433 | Carbon cycle | the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again | |
| 387416434 | Continental plates | lithospheric plates including land | |
| 387416435 | Core | the central part of the Earth | |
| 387416436 | Crust | the outer layer of the Earth | |
| 387416437 | Earth Systems Science | An emerging science of earth as a complete entity (physical, chemical, biological, planetary change, etc.) | |
| 387416438 | Earthquakes | sudden movements of Earth's crust followed by a series of shocks | |
| 387416439 | Geosphere | the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle | |
| 387416440 | Hydrosphere | the watery layer of the earth's surface | |
| 387416441 | Lithosphere | the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle | |
| 387416442 | Mantle | the layer of the earth between the crust and the core | |
| 387416443 | Mantle convection | mantle of Earth slowly convectively (rotating) overturns (maybe) | |
| 387416444 | Mid-ocean ridges | an undersea mountain chain | |
| 387416445 | Mountain belts | group of large mountain systems | |
| 387416446 | Nitrogen cycle | the circulation of nitrogen | |
| 387416447 | Oceanic plates | when two oceanic plates collide the older one is subducted under the younger | |
| 387416448 | Plate boundaries | when plates interact with each other | |
| 387416449 | Plate movements | Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and mountain formation can all be caused by this | |
| 387416450 | Plate tectonics theory | Theory that great slabs or plates of Earth's outer layer float on a hot, semi-molten mantle. All plates are moving slowly and have rafted continents to new positions over time. | |
| 387416451 | subduction zones | places where plates are pushed down into the upper mantle | |
| 387416452 | Tectonic plates | Sections of the Earth's crust that move due to convection currents. | |
| 387416453 | Upper mantle | the upper part of the mantle | |
| 387416454 | Volcanoes | openings in Earth's crust from which molten rock, dust, ash, and hot gases flow or erupt | |
| 387416455 | Asthenosphere | the lower layer of the crust | |
| 387416456 | Body waves | seismic waves that travel through the Earth's interior | |
| 387416457 | continental crust | The thickest type of crust. | |
| 387416458 | Convection | the transfer of heat through a fluid (liquid or gas) caused by molecular motion | |
| 387416459 | Inner core | solid, dense center of the Earth | |
| 387416460 | Magnitude | the property of relative size or extent | |
| 387416461 | Magma | molten rock in the earth's crust | |
| 387416462 | Hail | precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents noun | |
| 387416463 | Hurricanes | fierce tropical storms with strong winds | |
| 387416464 | Lightning | the flash of light that accompanies an electric discharge in the atmosphere (or something resembling such a flash) noun Ex. can scintillate for a second or more | |
| 387416465 | Waves | are rhythmic back and forth motions of water that transferenergy through the water | |
| 387416466 | Drought | a temporary shortage of rainfall | |
| 387416467 | Atmosphere | the mass of air surrounding the Earth noun Ex. "there was great heat as the comet entered the atmosphere"; "it was exposed to the air" | |
| 387416468 | Flooding | overfull with water adjective Ex. "swollen rivers and creeks" | |
| 387416469 | seasonal variations | a pattern in a time series that repeats itself at known regular intervals of time | |
| 387416470 | Thunderstorms | electric storm, electrical storm | |
| 387416471 | Tornadoes | destructive rotating column of air that has very high wind speeds visible as a funnel shpaed cloud that touches the ground | |
| 387416472 | Unconformities | gaps in rock records made when agents of erosion remove existing rock layers | |
| 387416473 | Index Fossils | distinctive fossil used to compare the relative ages of fossils | |
| 387416474 | Cooling | the process when magma , lava , hot rock, or etc, somehow cool down or in the process of becoming cool. | |
| 387416475 | Erosion | (geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it | |
| 387416476 | Igneous rocks | rocks formed by the cooling of molten rock | |
| 387416477 | Metamorphism | change in the structure of rock by natural agencies such as pressure or heat of introduction of new chemical substances | |
| 387416478 | Molten rock | rock that is so hot it is a very thick, slow-moving liquid | |
| 387416479 | Rock cycle | sequence of events in which rocks are formed, destroyed, altered, and reformed by geological processes | |
| 387416480 | Rock sequence | The order of rocks according to the geological age where they can be found User-contributed | |
| 387416481 | Clouds | a visible collection of particles of water or ice suspended in the air, usually at an elevation above the earth's surface | |
| 387416482 | Blizzards | a heavy and prolonged snowstorm covering a wide area | |
| 387416483 | Air masses | a body of air covering a relatively wide area, exhibiting approximately uniform properties through any horizontal section | |
| 387416484 | Air density | mass of air molecules found within a fixed volume of air | |
| 387416485 | Convection | the transfer of heat through a fluid (liquid or gas) caused by molecular motion | |
| 387416486 | Conduction | the transmission of heat or electricity or sound conducting | |
| 387416487 | Downbursts | a localized area of strong winds in a downdraft beneath a severe thunderstorm. | |
| 387416488 | Convergence | the occurrence of two or more things coming together | |
| 387416489 | Fronts | Fronts are when any two air masses meet. The four major types of fronts are cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts. User-contributed | |
| 387416490 | deep ocean currents | convection currents that flow far beneath the surface of the ocean. they are caused by temperature differences in the water, and the earth's rotation | |
| 387416491 | climatic zones | areas that experience the same weather and climate patterns, with similar distribution patterns of temperature and precipitation | |
| 387416492 | Relative age dating | determines when something formed or happened in relation to other things | |
| 387416493 | radioactive substance | A type of substance that releases neutrons and protons from its nucleus | |
| 387416494 | Pleistocene ice age | fairly recent geological period when huge ice sheets covered most of North America and other continents |