Name: 

Volcanoes occur at two types of plate boundaries; converging boundaries and diverging boundaries.  They also form in the middle of a plate; this is called a hotspot.

There have been many supercontinents in the past and there will be more supercontinents in the future.  However, the next supercontinent (i.e., Pangaea Ultima) will not form for 200 million years, because the plates move slowly; about 3 to 4 cm a year (e.g., as fast as your fingernails grow).

True or False: It is possible that the Little Ice Age was caused by the Medieval Warm Period.  The warming of the Gulf Stream caused the polar ice caps to melt, causing the thermohaline circulation to slow.  This slowing of the circulation caused Europe to get colder (i.e., the Little Ice Age).

The sun is the main source of energy to the climate system.

Is the answer to the question true or false?

Question: How can paving over a wetland area cause flooding?
Answer: Wetlands act like giant sponges, storing excess water and then gradually releasing it. When a wetland is paved over, the excess water cannot be absorbed. Instead, it runs off the land quickly and can cause floods.

As temperature goes up (i.e., gets warmer), seawater becomes more dense (i.e., thicker), because the water molecules contract (i.e., come together).

Surface currents are created by winds (e.g., prevailing winds).

The paths that ocean currents follow are controlled by ocean topography (i.e., shape of basin/bottom), and the shape and location of landmasses. (Meaning: Ocean currents follow certain paths based on what is in their way.)

The solar system formed from a nebula of dust and gas in a spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy about 4.6 billion years ago.

Our universe formed 13.7 billion years ago.

A protostar becomes a star when energy is released by the process of nuclear fission (i.e., splitting of atoms).  This occurs when gravity and temperature are high enough to cause helium nuclei to split apart.

Our observable universe is 93 billion light-years across and our galaxy is 100,000 light-years across.

The number of sunspots on the sun varies over a period of about 11 years.  This is known as the sunspot cycle.

The data shows water levels during a 24-hour period at St. Augustine Beach, Florida, during March 19 and 20, 2004. Which statement about the data is true?

What is the proper order of the Scientific Inquiry process (i.e., 6 steps)?

The part of the Earth system that includes Earth’s solid, rocky, outer layer is the

Which of the following would be a hypothesis?

What is a variable?

Women over the age of 40 are given calcium tablets to determine if they reduce the rate of osteoporosis. What is the manipulated/independent variable?

Mr. Krabs created a secret ingredient for a breath mint that he thinks will “cure” the bad breath people get from eating crabby patties at the Krusty Krab. He asked 100 customers with a history of bad breath to try his new breath mint. He had fifty customers (Group A) eat a breath mint after they finished eating a crabby patty. The other fifty (Group B) also received a breath mint after they finished the crabby patty; however, it was just a regular breath mint and did not have the secret ingredient. Both groups were told that they were getting the breath mint that would cure their bad breath. Two hours after eating the crabby patties, thirty customers in Group A and ten customers in Group B reported having better breath than they normally had after eating crabby patties.

What should Mr. Krabs’ conclusion be?

Which of the following could make a conclusion for an experiment wrong?

A student decided to set up an experiment to see if kittens preferred skim milk or 2% milk. She put out a cup of skim milk in the open, outside and a cup of the 2% milk inside the house.   She allowed her 5 kittens the same amount of time inside as outside. She then measured how much the 5 kittens drank over the course of a day. The same kittens were used and the milk was served at the same temperature. The student discovered that the cats liked the 2% more than the skim milk.

What is the manipulated variable, for this hypothesis?

Which is NOT one of the Earth’s principal sources of internal or external energy?

Black bears are fed a diet low in protein to determine if it affects hibernation. 

What is the responding/dependent variable for this experiment?

Slimotosis
Sponge Bob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the shell develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. SpongeBob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp.  After a week of treatment, the slime is gone and Gary’s shell smells better.

What is the responding/dependent variable?

Which one of the following questions cannot be tested through scientific experiment?

In step 1, “posing questions”, what does the question need for it to be testable in the laboratory?

A scientist is testing tomato plants to see if they grow better when classical music is played.  In her experiment she has 10 plants listening to classical music and 10 plants listening to no music at all. 

What is the manipulated, responding, variable, and control?

Heat and pressure deep beneath Earth’s surface can change any rock into

What type of rock would most commonly be found at letter “A”?

