Science Basics
What term describes how much matter is in an object?
Mass
Which imaginary lines measure distance north or south of the equator?
Lines of latitude
What is the color of a mineral in powdered form called?
Streak
What are the three basic types of rock?
Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
What is Earth's outermost layer of rock called?
The crust
What is the formula for density?
Density = mass divided by volume
What is a unit created by mathematically combining simpler units?
Derived unit
What is the movement of water through pores in soil or rock called?
Answer: Percolation
What property describes the way a mineral shines when light hits it?
Luster
What type of sedimentary rock forms from fragments of preexisting rocks?
Clastic sedimentary rock
What is the ancient supercontinent called?
Pangea
A mineral bubbles when exposed to acid. What property is being observed?
Effervescence
What does a chemical formula tell us?
The number of atoms of each element in a substance.
What process transports rock and soil to a different location?
Erosion
What is the tendency of a mineral to break along flat surfaces called?
Cleavage
What process turns sediment into sedimentary rock?
Lithification
What is the process of tectonic plates splitting apart at mid-ocean ridges?
Seafloor spreading
What type of rock forms when magma cools deep underground?
Intrusive igneous rock
A building measures 15 meters long, 10 meters wide, and 3 meters tall. What is its volume?
450 cubic meters
Which soil horizon contains the parent material of soil?
The C-horizon
A mineral is weakly attracted to a magnet but cannot become a magnet. What is it called?
Paramagnetic mineral
Which type of metamorphic rock forms from both intense heat and pressure?
Regional metamorphic rock
What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates slide alongside one another?
Transform boundary
What is a contact between igneous or metamorphic rock and sedimentary rock above it called?
Nonconformity
An object has a mass of 135 grams and a volume of 147 milliliters. What is its density, and will it float in water?
0.92 g/mL; yes, it will float.
What is the difference between uniformitarianism and catastrophism?
.
Uniformitarianism emphasizes slow, gradual processes. Catastrophism emphasizes large-scale catastrophic events
A ruby has a mass of 0.75 grams. How many carats is it if one carat equals 0.2 grams?
3.75 carats
What principle states that in an undisturbed series of rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom?
Principle of Superposition
What process occurs when one tectonic plate is forced beneath another?
Subduction
Explain the difference between divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries.
.
Divergent plates move apart; convergent plates move toward each other; transform plates slide alongside each other