Astronomy
The process by which stars release energy.
What is Nuclear Fusion
The scientific theory explaining the movement of Earth's lithosphereic plates on the semi-fluid asthenosphere, driving the formation and recycling of crustal rocks.
What is plate tectonics?
Energy resources like coal, oil, and natural gas formed from the remains of ancient organisms, which have driven industrialization and economic development.
This occurs on the outside of a river bend where the water moves faster.
What is erosion?
Gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change.
What are Greenhouse Gases?
The force exerted by a celestial body, like the Moon or Sun, which influences the movement of other bodies and the occurence of tides on Earth.
What is Gravity?
A technique used to determine the age of rockes and other materials by measuring the ratios of radioactive isotopes and their decay products, providing a timeline for Earth's history.
What is radiometric (radioactive) dating?
The process of converting waste materials into reusable materials, reducing the need for new resource extraction and minimizing environmental impact.
What is recycling?
The accumulation of sediments carried by wind, water, or ice, which can build up landforms like deltas, sand dunes, and alluvial fans.
What is Deposition?
The long-term patterns of temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation in an area, influenced by the flow of energy into and out of Earth's systems.
What is Climate?
An event where the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, causing Earth's shadow to fall on the Moon and temporarily darken it.
What is a Lunar Eclipse?
The size or extent of an area over which geological processes occur, ranging from local (e.g., a single mountain) to global (e.g., entire tectonic plates).
What are spatial scales?
This type of energy is renewable and uses the heat from the sun.
What is solar energy.
The breakdown of rocks at Earth's surface through physical, chemical, or biological means, leading to the gradual wearing away of landforms.
What is weathering.
This is responsible for the bending of winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.
What is the Coriolis Effect.
The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves, including visible light, which travels from the Sun's surface through space to reach Eart, providing the energy needed for life.
What is Radiation?
The timeframes over which geological processes take place, from rapid events like volcanic eruptions to slow changes like mountain formation over millions of years.
What are temporal scales?
The variety and variability of life on Earth, including the number of species, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity, which is essential for ecosystem resiience and human well-being.
What is biodiversity?
The process by which water enters the atmosphere from plant leaves.
What is transpiration?
The measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects back into the atmosphere or space, rather than absorbing it.
What is Albedo.
The Phenomenon where light from distant galaxies appears shifted toward the long end of the spectrum, indicating that these galaxies are moving away from us and supporting the idea of an expanding universe.
What is Redshift?
The process where heat from Earth's core causes mantle material to rise and cooler material to sink, driving the movement of tectonic plates and the cycling of matter.
What are convection currents?
The process by which Earth's temerature has increased due to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and cuased ocean levels to rise and an increased frequency of extreme weather events.
What is Global Warming/Climate Change?
The ability of a material, such as soil or rock, to allow water to pass through it, influencing processes like infiltration and groundwater flow.
What is permeability?
The long-term, cyclical variations in Earth’s orbit (eccentricity), tilt, and wobble that alter the amount and distribution of solar energy reaching our planet
What is the Milankovitch cycle.