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EarthScience(Glossary)

Terms

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moraine
a landform that is made of unsorted sediments deposited by a glacier
Eccentricity
The degree of elongation of an elliptical orbit
benthos
Organisms that live at the bottom of oceans and fresh water
Caldera
A large, cirvular depression that forms when the magma chamber below a volcano partially empties and causes the ground above to sink
oort cloud
a spherical region that surrounds the solar system, that extends from just beyond plutos orbit to almost halfway to the nearest star,
Barometer
Istrument used to measure atmospheric pressure
Compound
A substance that is composed of two or more differant elements
siesmograph
an instrument that records vibrations in the ground
thermocline
a layer in a body of water in which water temperatures drop with increased depth faster than it does in other layers
lode
Mineral deposit within a rock formation
Artesian formation
a sloping layer of permeable rock between two layers of impermeable rock and exposed at the surface
solstice
the point at which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible
Discharge
The volume of water that flows within a given time
internal plastic flow
the process by which glacier flow slowly as grains of ice deform under pressure and slide over each other
Cenozoic Era
The Current geologic era........Aka "Age of mammals"
uniformitarianism
the idea that past events explain current ones
Alluvial fan
Fan shaped mass of rock deposited by a stream when the slope of the land decreases sharply, ......form were streams flow from mountains to flat land
mare
A large, dark area of basalt on the moon
Deflation
Form of wind erosion in which fine, dry soil particles are blown away
Black hole
Object so massive and dense that even light cannot escape its gravity
thermosphere
the uppermost layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases:includes the ionosphere
pelagic zone
the region of an ocean or body of freshwater above the benthic zone
Mesosphere
Literally, the "middle sphere" the lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core, also the coldesr layer in the atmosphere
paleomagnetism
the study of the alignment of magnetic minerals in rock, specifically as it relates to the reversal of earths magnetic poles
Hydrosphere
Portion of earth that is water
Climatologists
A scientist who predicts weather
law of crosscutting relationships
principle that a fault or body of rock is younger than any other body of rock that it cuts through
Astronomical unit
the average distance between the earth and the sun...about 150 million kilometers
El Nino
The warm water phase of the El Nino southern Oscillation.......a periodic occurence in the eastern pacific ocean in which the surface warer temperature becomes unusally warm
Asteroid
most asteroids are located between the orbits of mars and jupiter
ventifact
any rock that is piited, grooved, or polished by wing abrasion
Body wave
In geology, a seismic wave that travels through the body of a medium
Anemometer
an instrument used to measure wind speed
Countour line
a line that connects points of equal elevation on a maps
Chemical sedimentary rock
rock that forms when minerals precipitate from a solution or settle from a suspension
Albedo
The fraction of solar radiation that is reflected off the surface of an object
igneous rock
rock that forms when magma cools and solidifies
Molecule
smallest unit of matter that can exist by itself and still retain all of a substances chemical properties
Cirrus cloud
A feathery cloud that is composed of ice crystals and that has the highest altitude of any cloud
Biomass
Plant material, manure, or any other organic matter that is used as an energy sourse
law of superposition
principle that a sediment layer is older than the layers above it and younger than the layers below it, if layers are not disturbed
Air mass
body of air in which temp and moisture content are similar throughout
Gyre
A huge circle of moving ocean water found above or below the equater
Galilean Moon
any one of the four largest satalite of Jupiter, Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, that were discovered by Galileo in 1610
Adventive cooling
proces by which thetemp of an air mass decreases as the air mass moves over a cooler surface
Felsic
Describes magma or igneous rock that is rich in feldspar and silica and is generally light in color
Barrier Island
Long ridge of sand or narrow island that lies Parallel to the shore
Meteoroid
a small rocky object that travels through space
Cirque
Depression left behind by a glacier....Bowl shaped
Esker
A long, winding ridge of gravel and course sand deposited by glacial meltwater stream
aquifer
a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwaterand allows the flow of the water
Conduction
The tranfer of heat through a material
Arete
A sharp, jagged ridge that forms between cirques
Hydrolysis
A chemical reastion between water and another substance to form two or more new substances
pyroclastic material
fragments of rock that form during a volcanic eruption
kettle
Bowl shaped depression in an glacial drift deposit
latitude
the distance N or S from the equator...expressed in degrees
Big bang theory
that all matter & energy in the universe compressed into a small volume that 13 billion to 15 billion years ago exploded and began expanding in all directions
Coalescence
The formation of a larger droplet by the combination of smaller ones
Half-life
the time required for half a sample of radioactive isotope to break down by radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope
Basal slip
The process that causes the ice at the base of a glacier to melt and the glacier to slide
troposphere
the lowest layer of the atmosphere...in which temperature drops at a constant rate as altitude increases
carbonation
the conversion of a compound into a carbonite
apogee
the the point at which the satellite is farthest from earth
Doppler effect
An observed change in the frequency of a wave when the course/observer is moving
P wave
A primary wave, or compressed wave
parallax
the apparent shift in position of an object when viewed from differant locations
Gas gaint
A planet that has a deep, Massive atmosphere such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Or Neptune
coriolis Effect
The curving path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due earths rotation
Alpine glacier
a narrow, wedge shaped masss of ice that forms in a mountainous region and that is confined to a small area by surrounding topography: ex. inculde valley glaciers, cirque glaciers, and peidiment glaciers
