99 EARTH SCIENCE
FACTS YOU SIMPLY MUST KNOW
1-Dark & rough / absorbs light
Light & smooth / reflects light
2-The
earth’s orbit is / nearly circular
3-Two
proofs that the earth rotates / Coriolis Effect & Foucaults Pendulum
4-The
proof that the universe is expanding is /the redshift
5-Porosity
does NOT depend on / particle size
6-The
sediments deposited at the mouth of a river form a / delta
7-Plate
tectonics is caused by/mantle convection currents
8-The
farther you go from the center of a ridge/the older the rocks get
9- The
weather in a high is/ nice (sunny no precip)
The weather in a low is/ bad (cloudy & precip)
10-One
seismograph can give you/epicenter distance
To get the direction you need/three seismographs
11-
Streams valleys are / V shaped
12-The
mineral & rock that react to acid are/ calcite & limestone
13-The
first scientist to determine the circumference of the Earth/Eratosthenes
14-As
particle size increases, permeability / increases
15-A
new moon occurs when / the moon is between the earth & the sun
A full moon occurs when / the earth is between the sun & the moon
16-Minerals
are identified on the basis of / well defined physical and chemical properties
17-As
particle size increases, capillary action / decreases
18-The
basic elements of most minerals are / oxygen and silicon
19-The
physical properties of minerals depends upon / the internal arrangement and
bonding of atoms
20-Rocks
are classified on the basis of / their origin (how they formed)
21-Igneous
rocks form by / the crystallization of molten magma or lava (intergrown
crystals)
22-Crystal
size in igneous rocks depends on / the rate of cooling
23-Intrusive
igneous rocks form / slowly beneath the earth’s surface (large crystals)
24-Extrusive
igneous rocks form / quickly on the earth’s surface (small crystals)
25-Continental
crust / granite and thick
Oceanic crust / basalt and thin
26-Sedimentary
rocks form from / sediments, evaporation of water and organic remains
27-Rocks
are identified by their / texture
Igneous / coarse, fine, glassy, vesicular
Sedimentary / clastic (detrital) and chemical
Metamorphic / foliated and nonfoliated
28-Fossils
are found almost exclusively in / sedimentary rocks
29-Metamorphic
rocks form from / other rocks by the action of heat and/or pressure
(recrystallization)
30-Contact
metamorphism occurs when / molten rock comes in contact with other rocks
31-Regional
metamorphism occurs / over large areas and is associated with mountain building
32-A
solar eclipse happens when / the moon is between the earth & the sun and it
blocks out the sun
33-A
lunar eclipse happens when / the Earth is between the sun & the moon and the
Earths shadow hits the moon
34-We
know the outer core is liquid because / S waves cant go through it
35-The
area drained by a river and its tributaries is a / watershed
36-The
closer & larger two objects are / the greater the force of gravity
37-Plate
tectonics says / the earth’s lithosphere is divided into pieces called plates
that move
38-The
3 types of plate boundaries are / divergent (moving away at mid ocean ridges),
convergent (coming together) and transform (sliding / San Andreas Fault)
39-Subduction
is when / one plate sinks under another forming a trench
40-Weathering
occurs when rocks are exposed to / the hydrosphere, biosphere, & atmosphere
41-Moist
& warm climates favor / chemical weathering
42-Moist
& cold climates favor / physical weathering
43-When
in doubt / use the Earth Science Reference Tables
44-As
particle size decreases / surface area increases & the rate of weathering
increases
45-Soils
develop as a result of / weathering and biological activity
46-The
primary force that drives the agents of erosion is / gravity
47-Latitude
of Vernon 41.198°N; Longitude 74.483 °W
48-The
closer isolines are / the steeper the gradient
49-Stream
velocity depends on / gradient and volume of water
50-The
outside of a meander bend is / fast and erodes. The inside of a meander bend
is / slow and deposits
51-As
stream velocity increases, the size of the particles that can be transported /
increases
52-Streams
carry sediments by / solution, suspension, bouncing & rolling
53-The
particles that settle out first are / larger, most dense, and roundest
54-Water
and wind deposits are / sorted by size and layered
55-Gravity
and glacial deposits are / unsorted
56-Resistant
layers of rock / stick out (forms cliffs)
57-Glacial
landscapes show / U shaped valleys, depressions, irregular hills, scratched
boulders
58-In
undisturbed strata, the bottom layer is / older
59-Faults,
folds, & intrusions are / younger than the rocks they are found in
60-Index
fossils are / found over a wide area and existed for a short period of time
61-Rocks
/ Remember (be able to identify based on their properties)
62-An
unconformity is a / buried erosional surface
Unconformities represent a / gap in the geologic record
63-Precipitation
occurs when: warm, moist air rises, expands and cools
64-The
half life of a radioactive istope / cannot be changed
65-Carbon
