Earth Systems A Final Exam Study Guide
1. Fields of science:
Astronomy
Meteorology
Geology
Environmental science
Oceanography
2. Four systems of the Earth:
(include drawing, p.9)
3. What are the 7 steps of the scientific method?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
4. What is the first step of the scientific method?
5. Hypothesis
6. Dependent variable
7. Independent variable
8. Control
9. Label the axis: independent variable, dependent
variable
10. What is the SI unit for mass?
11. What is the SI unit for time?
12. What is the SI unit for length?
13. What is the SI unit for temperature?
14. Mercator projection
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15. Topographic map
16. Geologic map
17. TOPEX/Poseidon Satellite
18. GPS
19. Each degree of latitude or longitude is divided into
60 smaller units called ____.
20. The Earth is divided into how many time zones?
21. How many time zones cover the U.S.?
22. List the U.S. time zones.
(include sketch)
23. Quantitative data
24. Qualitative data
25. Types of Graphs
bar –
pie –
line –
26. Layers of the Earth
27. The Earth’s core is mostly made of _____.
28. Label the products and reactants
A + B
C +
D
29.The nucleus of an atom is made of _____ and
_____.
30. ______ can be found spinning in orbitals outside
the nucleus.
31. Atomic mass
32. Atomic number
33. How are isotopes formed?
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34. How are ions formed?
35. Elements are made up of __________.
36. What is the most abundant element in the
universe?
37. In a liquid, are particles tightly packed or loosely
packed?
38. When a substance changes from a solid to a liquid
39. When a substance changes from a gas to a liquid
40. What is a mixture?
41. Label the pH scale
0
l
7
l
14
l
42. What is cleavage?
43. What is fracture?
44. What is luster?
45. A mineral that contains a useful substance that
can be mined for profit.
46. A valuable mineral prized for its rarity and
beauty.
47. In what type of pattern are the atoms of a
crystal arranged?
48. Do intrusive igneous rocks form large crystals or
small crystals?
49. How do rocks form from magma?
50. How are minerals formed?
51. What is another name for obsidian?
52. What types of rocks are formed from heat and
high pressure?
53. Fossils are found in what kind of rock?
54. Type of weathering that dissolves rock.
55. Type of weathering that breaks rocks into smaller
pieces.
56. How are materials transported? (4 ways)
57. What is lithification?
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58. The process of laying down transported sediment.
59. The process of removing and transporting
sediment.
60. They cycle which changes and remakes rocks.
61. Label the rocks formed in the rock cycle.
(Know how each type is formed)
62. What do you find in each of the layers of soil?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
63. The vertical sequence of soil layers is called the
___.
64. Name the 4 types of mass movement.
65. Which type of mass movement would cause a
utility pole on a slope to tilt?
66. What is a ventifact?
67. Wind transport and erosion primarily occur in
areas with little _______________.
68. What is a mudflow?
69. When material rotates and slides along a curved
surface, this is called a ____.
70. What type of transportation describes the
bouncing motion of particles?
71. What is a landslide of snow down the side of a
mountain?
72. What part of the U.S. experiences the most
avalanches?
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73. How can humans reduce our impact on mass
movement?
74. What type of glacier forms in high mountains and
produces u-shaped valleys?
75. What is a broad, continent-sized mass of ice
called?
76. What is a tributary?
77. What is the ground that boarders a stream and
holds the water within the channel?
78. What is a watershed?
79. What is the base level for a stream?
80. What is the lowest possible base level?
81. How does an oxbow lake form?
82. When water from a surface of a body of water
moves into the atmosphere
83. When water from the surface of a plant moves
into the atmosphere
84. The buildup of water into clouds
85. What is bed load?
86. What is formed from the buildup of sediment
when a fast moving stream meets an ocean?
87. In which wetland would you find trees and shrubs?
88. In which wetland would you find reeds and
grasses?
89. Soil ____________ describes how well a soil can
support the growth of plants.
90. What is infiltration?
91. Describe the particles in well-sorted soil.
92. Describe the particles in unsorted soil.
93. ____________ = the amount of space between
ground material
94. ___________ = the ability of water to move
through a material
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95. What type of spring has water that is warmer
than human body temperature?
96. What type of spring has water that is hotter than
boiling point and erupts to the surface?
97. What is hard water?
98. What is one of the main features of Karst
topography?
99. The layer of the ground where groundwater
completely fills the pores of the material.
100. The layer of the ground where air fills the pores
of the material (this layer is moist from water passing
through).
101. The boundary between the two zones of the
ground.
102. What is found in rainwater that chemically
weathers limestone to form caves?
103. Dripstones that form on the ceiling of caves.
104. Dripstones that form mounds on the floor of
caves.
105. Dripstones that connect the ceiling and the floor
of caves.
106. List the common uses of freshwater.
1.
2.
3.
107. Sources of freshwater pollution:
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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