| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Theory of Continental Drift | Theory that continents move due to centrifical force |
| Theory of Plate Tectonics | theory that the crust is made of plates that move due to convection currents |
| Alfred Wegener | credited with the theory of continental drift |
| Harry Hess | credited with the theory of plate tectonics |
| sea floor spreading | when two oceanic plates pull apart, magma rises and new crust is formed |
| convection currents | circular movement of a substance due to changes in temperature and density |
| plates | large pieces of earths crust that move due to convection currents |
| oceanic crust | earths crust located under the ocean |
| continental crust | earths crust made of land |
| pangea | large supercontinent that existed 250 million years ago |
| divergent boundary | when two plates pull apart |
| convergent boundary | when two plates come together |
| transform boundary | when two plates grind past each other |
| rift valley | formed when two plates pull apart and land falls downard |
| island arc | a chain of volcanic islands formed at an ocean-ocean convergent boundary |
| volcanic arc | a chain of volcanic mountains formed at an ocean-continental convergent boundary |
| mountain range | formed at a continental-continental convergent boundary |
| subduction zone | the more dense plate us pulled into the mantle under the less dense plate |
| mid atlantic ridge | divergent boundary in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean |
| trench | depression formed at a subduction zone |
| lithosphere | another name for the crust |
| aesthenosphere | another name for them mantle |
| crust | outer layer of the Earth |
| mantle | thickest layer of the Earth, part liquid part solid where convection currents are found |
| inner core | very dense solid spinning layer of the Earth |
| outer core | very dense liquid spinning layer of the Earth |
| magnetic field | created from the opposite spinning of the inner and outer core |
| mountain range | form at continental-continental convergent boundaries |
| crust elements | oxygen and silicon |
| mantle elements | iron and magnesium |
| inner core elements | iron and nickel |
| outer core elements | iron and nickel |
| earths temperature | increases with depth |
| earths pressure | increases with depth |
| crust minerals | quartz and feldspar |
| fault | a break in the earths crust that moves rocks |
| sedimentary rock | rock formed from tiny pieces of other rocks or shells that have been compacted together |
| radioactive dating | measures the amount of radioactive material in a rock to determine its absolute age |
| index fossil | a fossil that occured for a short time in history |
| colors of visible light | ROY G BIV |
| types of electromagnetic radiation | RMIVUXG |
| radio waves | longest waves |
| micro waves | speed up atoms, detect weather |
| infrared waves | heat waves |
| ultraviolet waves | cause skin cancer and eye damage |
| wavelength | the distance between the crests of sucessive waves |
| frequency | the number of waves that pass a still point in an amount of time |
| x waves | see through skin |
| gamma waves | shortest waves |
| most common large telescopes | reflecting telescopes |
| brightness of stars | depends on size and temperature |
| spectral class letters | OBAFGKM |
| apparent brightness | how bright objects seem from here on Earth |
| absolute brightness | how bright objects would be if they were all the same distance from Earth |
| parallax | when stationary objects appear to move because you are moving |
| using parallax | used to calculate the distance to stars |
| HR Diagram | classifys stars by temperature and absolute brightness |
| main sequence stars | stars that are in the main part of their lifecyle |
| supergiant | when big stars expand as they die |
| red giant | when small stars expand as they die |
| supernova | when big stars explode as they die |
| planetary nebula | when small stars explode as they die |
| nebula | cloud of gas and dust where stars are born |
| white dwarf | when small stars collapse as they die |
| black hole | when big stars collapse as they die |
| force that holds stars together | gravity |
| state of matter of stars | plasma |
| source of stars energy | nuclear fusion |
| composition of the sun | hydrogen and helium |
| nuclear fusion | fusing of atoms into new atoms, releases energy |
| age of sun | 4.6 billion years |
| life of stars | small stars burn slower and longer |
| color you see | color that is reflected |
| white light | all 7 colors combined |
| all colors reflected | white |
| all colors absorbed | black |
| age of universe | 14.7 billion years |
| big bang theory | theory of how the universe formed |
| Hubble's Law | the farther away a galaxy is, the faster it is moving away from us |
| cosmic background radiation | the radiation leftover from the big bang |
| protostar | baby star |
| evidence of big bang | cosmic background radiation and Hubble's law |
| redshift | shift of light to a longer wavelength as it moves away |
| blueshift | shift of light to a shorter wavelength as it moves closer |
| direction of universe | expanding outward |
| first elements formed | hydrogen and helium |
| size of first stars | huge stars |
| where heavy elements are created | supernova |
| when light elements were created | during the big bang |
| elements necessary for life | carbon, oxygen, nitrogen |
| coldest color star | red star |
| hottest color star | blue star |
| stage of life the sun is in | main sequence star |
| doppler effect | change in frequency as an object mores |
| use of doppler effect | measure movement of stars |
| stages of stars dying | expand, explode, collapse |
| stages of large star dying | supergiant, supernova, black hole |
| stages of small star dying | giant, planetary nebula, white dwarf |
| length of a stars life | depends on its mass |
| gas that most stars are made of | hydrogen |
| how light elements formed | the big bang |
| how heavy elements form | supernovas |
| another term for brightness | magnitude |
| reflecting telescope | uses mirrors |
| refracting telescope | uses convex lenses |
| size of our sun | small/medium star |
| spectral class of our sun | G2 |
| half life | how many years it takes for half of the atoms to break down into a new element |
| intrusion | igneous rock pushes into a body of existing rock |
| extrusion | igneous rock covers a body of existing rock |
| law of superposition | in a body of sedimentary rocks, the oldest rocks are on the bottom |
| law or original horizontality | in a body of sedimentary rocks, the rocks formed lying horizontally |
| relative age | age of two or more things compared to each other |
| absolute age | exact age of something |
| unconformity | when older rocks are in direct contact with much younger rocks |
| causes of unconformity | intrusion or weathering |
| age of fault | younger than the rock around it |
| age of intrusion | younger than the rock around it |
| fossil | living thing preserved in sediment |
| rock where fossils are found | sedimentary rock |
| age of sedimentary rocks | relative age |
| age of igneous and metamorphic rocks | absolute age |
| radioactive decay | break down of elements into new elements |
| half life of C-14 | 5730 years |
| igneous rock | rock made of cooled lava |
| metamorphic rock | an existing rock that was exposed to heat or pressure |
| deposition | sediment being deposited |
| weathering and erosion | rocks breaking down by wind and water |
| thinnest layer of earth | crust |
| thickest layer of earth | mantle |
| more dense crust | ocean crust |
| hot spot | where magma continually pushes through the crust |
| high risk cities | cities where earthquakes and volcanoes are likely to happen |
| low risk cities | cities where earthquakes and volcanoes are not likely to happen |
| plate tectonics evidence | rocks, fossils, climate, puzzle fit, glaciers, sea floor spreading |
| rate of plate movement | 5 cm/year |
| Wegener' evidence | rocks, climate, fossils |
| Wegener's flaws | how the continents |
| another term for temperature of stars | spectral class |
| highest energy wave | gamma wave |
| lowest energy wave | radio wave |
Combine with other sets
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