is used to date / recent organic remains
66-Most
life forms of the geologic past have / become extinct
67-Warm
air is capable of / holding more water vapor than cool air
68-As
altitude increases, air pressure / decreases
69-Wind
is named for / the direction it comes from
Wind is caused by / differences in air pressure
70-The
closer air temperature is to the dew point / the greater the chance of
precipitation
71-Air
in a low pressure area is / warm & moist
Air in a high pressure area is / cool & dry
72-The
altitude of Polaris equals / the latitude of the observer
73-A
rising barometer means / good weather is coming
A
falling barometer means / bad weather is coming
A
steady barometer means / no change
74-Fronts
occur where / air masses meet
75-The
most likely areas for precipitation are / the leading edges of air masses
(fronts)
76-The
circulation around a low pressure system is / counterclockwise, toward the
center, where air rises
The circulation around a high pressure system is / clockwise, away from the
center, where air sinks
77-Weather
systems in the US usually move / from west to east (with a hook to the NE)
78-CT
/ warm & dry CP / cool & dry
MT / warm & moist MP / cool & moist
79-Hurricanes
form / over warm oceans in summer and autumn
80-Hurricanes
lose strength / as they move over land or cool water
81-To
find Polaris (N. star) / go 5 times the distance between the pointer stars of
the big dipper
82-The
earth rotates / west to east, 15 degrees per hour, in 24 hours or one day
83-In
the US, at noon, to see the sun you have to face / south
84-The
earth revolves / counterclockwise, 1 degree per day, in 365 1/4 days or one
year
85-As
a planet gets closer to the sun / the faster it orbits
86-The
earth’s orbit around the sun is / nearly circular
87-The
moon revolves / around the earth, in an elliptical orbit, in one month
88-The
seasons are caused by / the tilt of the earth’s axis & the revolution around
the sun
89-The
intensity of sunlight varies with / the angle of
the sun
90-The
sun is most intense at an angle of / 90
91-Shadows
get longer as the sun / gets lower
92-Summer
solstice / June 21
sun rises / north of east
sun sets / north of west
sun’s altitude / highest of year
vertical ray hits / tropic of cancer
NJ gets / 16 hours of daylight
North Pole gets / 24 hours of daylight
93-Winter
solstice / December 21
sun rises / south of east
sun sets / south of west
sun’s altitude / lowest of year
vertical ray hits / tropic of Capricorn
NJ
gets / 8 hours daylight
North Pole gets / 0 hours daylight
94-Vernal
Equinox / March 21
Autumnal Equinox / September 23
sun rises / due east
sun sets / due west
vertical ray hits / equator
whole earth gets / 12 hours
95-The
equator always receives / 12 hours of intense sunlight
96-The
earth absorbs mostly / short wavelength light energy
The earth reradiates mostly / long wavelength heat energy
97-Gases
such as carbon dioxide / prevent the escape of heat causing the greenhouse
effect
98-Marine
climate has / cool summers & warm winter
Continental climate has / cold winter & hot summers
99-Leeward
side of a mountain is / dry & warm due to compression
Windward
side of a mountain is / cool & moist due to expansion
THE "LUCKY" 13 EARTH
SCIENCE FACTS
1- The 3 types of plate boundaries
are / divergent (moving away at mid ocean ridges), convergent (coming
together) and transform (sliding/San Andreas Fault)
2-
Glacial landscapes show / U shaped valleys, depressions, irregular hills,
scratched boulders 3-The physical properties of minerals depends upon / the
internal arrangement and bonding of atoms
4-Igneous
rocks form by / the crystallization of molten magma or lava (intergrown
crystals)
5-Sedimentary
rocks form from / sediments, evaporation of water and organic remains
6-Metamorphic
rocks form from / other rocks by the action of heat and/or pressure
(recrystallization)
7-The
closer air temperature is to the dew point / the greater the chance of
precipitation
8-A
rising barometer means / good weather is coming
A
falling barometer means / bad weather is coming
A
steady barometer means / no change
9-The
circulation around a low pressure system is / counterclockwise, toward the
center, where air rises
The circulation around a high pressure system is / clockwise, away from the
center, where air sinks
10-The
earth rotates / west to east, 15 degrees per hour, in 24 hours or one day
11-The
earth revolves / counterclockwise, 1 degree per day, in 365 1/4 days or one
year
12-The
moon revolves / around the earth, in an elliptical orbit, in one month
13-Summer
solstice / June 21
sun rises / north of east sun sets / north of west
sun ‘s altitude / highest of year
vertical ray hits / tropic of cancer
NJ
gets / 16 hours North Pole gets / 24 hours
Winter
solstice / December 21
sun rises / south of east sun sets / south of west
sun’s altitude / lowest of year
vertical ray hits / tropic of Capricorn
NJ
gets / 8 hours North Pole gets / 0 hours
Equinoxes/
March 21/Sept 23
sun
rise/ due east sunset/due west
vertical
ray hits / equator