Mineral			Hardness	Streak	Density (g/cm³)	Luster	Color	Other Properties	Common Habit/ Appearance
A			7	colorless	2.7	vitreous	colorless to white	Many colors, does not react to vinegar
B			6	colorless, white	2.6	glassy	colorless to pink	Makes up 60% of Earth’s crust
C			2.5-3	Colorless to pale greenish	2.8-3.4	Glassy or pearly	Dark green to black	A type of mica, perfect cleavage
D			3	White to grayish	2.7	glassy	Colorless to white	Reacts to vinegar
E			5-6	White to dark gray-green	3-3.4	Glassy, silky	Dark green, brown, black	Cleavage at 60-120 degrees

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Match the correct mineral to the correct letter.

To understand the layers inside of the Earth, (e.g., core) scientists use what?

Which answer is NOT true of oceanic crust?

Which one statement is TRUE of how our magnetic field is generated?

When the interior heat source of the Earth cools completely, convection currents will stop and cause all of the following except for what?

Put the layers of the Earth in the proper order.

What type of rocks are listed in the data table?

What is the name of the last rock on the list (i.e., the pink, coarse, intrusive, continental rock)?

The picture represents the 3 ways heat is transferred.  Study the picture and then pick the answer that most accurately matches the letter to the correct term. 

Why is continental crust 3 billion years old and not subducted?

What is the plate boundary labeled #7 and #12?

What is the plate tectonic feature or process labeled #10?

What is the plate boundary labeled #13?

This is the rating system used by volcanologists to measure volcanic eruptions.

Volcanoes can have an impact on which sphere?

Which volcano has the following characteristics:
                      1. Alternating layers of ash and lava
                      2. High in silica, light colored rock (e.g., granite, rhyolite)
                      3. Examples include Mt. St. Helens, Krakatau, and Mt. Vesuvius 
                      4. Can have deadly, explosive eruptions (e.g., lahars, pyroclastic flows, plumes)

What type of volcano typically forms at the plate boundary pictured above?

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004, with an epicenter off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating natural disasters along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest hit, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.  This underwater earthquake caused what type of event?

How do scientists use earthquakes to determine the type of plate boundary at which it occurred? (i.e., transform, convergent, divergent plate boundary)

Looking at the seismogram, which section of seismic activity would represent Primary Waves?

Which scale is used to measure the total amount of energy released by an earthquake?  It can measure earthquakes of all sizes and distances.  Therefore, this scale is the one used by seismologist today.

Step 1: Study the data table and  find the city with the highest annual precipitation?
Step 2: Study the map and then pick the answer that best represents why this city (i.e., Step 1) has the highest annual precipitation.

Compared to Las Vegas, New Orleans is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.  Why does New Orleans have a milder climate, even though it is 7° south of Las Vegas?  Meaning, New Orleans gets far more direct sunlight, but it has a more mild temperature than Las Vegas.  Study the data table (i.e., temp.), wind directions, ocean currents, and distance from water. 

Study the picture of the mountain.  Which side of this mountain is windward?

Hurricanes typically form over

Earth’s rotation makes global winds and ocean currents curve. This is called the

The ozone layer protects living things on Earth from

Explain how to remain safe during a tornado.

The surface water of the Atlantic Gulf Stream creates a climate for England that has

The hole (i.e., depletion) in the ozone layer is caused by CFC gases (i.e., chlorofluorocarbons).

What is the most significant danger to humans and property, associated with hurricanes?

Why do tornadoes commonly form in Tornado Alley during the spring?

This is the name for the worldwide ocean conveyer belt (i.e., ocean heat pump) that transfers heat around the planet and plays a significant role in stabilizing global climates.

What does the following statement best describe? “Warm, moist air rises from the earth, as this air gets higher in the troposphere it cools due to lapse rate, the cooling causes the air to reach its dew point, at 100% relative humidity the water vapor can no longer stay as a gas, and condenses on particles of dust floating in the atmosphere.”

What is the common term/name given for changes in regional long-term weather patterns due to human activities (e.g., semiarid becoming arid)?

The three major fossil fuels are natural gas, oil, and

How are CO₂ levels and temperature related?

What do most climatologists believe has caused carbon dioxide levels to go up over the last 130 years?

How do climatologists know what the temperature was before thermometers were invented?

Coal is a solid fossil fuel formed from

Which is NOT one of the Earth’s principal sources of internal or external energy?  (Meaning, all of the sources of energy are natural, except for one source. That one is created by man.)

Energy Lecture Notes
The graph below shows the sources of energy used in the United States.


