Chapters 1-2
The place on the earth's surface directly above where an earthquake begins is called what?
epicenter
What quality indicates how a mineral's surface reflects light?
luster
What branch of geology studies fossils?
paleontology
What are ice crystals that grow as they absorb water vapor from a cloud and stick together?
snowflakes
What is the most powerful type of thunderstorm?
supercell
What is the underground layer that provides a firm foundation for the earth's surface?
bedrock
What is the main agent of chemical weathering?
water
How much of the earth's surface is covered in water?
70%
The transfer of heat by direct contact between two objects is called what?
conduction
What are the 88 zones of the celestial sphere called?
constellations
What layer of the soil contains less organic material and more mineral material than the other layers?
subsoil
What is the most common igneous rock?
basalt
What view claims that understanding modern geological processes is the key to understanding the earth's geological history?
uniformitarianism
What term refers to the temperature at which cooling air becomes saturated?
dew point
What familiar asterism is part of Ursa Major?
Big Dipper
What type of volcano pours out highly fluid lava during its mild eruptions to produce a broad, gently sloping cone?
shield volcano
What are hills that form when advancing glaciers overrun old piles of till?
drumlins
What term refers to the ocean's surface currents that move in circular paths?
gyres
What is a combination of 3 air masses that forms a Y-shaped front?
occluded front
What is a flame-like column of gas the erupts from the chromosphere?
spicule
What forms when rocks along one side of a fault move horizontally along the fault?
strike-slip fault
What sedimentary rock consists of rough, angular fragments embedded in hardened sand or clay?
breccia
What type of oceanographic vessel is lowered from a surface ship near the area to be studied and can operate without any outside guidance?
AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle)
What factor of insolation has the most influence on the difference in temperature between summer and winter?
the angle of the sun's rays
What type of galaxy is flat with a bulging nucleus and a "solid" disk?
lenticular