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Vocabulary terms for the ES Regents exam 2025

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
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Term
Definition
Abrasion   show
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Absolute Dating   show
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show Forces that are set in motion by gravity that causes sediments to move.  
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Air Currents   show
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Air Mass   show
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Air Pressure   show
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Altitude   show
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show An instrument used to measure the speed of the wind.  
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show A partially melted layer that allows for parts of the lithosphere to move.  
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show A region between Mars and Jupiter where most of the asteroids are found orbiting the Sun.  
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show The study of Earth’s motions and celestial objects in outer space.  
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show Layer of gases that surround Earth or any other planet.  
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show Angular distance along the horizon measured from due north.  
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Banding   show
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show An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.  
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Big Bang   show
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Bioclastic   show
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Celestial Object   show
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show The act or process of holding sediment or pieces of rock together.  
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Chemical Weathering   show
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Circle   show
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Clastic   show
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Cleavage   show
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show Overall view of a regions weather conditions over a long time span.  
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Climatology   show
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show An instrument that is used to measure an incline.  
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show A boundary where more dense cold air advances under less dense warm air pushing it up.  
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show A small particle that remains suspended indefinitely.  
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show The consolidation of sediments resulting from the weight of overlying deposits.  
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show The process which atmospheric water vapor turns into precipitation [gas to a liquid].  
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show Localized metamorphism resulting from the heat of an igneous intrusion.  
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Continental Drift   show
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show Huge sheets of ice that cover entire land masses  
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Contour Index   show
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show The difference in elevation between two side by side contour lines.  
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show Lines drawn on a map that connect equal points of elevation.  
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Convection   show
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Convergent Boundary   show
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show A system which uses one or more numbers to locate a position.  
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show The tendency of particles to be deflected from a straight line.  
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Correlation   show
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show Figure of the moon resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.  
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show A naturally occurring solid that is formed as and composed of crystals.  
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show A repeating pattern that occurs over and over again.  
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show The degree of compactness of a substance which is the ratio of mass to its volume.  
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Dependent Variable   show
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Deposition   show
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Depression Contours   show
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show The temperature at which air must be cooled for water vapor to condense.  
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Direct Relationship   show
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show Boundary where two lithospheric plates are moving apart.  
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Drumlin   show
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show A natural shaking of the lithosphere caused by a release of energy stored in rocks.  
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Eccentricity   show
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Ecology   show
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show Energy that is radiated through space in the forms of transverse waves.  
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Element   show
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Elevation   show
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Ellipse   show
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Eon   show
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Epicenter   show
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show A division of time that is a subdivision of a period that is based on fossil records.  
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Equator   show
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show A major division of time that is a subdivision of an eon and is based on fossil records.  
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Erosion   show
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Erratics   show
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Esker   show
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show The gradual development from a simple to a more complex form.  
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show The state or process of a species no longer existing.  
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Extrapolate   show
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show A type of igneous rock that forms on the outside of Earth’s surface.  
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Fault   show
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Felsic   show
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show A region with a measurable quantity at all locations.  
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show The depth at which an earthquake originates.  
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show The two fixed center points of an ellipse.  
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Focus   show
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Foliation   show
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Fossil   show
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show A texture that causes minerals to break irregularly or unevenly.  
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Frost Action   show
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Full Moon   show
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show A collection of billions of stars and various amounts of gas held together by gravity.  
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Geocentric Universe   show
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show The study of the rocky portion of Earth.  
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Geographic Poles   show
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Glacial Grooves   show
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Glacier   show
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show Any moon that appears more than half lighted but less than full.  
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show A tree fossil that is found in South American and Africa, India and Antarctica.  
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show A slope that is calculated by dividing the change in field value divided by the distance.  
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show The trapping of the sun's heat energy in a planet's lower atmosphere.  
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show The time required for half of a radioactive product to decay to a stable product.  
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Hardness   show
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show A model of the solar system where the Sun is at the center.  
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show Fair weather with wind patterns that are outward and clockwise.  
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show The edge of the visible portion of the celestial sphere.  
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Horizontal Sorting   show
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H-R Diagram   show
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Hurricane   show
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show The study of Earth’s fresh water system in relation to land.  
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show A layer of Earth above the lithosphere that is in the liquid phase.  
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Igneous Rock   show
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Independent Variable   show
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show Fossil used to define and identify geologic periods.  
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show The process which water penetrates into soil or rock.  
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Inner Core   show
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show Term to describe incoming solar radiation from the Sun [sunlight].  
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Intrusion   show
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show Igneous rock that forms deep inside of Earth.  
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Inverse Relationship   show
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show A curved belt of volcanic islands lying above a subduction zone.  
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Isobar   show
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Isoline   show
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Isotherm   show
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show Variations of an element that have the same atomic number but differing atomic masses.  
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show Lines that are drawn on a map that connect all equal points of rainfall amounts.  
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show The outer gaseous planet with larger diameters and lower densities.  
