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E/S Vocabulary
Earth Space Science Review Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Relative size of astronomical bodies | Astronomical bodies in relation to size from largest to smallest - Milky Way galaxy, solar system, sun, Earth, Earth's moon |
| Planets | Object that orbits a star and is large enough to have become rounded by its own gravity |
| Star | Giant ball of gas (mostly hydrogen and helium) that undergoes nuclear fusion (high pressure causes hydrogen atoms to fuse together to form helium) |
| Moon | Natural satellite that makes an orbit around a planet |
| Asteroid | Irregular shaped rocky object that orbits the sun |
| Nebulae | Large cloud of gas and dust spread out in an extremely large volume |
| Dwarf planet | Object that orbits the sun and gas enough gravity to be spherical, but has not cleared the area of its orbit |
| Comet | Loose collection of ice, dust, and small rocky particles that heat up as they get close to the sun and begin to display a fuzzy white head and long streaming tail |
| Apparent magnitude of a star | The brightness which is determined by distance from Earth |
| Temperature of a star | Is determined by the color of the star |
| Luminosity (absolute brightness) of a star | Brightness a star would have if it were at a standard distance from Earth (actual brightness of the star) |
| Sunspots | Areas of gas on the sun’s surface that are cooler than the gases around them |
| Solar flares | Occurs when magnetic energy is released from sunspots causing gas to heat up and erupt into space |
| Prominences | Huge loops of gas extending outward from the sun’s surface |
| Compare gravitational force of other planets to Earth | All planets except Jupiter and Neptune have weaker gravitational forces than Earth |
| Composition of astronomical bodies in the universe | Inner planets – small, dense rocky surfaces Outer planets – large, more massive than Earth, gaseous surface Asteroid – small, rocky body Comet – loose ball of ice and rock Earth’s moon – dry, airless and irregular surface |
| Compare temperature of each planet | Those closest to the sun will have the hottest temperature and those farthest away from the sun will have cooler temperatures |
| Compare atmospheric conditions of each planet | Mercury – no atmosphere Venus and Mars – thicker atmosphere than Earth Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune – thick atmosphere |
| Relationship of length of year to distance from the sun | The farther away a planet is from the sun, the longer its year because it takes the planet longer to revolve around the sun 1 revolution around the sun = 1 year |
| Role of gravity explained by the Law of Universal Gravitation in formation of planets, stars, and solar system: | Gravity helps form bodies in space by pulling materials together/ Planets – gravity pulls rock, ices, gas together / Solar system – gravity pulls cloud material together which forms a spinning disk / Stars – gravity pulls material in spinning disk to the |
| Geocentric model of the solar system | Earth is at the center of the revolving planets and stars (geo = Earth) |
| Heliocentric model of the solar system | The sun is the center of the universe, and Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun |
| Astronomical unit | Equal to the distance from the Earth to the sun; used to measure distances between planets |
| Light year | Distance that light travels in one year; used to measure distance between stars |
| Rotation | Spinning of Earth in its axis |
| Revolution | Movement of one object around another (planet revolves around the sun) |
| Effect of sun on the Earth that causes seasons | Earth’s axis is tilted as it revolves around the sun; causes different parts of the Earth to point towards or away from the sun at different times of the year Toward the sun = summer Away from the sun = winter |
| Impact of moon on the Earth including phases | Changing relative position of moon, Earth, and sun cause different phases of the moon; phase of moon depends on how much of the sunlit side of the moon faces Earth / New moon – side facing Earth is not lit / Full moon – see all of lit side / First quar |
| Impact of moon on the Earth including tides | Tides are the rise and fall of ocean water caused mainly by differences in how much gravity from the moon and the sun pulls on different parts of Earth / Moon’s gravity pulls more on the water on the side closest to the moon / Moon’s gravity pulls weakly |
| Impact of the moon on the Earth including eclipses | When an object in space travels between the sun and a third object, it casts a shadow on that object / Solar eclipse – occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun / Lunar eclipse – occurs at a full moon when Earth is directly between t |
| Weathering | The process of rock breaking apart |
| Effect of weathering in the rock cycle | Weathering plays an important role because it breaks down rocks so new rocks can form (breaks down igneous rock which is then mixed with other matter to form sedimentary rock) |
| Erosion | The process by which running water, wind, or ice carry away pieces of broken rock |
| Effect of erosion in the rock cycle | Erosion helps form sedimentary rocks by carrying away broken pieces of rock that get mixed with other matter |
| Physical weathering | Rocks breaking apart without changing their chemical composition Water gets in the cracks of rocks and freezes causing the rock to break |
| Chemical weathering | Occurs when there are changes in the chemical composition of a rock when a rock is weakened through chemical reactions Compounds in rocks react with oxygen and water forming oxides |
| Deposition | Weathered (broken down) rock being dropped by wind or moving water |
| Delta | Landform produced when sediment deposited there a river flows into an ocean or lake is built up |
| Lake | Large body of water surrounded by land Larger and deeper than ponds so little sunlight reaches the bottom |
| Glaciers | Huge sheets of ice |