Refer to the graph above. What percentage of energy (cars, factories, electricity production) used in the U.S. is supplied by renewable resources?

Which is a positive/true result of using renewable (e.g., solar) energy power plants?

Which is a negative/con of using nonrenewable power plants to create electricity?

Which is a negative/con of using nuclear reactors for electricity?

Explain what this picture represents.

Which of the following do scientists think will probably cause Earth’s next ice age?

Which one is NOT a significant greenhouse gas?

If climate zones change because of global warming, it could cause all of the following except for what?

What is the most significant result of global warming?

Global warming will most likely change the Semiarid climate (i.e., almost desert) of western United States to which climate?  (Hint: notice the climate region is on the leeward side of the mountain range)

What is the source of energy that drives the continuous process shown in the picture?

The picture best represents which cycle?

What is the name for water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers?  About 23% of Earth’s fresh water is contained here.

Which cycle does the above picture best represent?

How does water move underground (i.e., Explain how groundwater moves.)?

Which of the following makes up the least amount of fresh water on the Earth (i.e., the least amount of fresh water is found here)?  Actually, it is only 0.34% of the fresh water supply and 0.014% of the Earth’s entire water supply (i.e., oceans and fresh water).

Groundwater can weather Earth materials below ground. It can also deposit minerals which form unique features.

Refer to the information above. Groundwater flows through permeable underground layers known as ____. This underground layer of rock or sediment holds water.

What causes cold, deep currents to form in the oceans near the poles?

The effect of Earth’s rotation on the direction of winds and currents is called the _________. In the Northern Hemisphere, it causes currents and winds to curve to the right.

The picture represents the movement of warm and cold ocean currents around the planet.  What is the name for this ocean conveyor belt that greatly impacts climates (i.e., temperature and precipitation)?

What event best describes the following statement?  At the close of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 MYA, another mass extinction occurred.  An asteroid impacted Earth in the Gulf of Mexico (i.e., east of Mexico).  This impact caused tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, and the  blocking of the sun for years.  Also, this event caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

Which list of events is in the correct geologic order? (oldest to youngest)

What event best describes the following statement? This is, most likely, due to the orbit of the Earth around the sun changing. Continually, it is hypothesized that Earth’s orbit was further away from the sun making it cooler, carbon dioxide levels decreased, and ocean currents changed course (e.g., Thermohaline circulation slowed).

What does the picture represent?

How could a geologist use the fossil in rock layer B to date a rock layer in another location?

Scientists use this to tell the ages of the rock layers in which it occurs.  It must be widely distributed around the world and the species must have only briefly existed. 

This is a constant rate of decay for an element. It is the name for the time it takes for 50% of the radioactive atoms in an element to decay. 

How do scientists determine the absolute age of rocks?

What geologic event, about 4.5. billion years ago, was the result of the gravity of the sun holding debris (i.e., rocks, dust, and gas) in orbit and then that debris gradually clumping (i.e., accretes/accretion) together? As the debris continued to clump, the increasing gravitational force created a large molten sphere.  This molten sphere cooled over time.

The theory that astronomers have developed to describe the formation of the universe is called the

The natural chemical elements, in our universe, are created in

In which direction are nearly all galaxies moving?

Multiple Response
Identify one or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.

Mount Saint Helens explosively erupted in 1980 blowing off a side of the mountain/volcano. It also sent ash and gas high into the sky.  Continually, it destroyed huge stretches of forest. Finally, it filled the local lakes and rivers with mud. Which sphere(s) did the Mount St. Helen’s eruption impact/interact with? (select multiple correct answers)

Multiple Answers: In this section the questions will have more than one correct answer.  That means each question in this section has multiple answers. (ex., A, C, and D are correct)

Which of the following 4 statements are true of convergent plate boundaries? (multiple answers are correct)

Multiple Answers: In this section the questions will have more than one correct answer.  That means each question in this section has multiple answers. (ex., A, C, and D are correct)

Which of the following 4 statements are true of divergent plate boundaries? (multiple answers are correct)

Multiple Answers: In this section the questions will have more than one correct answer.  That means each question in this section has multiple answers. (ex., A, C, and D are correct)

Most geologists think that the movement of Earth’s plates is caused by which 2 things? (multiple answers)

Multiple Answers

Which of the following are renewable sources of energy?

Multiple Answers

Which of the following are short-term climate changes?

Multiple Response (More than one answer)

Which of the following items make up surface water sources?