| A | B |
|---|
| Rock formed by compaction and cementation of sediments | sedimentary rock |
| igneous rock with large crystals | intrusive ingneous rock |
| igneous rock with small crystals | extrusive igneous rock |
| weathering caused by freezing and thawing of water | frost wedging |
| causes the transformation of rock into one or more new compounds | chemical weathering |
| breakdown of rock without changing the chemical composition | mechanical weathering |
| What determines the rate of soil erosion? | soil characteristics, climate, slope, and type of vegetation |
| The transfer of rock and soil downslope due to gravity. | Mass movement |
| What two processes in the water cycle must be balanced? | evaporation and precipitation |
| ultimate base level | sea level |
| delta | an accumulation of sediment formed when a stream enters a lake or ocean. |
| spring | forms when the water table intersects the ground surface |
| karst topography | irregular terrain made of limestones and contains springs and sinkholes |
| How does a sinkhole form? | Rainwater containing carbon dioxide dissolves limestone below the surface. The surface then collapses. |
| desert pavement | A stony layer created by deflation. |
| epicenter | location on the surface of the Earth directly above the focus |
| S wave | shake particles at right angle to the direction of the wave travel; only through solids |
| P wave | push and pull particles in the direction the wave travels; through solids and liquids; faster than S waves |
| What is a tsunami and what causes it? | A wave formed when the ocean floor shifts suddenly during an earthquake. |
| Describe the lithosphere | The outermost layer of the earth made of the crust and upper mantle; cool and rigid. |
| How did scientists determine what the Earth's interior is like? | By studying the seismic waves that travel through the Earth. |
| What ist he theory of continental drift? | A giant supercontinent broke apart and the smaller continents moved. |
| Evidence that supports the theory of continental drift. | Continents fit together like a puzzle. |
| Evidence that supports the theory of continental drift. | Matching plant and animal fossils on opposite continents |
| Evidence that supports the theory of continental drift. | ks and matching mountain ranges on opposite continents. |
| Evidence that supports the theory of continental drift. | Evidence of climates that are different from today's climate |
| Why was the theory of continental drift rejected? | The mechanism of continent movement was not explained. |
| Divergent plate boundary | Plates move apart and form a midocean ridge. |
| Convergent plate boundary | Plates come together and form a trench and volcano or a moutain. |
| Transform Fault boundary | Plates slide past each other and cause earthquakes |
| What causes the motion of tectonic plates? | Convection currents within the mantle. |
| pyroclastic material | particles produced in volcanic eruptions |
| caldera | depression in a volcanic moutain |
| shield volcano | broad dome shaped volcano produced by fluid lava |
| principle of fossil succession | fossils success one another in a definite and determinable order |
| radioactivity | the process by which atoms of unstable nuclei decay |
| half-life | the amount of time necessary for one half of the nuclei in a sample to decay |
| Which two elements are used to radiocarbon date a fossil? | carbon-12 and carbon -14 |
| daughter product | the resulting product from the decay of a radioactive element |
| parent element | radioactive element |
| Describe Earth's early atmosphere | Contained water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other trace gases. |
| Describe the motion of gyers. | Circular currents in the ocean. |
| upwelling | Deep,cold ocean water comes to the surface bringing nutrients. |
| When do breakers form? | When the depth reaches 1/2 the wavelength of the wave. |
| Spring tide | Tides with the greatest daily range between high and low tides. |
| What causes beach erosion? | waves and longshore currents. |