| Dunes | Buildup of sand |
| River | Flowing water |
| Steps in the rock cycle | Continuously forming and changing Igneous rock forms from magma that has cooled and solidified Sedimentary rock forms from rock that has been exposed to weathering and erosion Metamorphic rock forms from heat and pressure applied to rock |
| Effect of deforestation on Earth | Cutting down trees in a woodland Runoff and erosion increase which can lead to flooding and landslides Soil can become less fertile |
| Effect of urbanization on Earth | Occurs when large areas of land are developed Land no longer available for farming More pollution is added to the air Runoff from rain can carry pollutants into the water supply |
| Effect of desertification on Earth | The advance of desert-like conditions in areas that were previously fertile Crops won’t grow |
| Aquifer | Underground layer of permeable rock that holds water and allows it to flow |
| Cavern | Underground caves that form when limestone dissolves and is carried away in a solution of water |
| Sinkhole | A depression on the surface of the ground that is formed when the roof of a cave collapses because of the erosion of the underlying limestone |
| Law of superposition | Used to determine the relative age of sedimentary rock layers Only indicates which layer occurred first In undisturbed horizontal sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom with the youngest layer being on top |
| Radioactive dating | Determines the absolute age of a rock Scientists first determine the amount of a radioactive element in a rock then compare that amount with the amount of stable element into which the radioactive element decays |
| Theory of plate tectonics | States that the Earth’s plates are in slow, constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle Explains formation, movement, and subduction of Earth’s plates |
| Describe how movement of materials within Earth causes volcanic eruptions | Volcanoes can form along mid-ocean ridges formed when two tectonic plates move apart Some can form when two tectonic plates come together with the denser plate sinking into the mantle causing it to melt |
| Describe how plate tectonics causes earthquakes | When two tectonic plates slide past each other (transform boundary) and the friction causes stress to build which can lead to energy being released causing earthquakes |
| Describe how plate tectonics forms mountains | When two tectonic plates come together (convergent plate boundaries) |
| Describe how plate tectonics creates ocean basins | Ocean basins occur when tectonic plates move apart (seafloor spreading) or when two tectonic plates come together (subduction zones) |
| Evidence that supports scientific theories that Earth evolved over geologic time due to natural processes | Weathering, erosion, and plate tectonics have reshaped Earth’s surface / Evidence from fossils indicate that continents were once joined together / Continents collided forming mountains as crust pushed upward / As continents moved apart from each other, o |
| Lithosphere | Uppermost part of the Earth’s mantle |
| Earth’s mantle | Layer beneath the Earth’s surface that is made of very hot, solid rock Where convection currents occur that result in movement of tectonic plates |
| Earth’s core | Lies below the mantle and is made mostly of iron and nickel Outer core – layer of molten metal (liquid) surrounding the inner core Inner core – dense ball of solid metal |
| Geosphere | Earth’s solid rocks and metals |
| Hydrosphere | Earth’s waters |
| Cryosphere | The frozen water part of the Earth system |
| Atmosphere | The gases that surround the Earth and form Earth’s outermost layer |
| Biosphere | The part of the Earth that contains all living organisms |
| Effect of water on weather patterns | More water vapor in the atmosphere leads to more clouds and precipitation |
| Effect of water on climate | Large bodies of water heat and cool more slowly than land In the summer, coastal regions will stay cooler and in the winter they will stay warmer Moderate climate with a smaller temperature range in areas closest to large bodies of water |
| Influence of jet stream on local weather | Jet streams are narrow bands of high speed winds that occur along the boundary of warm and cold air masses / The greater the temperature difference between the air masses, the greater the difference in air pressure / The difference in air pressure causes |
| Influence of ocean currents on local weather | Ocean currents are streams of water that move in regular patterns Warm water currents move from tropics warming the air above it; warmed air then moves over nearby land Cold currents bring cold water from polar regions, cooling the air above it |
| Difference between weather and climate | Weather is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place Climate is the average, year-after-year weather patterns in a given area over a long period of time |
| Layers of the atmosphere | Classified according to changes in temperature Troposphere – lowest layer, where Earth’s weather occurs Stratosphere – contains the ozone layer Mesosphere – protects Earth’s surface from being hit by most meteoroids Thermosphere – outermost layer |
| Influence of the sun on temperature differences between air, water, and land | Land heats and cools more rapidly than water Land can heat to higher temperatures than water Land can cool to lower temperatures than water Air above the water and land heats and cools as the water and land heats and cools |
| Describe how the atmosphere protects life and insulates the planet | Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere keep the Earth’s surface warm by insulating us from the cold temperatures of space |
| Radiation | Energy transfer that is carried in waves like light (the sun) |
| Conduction | Heat transfer between materials that are touching (frying pan sitting on a hot stove burner) |
| Convection | Heat transfer by the movement of a fluid (warmer water rising and colder water falling in a pot of boiling water) |
Created by:
MrsTabor