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Kettle Lake   show
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show A collection of landforms, such as mountains, hills, plains, and plateaus  
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Latitude   show
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show Molten rock that is outside the Earth.  
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show On or toward the side sheltered from the wind or toward which the wind is blowing.  
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show A unit of astronomical distance equivalent to the distance that light travels in one year.  
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Lithification   show
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Lithosphere   show
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show Ocean current that flows parallel and close to the shore.  
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Lowlands   show
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Low Pressure   show
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Luminosity   show
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show The shine of an unweathered mineral or the way it looks in reflected light.  
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show Dark colored rocks that have a high iron [Fe] or magnesium (Mg) content.  
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show Molten rock inside the Earth.  
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show Star classification not the H-R Diagram where most stars spend their stellar lives.  
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show The longest straight lined distance across an ellipse.  
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Mantle   show
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Map   show
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show The amount of matter in an object.  
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show The pulling of rock and sediment downhill by the force of gravity.  
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Meander   show
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Mesosaurus   show
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show The effect of an earthquake on the Earth's surface based on observations.  
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show Rocks that have been altered by an increases in temperature and pressure.  
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Meteorology   show
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Mid-Ocean Ridge   show
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show Naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite structure where atoms are in a repeating pattern.  
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MOHO   show
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show A body that orbits a planet or asteroid as they orbit the Sun.  
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Mountain   show
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New Moon   show
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show Type of metamorphic rock texture where there is no mineral alignment.  
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Nuclear Fusion   show
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show The branch of science that deals with the physical and biological properties of the ocean.  
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show The idea that rocks are deposited in parallel layers to Earth’s surface.  
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Orographic Effect   show
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Outer Core   show
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show The outpouring of gases from the earth's interior that collected in the atmosphere.  
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Outwash Plain   show
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Oxidation   show
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show The fastest earthquake wave that travels through the earth [compressional].  
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Pangaea   show
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Parent Rock   show
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show The breakdown of rock into smaller pieces without chemical change.  
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Planet   show
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Plains   show
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show Section of the lithosphere that move due to convection currents.  
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Plate Tectonics   show
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Plateau   show
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Plutonic Rock   show
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Polar Star   show
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show Wind from the direction that is predominant at a particular place or season.  
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show The main reference line of longitude [0°] that runs through Greenwich, England.  
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show Landscape that is of lower elevation.  
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show Balancing out of incoming and outgoing radiation.  
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show The disintegration of an isotope over time that enables dating.  
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Rainshadow Effect   show
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show The speed at which a variable changes over a specific period of time.  
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show The act of a rock crystallizing again.  
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Regional Metamorphism   show
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Relative Dating   show
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Relative Humidity   show
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show The motion of one body around another in an orbit.  
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show Isolated belt around the Pacific Ocean where 90% of the world’s volcanoes exist.  
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Rock   show
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Rotation   show
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show The slower earthquake wave that travels through the earth (shear).  
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Saffir-Simpson Scale   show
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show The process where ocean floor is extended when two plates move apart.  
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show Rock type from an accumulation of sediment from preexisting rocks and/or organic material.  
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show Smaller pieces of rock that have undergone weathering.  
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Seismogram   show
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Seismograph   show
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show An instrument used to measure dew point and relative humidity.  
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show All the objects that orbit the Sun under its gravitational influence.  
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Soluble   show
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Source Region   show
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show Prevailing winds between 30° N and 60° N.  
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Stable Product   show
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Star   show
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Station Model   show
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Storm Surge   show
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show The path that a hurricane takes.  
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show The color of finely crushed powder when a mineral is dragged across a porcelain plate.  
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show Running water that is confined to a channel.  
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show The process where one plate is pushed below another and consumed in the mantle.  
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show A spot appearing on the Sun's surface, usually darker by contrast than its surroundings.  
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Superposition   show
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Suspension   show
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Temperature   show
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show A mound of till deposited along the leading edge of a glacier  
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Terrestrial Planet   show
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show An instrument used to measure temperature at a specific location.  
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show A model of an elevation field of Earth’s surface.  
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show A side view of a geologic feature.  
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Tornado   show
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show Prevailing winds between 30° N and 0°.  
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Transform Boundary   show
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Tributary   show
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show Low pressure that produces sustained circular winds below 39 mph.  
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Tropical Storm   show
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U-Shaped Valley   show
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show A break in the rock record or sequence that usually occurs from erosion.  
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Uniformitarianism   show
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show All the space, matter, and energy in existence.  
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Unstable Product   show
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show Shape of valley walls from stream erosion.  
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Valley Glacier   show
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Vesicular   show
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show Rock that formed on Earth’s surface.  
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Volcano   show
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Volume   show
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Waning Moon   show
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show A boundary where less dense warm air advances over top of more dense cold air.  
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show When the moon increases in size and becomes more brilliant.  
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Weather   show
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show An instrument used to measure wind direction.  
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show The breakdown of rock at or near Earth’s surface.  
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show The effect of gravity on weight.  
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Wind   show
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show The side or direction from which the wind is blowing  
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Zenith   show
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