🌍 Earth Science & God's Design
What is our role on God’s earth?
Exercise good and wise dominion over God’s earth.
What is the difference between warning and predicting an earthquake?
Warnings happen after a quake starts; predictions are made beforehand.
What causes the Himalayas to rise?
Collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.
How is oceanography different from other sciences?
It applies biology, geology, chemistry, and physics to oceans.
Why are some minerals precious?
Scarcity, difficulty in obtaining, or high demand.
What kind of fossils does mineral replacement produce?
Petrified fossils.
How do plants weather rocks?
Acids chemically weather; roots mechanically split rocks.
What is dark matter?
Unseen matter thought to account for extra gravity in the universe.
How was Snow’s Ghost Map like GIS?
It linked non-geographic data to mapped locations.
Why is helping people important to God?
We are made in His image.
Name a pattern we observe in our solar system.
Planets orbit the sun in the same direction and mostly in the same plane.
How can we tell that God designed the earth to sustain life?
The Bible says the earth was made to be inhabited; every aspect of earth’s design fits living things.
What are the main processes associated with earthquakes?
Plate tectonics.
What principle do geologists use for topography?
Isostasy.
What is the difference between seas and oceans?
Oceans are vast; seas are extensions of oceans, partially enclosed.
What is the relationship of current mineral deposits to pre-Flood ones?
They are likely different types and in different locations due to the Flood.
What are five things that can happen to dead animals?
Decay, eaten, dry out, freeze, anaerobic burial.
What are signs of weathered rock?
Pitting, rounding, discoloration.
How are operational definitions models?
They set test criteria that model a concept.
Why is a map a model?
It simplifies part of Earth with necessary distortions.
Name two earth science ways to help people.
Find freshwater, tsunami warnings, track volcano ash.
Name two hypothetical triggers for the collapse of a nebula into our solar system.
A nearby supernova or gravitational instability.
What four things do most kinds of life need?
Energy (food), oxygen, water, protection from harmful rays.
What is the main source of stress in earth’s crust?
Tectonic plate motions, especially at boundaries.
What is the geologic term for mountain building?
Orogeny.
Why do we predict local sea levels?
For safety and planning along coasts.
What are compound minerals, native minerals, and rocks?
Compound minerals: multiple elements; native minerals: one element; rocks: mixtures of minerals or materials.
What indicates rapid fossil burial?
Soft tissue and skin details preserved.
How does exfoliation weather rocks?
Removal of overburden or temperature changes cause layers to split.
How do particle motion and distance change from solid to gas?
Solid: tight, vibrating; Liquid: mobile, close; Gas: far apart, fast.
What is the difference between large scale and small scale maps?
Large scale: small area, detailed; Small scale: large area, less detail.
Why do secular and Christian scientists differ?
They have different worldviews.
How does the tilt of the earth’s axis improve conditions for life?
It evens out surface heating and increases habitable areas.
What type of boundary formed the Himalaya Mountains?
Convergent boundary.
Compare mountains and hills.
Both are elevations; mountains are larger than hills.
What causes the far side tidal bulge?
Water’s inertia as Earth and Moon revolve.
What is the Law of Conservation of Matter?
Earth’s material amount stays constant; matter is neither created nor destroyed.
Where are most fossils found?
Sedimentary rocks.
What causes landslides?
Loose materials, steep slopes, reduced friction, often after rain.
What is vaporization that occurs at any temperature between freezing and boiling?
Evaporation
How are grid lines like landmarks?
They help find places but are imaginary.
What is the difference between secular and biblical earth history?
Secular: 4+ billion years; Biblical: ~7,000 years.
How does water help distribute heat evenly?
Warm water from the Equator moves to cooler parts of the planet.
What kind of motion produces measurable earthquakes?
Sudden, jerky motions along faults.
Why was there no deaths in the Eyjafjallajökull eruption?
Scientists monitored it and used ash cloud models.
What is one advantage and one disadvantage of an ROV?
Advantage: smaller and cheaper; Disadvantage: range limited by tether.
What is an igneous rock with large and small crystals called?
Porphyritic texture.
How do old-earth scientists explain soft dinosaur tissue?
They claim soft tissues can last much longer than previously believed.
What property makes water an effective erosive agent?
Turbulence related to flow speed.
Should a lunar astronaut measure mass or weight?
Mass (it stays constant, unlike weight).
Which grid lines are vertical and which are horizontal?
Longitude is vertical; Latitude is horizontal.
What is the principle of superposition?
Older layers lie beneath younger ones.
What principle explains how rock layers form with the oldest on the bottom?
The Principle of Superposition.
What tectonic boundary formed the Himalayas?
A convergent boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates.
What determines the width of a beach shore?
Tides, wave energy, and sediment supply.
What physical law says the amount of matter on Earth doesn't change?
The Law of Conservation of Matter.
Why is a volcano an extrusive rather than intrusive feature?
Because it forms on the Earth’s surface.
Is the continental rise part of the continental plate? Explain.
No, it’s the underwater slope of sediment beyond the continental slope.
Compare compound minerals, native minerals, and rocks.
Compound minerals are made of multiple elements; native minerals are pure elements; rocks are mixtures of minerals.
How does silica content affect lava's viscosity and melting point?
More silica makes lava thicker and raises its melting point.
How are the sun, moon, and earth positioned for a neap tide?
At a 90° angle to each other.
Why isn’t a lab-made calcium carbonate crystal considered a mineral?
Minerals must form naturally, not in a lab.
Why do gases escape from lava as it rises?
Pressure decreases as magma nears the surface.
Why do major surface gyres flow clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere?
Due to the Coriolis effect from Earth’s rotation.
What’s the main difference between types of solid volcanic emissions?
Their size — from ash (fine) to bombs (large).