1
Identify the primary source of energy that drives the Earth's water cycle.
Sun
The process of physically or chemically breaking down rocks and other surfaces is known as:
Weathering
What is the term that describes the fluid motion of hot air rising or cool air sinking?
Convection
What is the measurement of the amount of water in the air, measured as a percentage using a hygrometer?
Humidity
Which material makes the best aquifer?
Gravel, because it has high permeability and porosity, allowing water to flow freely
Natural vegetation is cleared away from Florida beaches to build large condos. What is a consequence of this action?
Increased beach erosion
Using the law of superposition, if a fossil is found in a deep, undisturbed sedimentary rock layer, what can be determined about its age?
It is older than fossils above it
How does physical weathering differ from erosion?
Weathering breaks rock down, while erosion moves the materials
Describe the difference between weather and climate.
Weather describes daily atmospheric conditions; climate is the average weather over a long period
When volcanoes erupt, ash and gases are released into the air, and lava flows change the landscape. This event is an example of the interaction between which two spheres?
Geosphere and Atmosphere
Florida’s bedrock is primarily composed of limestone. Which of the following processes is most responsible for the formation of sinkholes in Florida?
Chemical weathering of limestone by acidic groundwater
What causes the movement of lithospheric plates?
Convection currents in the mantle
When studying the rock cycle, how can igneous rock be transformed into metamorphic rock?
Intense heat and pressure
What is a leading anthropogenic (human-caused) factor contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer?
Release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Which geological features is most likely to form at a convergent boundary where two continental plates collide?
Mountain Range
Which process in the water cycle is driven by gravity?
Precipitation
How does the sun's energy create wind and ocean currents?
By heating Earth's surface unevenly, creating temperature differences
How would you best describe how the sun’s gravity affects the orbital motion of planets in the solar system?
It causes planets to move in a circular motion, keeping them in orbit
How would the seasons on Earth be different if the Earth were not tilted on its axis?
There would be no seasons at all
The San Andreas Fault in California is a location where two plates are sliding past each other horizontally. What type of plate boundary is this, and what is a common result of this movement?
Transform boundary; occurrence of earthquakes
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
A scientist conducts a study and discovers that whenever the temperature of a gas is increased, its volume also increases. She writes a rule describing this consistent behavior. Later, another scientist proposes a model explaining that higher temperatures make gas molecules move faster and push outward. How would you correctly classify these findings as related to scientific law or theory?
The first statement is a law because it describes what happens, and the second is a theory because it explains why it happens.
Explain why stars appear to move in the same pattern across the sky when viewed from Earth?
As Earth rotates on its axis, it causes the apparent daily motion of stars (and the sun) across the sky, while their relative positions to each other remain largely constant, forming constellations that move together.
What type of galaxy is earth located in and what is its name?
spiral galaxy known as the milky way
Describe how convection currents in the air create wind.
When warm less dense air rises and cool more dense air sinks convection occurs creating wind.