Earth Science Final Review

Area of a glacier that is losing net snow or ice due to melting

The erosion of a stream channel as sand or gravel is transported down stream

A measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air at a given time

Large flat regions of the seafloor at depths below 3,000 meters

The degree to which a set of measured values matches an accepted or known value

Runoff resulting when water reacts with metallic ores

Rain with a pH value less than the pH of unpolluted precipitation

A margin located adjacent to a plate boundary

Cooling or warming of air caused when air is allowed to expand or is compressed, not because heat is added or subtracted

Rate of temperature change in the atmosphere due to changing atmospheric pressure

Tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere

Sequence of earthquakes that follow a larger event

Top layer of soil defined by the presence of organic matter mixed in with mineral and rock fragments

A mixture of many discrete gases, of which nitrogen and oxygen are most abundant

The mass of gases per volume of air

A large body of air that is characterized by a near-uniform temperature and humidity

The presence of airborne particles and gases in concentrations that endanger the health and well-being of organisms or disrupt the orderly functioning of the enviornment

The reflectivity of a surface, usually expressed as a fraction of the incident radiation reflected

A mountain glacier

A principal cloud type that ccurs at middle of the troposhere

A high cloud type that appears thin and spread out

A member of a mineral group in which all members are double-chain silicates

Fine-grained igneous rock of intermediate composition. Up to half of the rock is plagioclase feldspar, with the rest being ferromagnesian minerals.

A magma with intermediate silica content

The steepest angle at which loose material remains stationary without sliding downslope

A high-pressure center characterized by a clockwise flow of air in the Northern Hemisphere

A body of rock or regolith with sufficient porosity and permeability to provide water in useful quantities to wells or springs

Impermeable beds that hinder or prevent groundwater movement

A term, meaning ancient, which has been applied to the oldest rocks of the Precambrian

An aquifer completely filled with pressurized water and separated from the land surface by a relatively impermeable confining bed, such as shale. Also called confined aquifer

Adding sand to a beach by mechanical means

Very fine-grained volcanic material erupted from a volcano that commonly forms a cloud

A small, generally rocky, solid body orbiting the sun and ranging in diameter from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers

Region between Mars and Saturn where majority of solar-orbiting asteroids are found

A weak layer of Earth's mantle below the lithosphere upon which tectonic plates move

The average distance from the sun to Earth

The gaseous envelope surrounding a planet or celestial body. One of the four components of the earth system.

Pressure exerted by weight of the overlying column of air

Smallest possible particle of an element that retains the properties of that element

The total number of neutrons and protons in an atom

The total number of protons in an atom

A bright display of ever-changing light caused by charged particles interacting with the upper atmosphere in the polar region

A long, narrow sandy ridge of land that forms parallel to, but separate from, the mainland coast

A common center of mass around which two objects revolve