Clastic sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock that forms when fragments of preexisting rocks are compacted or cemented together
atmosphere
a mixture of gases that surround the planet/moon
Contact metamorphism
a change in the texture, structure, or chemical composition of a rock due to contact with magma
Bowen reaction series
The simplified pattern that illustrates the order in which minerals crystallize from cooling magma according to thier chemical composition and melting point
Dependant variable
In an experiament, the factor that changes as a result of manipulation of one or more other factors
Asthenosphere
The solid plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere...made of mantle rock that flows very slowly......plates move above this
pulsar
a rapidly spinning nuetron star that emits pulses of radio and optical energy
cementation
the process in which minerals precipitate into pore spaces between sediment grain and bind sediments together
Corona mass ejection
coronal gas that is thrown into space from the sun
Geosphere
The mostly solid, rocky part of earth...extends from the center of the core to the surface or the crust
stratosphere
the layer of the atmosphere that lies between the troposphere and the mesosphere and in which temperature increases as altitude increases
perigee
the point at which a satellite is closest to earth
Cleavage
The tendency of a mineral to split across specific planes of weakness
independent variable
in an experiment the factor that is deliberately manipulated
map projects
a flat map that represents a spherical surface
Chromosphere
Thin layer of the sun that is just above the photosphere and that flows a reddish color during eclipses
latent heat
the heat that is absorbed or released by a substance during a phase change
Biosphere
The Part of earth were all life exists
Glacial drift
The material depositied by Glaciers
Eleastic rebound
The sudden return of elstically deformed rock to it original shape
Epoch
A subdividion of geologic time that is loner than an age but shoerter than a peroid
tidal oscillation
the slow rocking motion of the ocean that occurs as tidal bulges move around the ocean basins
photosphere
the vissable surface of the sun
Apparent magnitude
the apparent brightness of a star from earth
Abrasion
The grinding and wearing away of rock through mechanical action of other rocks or sand
stratus cloud
a gray cloud that has a flat, uniform base and that commonly forms at very low altitudes
Cloud seeding
Process of introducing freezing nuclei or condensation nuclei into a cloud in order to cause rain
Benthic zone
The bottom region of oceans and bodies of fresh water
extrusive igneous rock
rock formed from the cooling and solidification of magma beneath the earths surface
Cosmology
Study of the orgin, properties, processes and evolution of the universe
hurricane
considered so when winds exceed 120 Kmh
sublimation
the process in which a solid changes directly into a gas(also use to describe the reverse process)
Absolute magnitude
the brightness that a star would have at a distance of 32.6 LY from earth
lava
Magma that flows onto earths surface.....
jet stream
a narrow band of strong winds that blow in the upper troposphere
meteor
meteroid that burns up in earths atmosphere
Absolute Humidity
The mass of water vapor in per unit volume of air, expressed as grams of water per cubic meter
Mafic
Describes magma or igneous rock that is rich in magnesiumand is generally dark
Estuary
And area where fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean
Gradient
The change of elevation over a given distance
Aphelion
the point in the orbit of a planet at which the planet is farthest from the sun
Longitude
the angular distance from east to west from the prime meridian
light year
distance light travels in a year.....about 9.46 trillion kilometers
topography
the size and shape of the land surface features of a region, including it relief
isotope
an atom that has the same # of protons as the atoms of the same element do but that has different number of nuetrons
Loess
fine grained sediments
Horn
A sharp, pyramid like peak that forms because of the erosion of cirques
Condensation nucleus
a solid particle in the atmos-phere that provides the surface on which water vapor condenses
Focus and/or Epicenter
Place inside earth were first movement occured
Electron
Sub particle that has a negative bound
Astronemy
the scientific study of the universe
lithosphere
the solid, outer layer of the earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle
Constellations
One of 88 regions into which the sky is divided into.......a group of stars recognised by a pattern
Extrusive igneous rock
forms from the cooling and solidification of lava at earths surface
Absolute Age
The # age of an object or even, often stated in years before the present
perihelion
the point at which the orbit of a planet is closest to the sun
Erratic
A large rock transported from a distant source
Sosmic background radiation
Radiation uniformaly detected from every direction in space....remnant of the big bang
Era
Includes 2 or more peroids
Foliation
The metamorphic rock texture in which mineral grains are arranged in planes or bands
Comet
Small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust that follows the orbit arund the sun and gives of has and dist in the form of a rails as ir moves across the sky
nonfoliated
the metamorphic rock texture in which mineral grauns are nor arranged
ionic bond
attraction between 2 oppositley charged ions
Cumulus cloud
A low-lvl billowy cloud that commonly has a top resembling cotton balls
paleontology
scientific study of fossils
system
a set of particles or interacting components considered to be a distinct physical entity for the purpose of a study
inertia
the tendency of an object to resist being moved or, if the object is moving, to resist a change in speed or direction until an outside force acts on the object
Abyssal plain
A large, flat, almost lvl of the ocean plain
Milankovitch theory
theory that cyclical changes in earths orbit and tilt or earths axis occur over thousands of years and cause climatic changes
Covalent bond
A bond formed when atoms share one or more electrons
adiabatic cooling
process by which the temperature of an air mass decreases as the air mass risees/expands(pg582)
Aurora
Colored lights produced by charged particles from the solar wind and from the magnetosphere that reachs with and ecites the oxygen and nitrogen of earths upper atmosphere
Corona
Outer most layer of the suns atmosphere
Core sampling
A cynlindrical piece of sediment,roc,soil,snow, or ice that is collected by drilling

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