Module 5
This 1950s experiment simulated early-Earth conditions and produced amino acids, offering evidence for abiotic formation of organic molecules.
What is the Urey–Miller experiment?
The boundary where two plates move apart is called a ___
What is a divergent boundary?
This instrument measures atmospheric pressure.
What is a barometer?
The increase of this gas in the atmosphere is the primary driver of anthropogenic climate change.
What is carbon dioxide (CO₂)?
The factor you deliberately change in an experiment is called the ___.
What is the independent variable?
Living fossil evidence of _______ in Western Australia indicates this about early Earth show that photosynthetic life existed billions of years ago.
What is Stromatolites?
The sudden release of built-up stress in rocks during an earthquake is explained by this theory
What is elastic rebound theory?
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation is primarily associated with changes in this ocean
What is the Pacific Ocean?
Land clearing in catchment areas often leads to these two types of environmental degradation.
What is soil erosion and water quality decline (eutrophication/salinity)?
A measurement that gives the same result when repeated is said to have ___.
What is reliability?
The presence of banded iron formations is linked to this event.
What is the Great Oxidation Event?
This hazard can occur hours after a volcanic eruption when rain mixes with ash and debris
What is a lahar?
Variations in Earth’s orbit and tilt that influence glacial–interglacial cycles are called ___.
What are Milankovitch cycles?
Planning before, restoring vegetation and reshaping landforms while parts of a mine are in operation is called ___.
What is progressive mine-site rehabilitation?
A measurement that is close to the true or accepted value.
What is accuracy?
The decay of radioactive isotopes in minerals is used in this absolute dating method
What is radiometric dating?
The Richter scale has largely been replaced by this more accurate measure of earthquakes.
What is the magnitude scale?
The ratio of ____________ in ice and fossils is used for reconstructing past temperatures.
What is oxygen isotopes (O-18/O-16)?
This measure calculates the environmental demand of human consumption compared to Earth’s capacity
What is an ecological footprint?
The type of error that occurs due to unpredictable variations
What is random error?
The cycle of supercontinent assembly and breakup that influences long-term climate and evolution
What is the supercontinent (Wilson) cycle?
Large volcanic eruptions can cause this temporary global climate cooling effect.
What is sulphate aerosols?
This feedback loop occurs when melting ice decreases Earth’s reflectivity, increasing warming occurs.
What is the ice–albedo feedback?
The deliberate large-scale human intervention in Earth’s climate system to counteract climate change.
What is geoengineering?
Scientists improve the credibility of their findings through this process before publication
What is peer review?