Earth's Early History and Age
This type of evidence best shows that Earth formed at the same time as the rest of the solar system.
Age of the oldest minerals
Processes like mountain building and seafloor spreading usually take place over this time scale.
Millions of years
The youngest oceanic crust is found closest to this surface feature.
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
A decision that considers people, the environment, and the economy at the same time is best described as ________.
People often settle near rivers because they provide transportation, freshwater, and ________.
Resources or trade opportunities
Earth has far fewer visible craters than the Moon mainly because Earth has these active processes.
Plate tectonics and erosion
Radioactive decay deep inside Earth primarily provides energy for this process.
Convection
Oceanic crust gets older as you move farther away from mid-ocean ridges because of this process.
Seafloor spreading
On a sustainability triangle, a solution located in the center represents a balance of which three factors?
Social, environmental, and economic
Mountain regions are more likely to support mining and lumber than large ship trade routes because of ________.
Land features
If a rock sample has a higher ratio of parent radioactive atoms to daughter atoms, the rock is most likely younger or older.
younger
Put these events in order: plate movement, radioactive decay, mountain formation, convection currents.
Radioactive decay → convection currents → plate movement → mountains
Ocean-floor rocks at Location A are found near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, while ocean-floor rocks at Location B are farther away from the ridge.
Which statement correctly compares the ages of the rocks at these two locations?
A. Rocks at Location A are older than rocks at Location B
B. Rocks at Location B are older than rocks at Location A
C. Rocks at both locations are the same age
D. Rock age cannot be determined from their location
B. Rocks at Location B are older than rocks at Location A
Lithium is considered nonrenewable because it is ____.
limited, finite, will not last forever, will run out, cannot be replaced
A major reason people migrated to North America during ice ages was ________ sea levels exposing land.
Lower
This comparison provides the strongest evidence that Earth, Mars, and the Moon formed around the same time.
Similar ages of their oldest minerals
Volcanic eruptions build new land while glaciers wear land away. These are examples of what two forces?
Constructive and destructive forces
Surface features like mountains or mid-atlantic ridges are caused by what process.
Movement of tectonic plates
Recycling lithium batteries helps reduce which pillar of sustainability most directly?
Environmental
Which factor best explains why settlements form near fertile valleys instead of steep mountain peaks?
Access to usable land and resources
If Earth did NOT have an atmosphere or erosion, how would its surface likely look today?
It would have many more visible impact craters
Mountain building takes millions of years, while earthquakes occur in seconds. Which statement best explains this difference?
A. Earth processes all occur at the same rate
B. Earth’s internal and surface processes operate on different time scales
C. Earthquakes only occur near tectonic plate boundaries
D. Mountain building is caused by surface processes only
B. Earth’s internal and surface processes operate on different time scales
Which surface feature is formed where two tectonic plates collide?
Mountains
Lithium is a nonrenewable resource used in batteries. Which action would most directly help conserve this resource for the future?
Increase recycling
People settle and migrate based on land features, available resources, and ________.
Changes to Earth over time