Earth's Shape
What is the actual shape of Earth?
Oblate spheroid
Which Earth sphere includes all living organisms?
Biosphere
Which region of Earth's interior is liquid?
Outer core
What is the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere?
Exosphere
What is the name of the imaginary line at 0o latitude?
equator
Which type of crust is generally thicker: continental or oceanic?
Continental Crust
Is Earth's equatorial diameter or polar diameter greater?
Equatorial diameter
Hydrosphere
Which region makes up the largest portion of Earth's interior by volume?
Mantle
In which atmospheric layer does nearly all weather occur?
Troposphere
Do lines of longitude run north to south or east to west?
North to South
What generally happens to the density of Earth's materials as depth increases?
Density increases
What causes Earth to bulge slightly at the equator?
Earth's rotation
Which Earth sphere consists of the gases surrounding our planet?
Atmosphere
Which type of Earth's crust is generally thinner and denser?
Oceanic Crust
Which atmospheric layer contains the ozone layer?
Stratosphere
What is the name of the imaginary line at 0o longitude?
Prime Meridian
Which atmospheric layer protects life by absorbing much of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation?
Stratosphere
What happens to the bottom of a ship as it travels farther away over the horizon?
It disappears before the top of the ship
What two parts of Earth make up the lithosphere?
The crust and rigid uppermost mantle.
Which two elements make up most of Earth's core?
Iron and Nickel
Mesosphere
A location has coordinates of 40o N, 75o W. In which two hemispheres is it located?
Northern and Western Hemispheres
A glacier melts, and its water flows into a river. Which Earth sphere contains both the glacier and river?
Hydrosphere
During which event can we observe Earth's curved shadow on the moon?
A lunar eclipse
A tree absorbs water from the soil through its roots. Which two Earth spheres are directly interacting?
Biosphere and hydrosphere
Why is Earth's inner core solid even though it is hotter than the outer core?
The enormous pressure at Earth's center keep the inner core solid.
Which atmospheric layer absorbs high-energy solar radiation, including X-rays?
Thermosphere
Two cities are located at 30o N, 60o W and 30o S, 60o W. What is their difference in latitude?
60o
A student claims Earth is a perfect sphere. Identify one piece of evidence that shows Earth is not perfectly spherical.
Earth's equatorial diameter is greater than its polar diameter
Earths's equatorial diameter is approximately 12,756 KM, while its polar diameter is approximately 12,714 km. What is the difference between the two?
42 km
A volcano erupts, releasing ash and gases into the atmosphere. Which two Earth spheres are directly interacting?
Lithosphere and Atmosphere
Scientists know the mantle can move very slowly over time. Why is it incorrect to describe the mantle as a giant ocean of liquid magma?
The mantle is mostly solid rock that can deform and flow very slowly over geological time.
Name all five atmospheric layers in order from outermost to innermost.
Exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere
A scientist travels from 20° N, 40° E to 20° N, 70° E. In which direction did the scientist travel, and which coordinate changed?
East; longitude changed
A scientist records the coordinates of a location as 45° S, 120° E. Identify the hemispheres, and explain whether the location is closer to the Equator or the South Pole.
Southern and Eastern Hemispheres; it is equally distant in degrees from the Equator and South Pole