| Term | Definition |
|---|
| capillary action | the combined force of attraction among water molecules and the molecules of surrounding materials |
| surface tension | The tightness across the surface of water caused by the polar molecules pulling on each other |
| solution | a mixture that forms when one substance desolves another |
| solvent | a substance that disolves another substance |
| specific heat | the amnt of heat needed to increase the temp- of a certain mass of a substance by 1 degree C |
| evaporation | the process by which molecules at the surface of a liguid absorb enough energy to change to the gasiest state |
| condensation | the process by which a gas changes to a liquid |
| polar molecule | a molecule that has electrically charged areas |
| photosynthesis | the process by which plants use water,along with Carbon Dioxide & energy from the sun, to make their own food |
| habitat | an organism's home |
| groundwater | water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil & rock layers |
| water cycle | the continuous process in which water moves from the earth's surface to the atmosphere and back |
| transpiration | the process by which plants give off water vapor through their leaves |
| precipitation | water that falls to the earth as rain, snow, hail or sleet |
| tributary | a stream for smaller river that feeds into a main river |
| watershed | the land area that supplies water to a river system |
| divide | a ridge of land that separates 1 watershead from another |
| nutrient | a substance such a nitrogin or phosphorus that enables plants and algae to grow |
| reservior | a lake that stores water for human use--lake lanier |
| eutrophication | the process by which nutrients in a lake build up over time and cause an increase in the growth of algae |
| wetland | a land area that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year |
| permeable | a characteristic of materials, such as sand and gravel through which water easily passes |
| impermeable | a characteristic such as clay or granite though which water does not easily pass |
| saturated zone | the area of permmiable rock or soil by which the cracks or pores are totally filled with water |
| water table | the top of the saturated zone, or depth to the ground water under earth's surface |
| unsaturated zone | the layer of rock and soil above the water table in which the pores contain air & water |
| aquifer | an underground layer of permiable rock or sediment that holds water |
| artesisan well | a well in which water rises because of the pressure within the aquifer |
| irrigation | the process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops |
| conservation | the practice of using less of a resouse so it will not be used up |
| desalination | the process of obtaining fresh water from salt water by removing the salt |
| pH | the measurement of how acidic or basic a substance is, on a scale of 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic) |
| hardness | the level of the materials calcium and magnestism in water |
| filteration | the process of passing water through series of screens that allow water through, but not larger solid particles |
| water quality | the degree of the purity of water, determined by measuring the substances of water besides water molecules |
| sewage | wastewater containing human wastes |
| concentration | the amnt of 1 substance in a certain volume of another substance |
| coagulation | the process by which particles in liquid clump together |
| fossil | the preserved remains or traces of living things |
| mold | a fossil formed when an organism buried in the sediment dissolves, leaving a hollow area |
| cast | a fossil that is a solid copy of an organism's shape, formed when minerals seep into a mold |
| sedimentary rock | the type of rock that is made of hardened sediment |
| extinct | discribles a type of organism that no longer exists anywhere on earth |
| evolution | the process by which all the different kinds of living things have changed over time |
| scientific theory | a well tested concept that explains a wide range of observations |
| petrified fossil | a fossil in which minerals replace all or part of an organism |
| carbon film | a type of fossil consisting of an extremely thin coating of carbon on rock |
| trace fossil | a type of fossil that provides evidence of the activities of ancient organisms |
| paleotologist | a scientist who studies fossils to learn about organisms that lived long ago |
| relative age | the age of rock compared to the ages of rock layers |
| absolute age | the real age of the rock |
| law of superposition | the geologic principal that states that in horizontal layers of sedimentary rock, each layer is older than the one above it and younger than the layer below it |
| extrusion | an igneous rock layer formed when lava flows into Earth's surface and hardens |
| intrusion | an igneous rock layer that forms when magma hardens beneath Earth's surface |
| fault | a break or crack in Earth's lithosphere along which the rocks move |
| unconformity | a place where an old, eroded layer of rock surface is in contact with a newer rock layer |
| index fossil | fossils of widley distributed organisms that lived during only one short period of time |
| era | one of the three long units of geologic time between the Precambian and the present |
| period | one of the units of geologic time into which geolosists divide eras |
| geologic time scale | a record of the geologic events and life forms in Earth's history |
| comet | a ball of ice and dust that orbits the sun |
| continental drift | the slow movement of the continents over Earth's surface caused by the forces inside Earth |
| mammal | a warm-blooded vertebrate that feeds its young milk |
| mass extinction | when many types of animals become extinct at the same time |
| reptile | a vertebrate that has scaly skin the lays eggs with tough, leathery shells |
| amphibian | a vertabrate that lives part of its life on land and part of its life on water |
| vertebrate | an animal with a backbone |
| invertebrate | an animal without a backbone |
Combine with other sets
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