Transcript CRCT Review

Mineral
Elements
A naturally formed, inorganic
solid that has definite chemical
structure
A substance that cannot be
separated or broken down into
simpler substances by chemical
means
Compound
A substance made up of atoms
of two or more different
elements joined by chemical
bonds
Crystals
A solid whose atoms, ions, or
molecules are arranged in a
definite pattern
Silicate
minerals
(1 of 2 types of
minerals)
A mineral that contains a
combination of silicon, oxygen,
and one or more metals
Nonsilicate
A mineral that does not contain
minerals (2 of 2 compounds of silicon and
types of
oxygen
minerals)
Streak
Cleavage
Fracture
Hardness
Density
Ways to Identify Minerals
ROCK AND MINERALS
Luster
Reclamation
Ore
Rock
The way in which a mineral
reflects light
The color of the powder of a
mineral
The splitting of a mineral along
smooth, flat surfaces
The manner in which a mineral
breaks along either curved or
irregular surfaces
A measure of the ability of a
mineral to resist scratching
The ratio of the mass of a
substance to the volume of a
substance D=M/V
The process of returning land to
its original condition after
mining is completed
A natural material whose
concentration of economically
valuable minerals is high
enough for the material to be
mined profitably
A naturally occurring solid
mixture of one or more
minerals or organic matter
Rock Cycle
The series of processes in which a
rock forms, changes from one type to
another, is destroyed, and forms
again by geological processes
Weathering
The process in which water, wind, ice
and heat break down rock
Erosion
The process by which wind, water, ice
or gravity transports soil and
sediment from one location to
another
The process in which material is laid
down
The chemical makeup of a rock;
describes either the minerals or
other materials in the rock
The quality of a rock that is based on
the sizes, shapes, and positions of
the rock’s grains
Rocks formed when magma cools
Deposition
Composition
Texture
Igneous rock
Rock formed from the cooling and
Intrusive
Igneous Rock solidification of magma beneath the
Earth’s surface; cools slowly; large
crystals
Rock that forms as a result of
volcanic activity at or near the
Extrusive
Igneous Rock Earth’s surface; cools fast; small or
no crystals
Sedimentary
Rock
Formed through erosion; 3 types:
clastic, chemical, organic
Strata
Clastic
Layers of rock
Forms when rock or mineral
fragments are cemented together
Chemical
Forms when minerals crystallize
out of a solution such as sea
water to become rock
Organic
Forms from the remains of once
living plants and animals
Stratification
The process in which sedimentary
rocks are arranged in layers
Metamorphic
rock
Result of a change in structure,
texture, or composition; can be
changed by heat and/or pressure
Foliated
Metamorphic
rock
Describes the texture of
metamorphic rock in which he
mineral grains are arranged in
planes or bands
Nonfoliated
metamorphic
rock
Describes the texture of
metamorphic rock in which the
mineral grains are not arranged in
planes or bands
Mohs Hardness Scale
1 is the softest and 10
is hardest
A mineral can scratch
any other minerals that
are softer than itself.
1
Talc
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Gypsum
Calcite
Fluorite
Apatite
Orthoclase
Quartz
Topaz
Corundum
Diamond
Color
Ways to Identify Minerals
Density
-D=M/V
Hardness
-Mohs
Hardness
Scale
Streak
(more reliable
than color)
Cleavage &
Fracture
Special
Properties
Vitreous
-glass,
brilliant
-radioactivity
-optical
-taste
-magnetism
-fluorescence
-chemical
reaction
Earth’s Resources
Natural
Resource
Renewable
Resources
Nonrenewable
Resources
Fossil Fuels
Mining
Deforestation
Any natural material that is
used by humans, such as water,
petroleum, minerals, forests
and animals
A natural resource that can be
replaced at the same rate at
which the resource is
consumed
Examples: trees, fresh water,
wind, sunlight
A resource that forms at a rate
that is much slower than the
rate at which it is consumed
A nonrenewable energy
resource formed from the
remains of organisms that lived
long ago; examples include oil,
coal, and natural gas
The removal process of
resources through one of two
processes; surface or
subsurface mining
The process of removing trees
Reclamation
The process of returning land
to its original condition after
mining is completed
Ore
A natural material whose
concentration of economically
valuable minerals is high
enough for the material to be
mined profitably
Energy
Conservation
The act of saving energy: ex.
Turning off lights when you
leave the room
Water
Conversation
The act of saving water: ex.
Taking shorter showers,
turning off the water when
brushing teeth
Air
Conservation
The act of saving air by not
polluting: ex. Walking, riding
bikes instead of driving cars
Soil
Conservation
The act of saving soil: ex: not
polluting (throwing trash on
side of road)
sedimentary
clastic
extrusive
rocks
metamorphic
nonfoliated
igneous
intrusive
Weathering and Erosion
Weathering
The process by which rock
materials are broken down by
the action of physical and
chemical processes
Chemical
Weathering
The process by which rocks
break down as a result of
chemical reactions
-weathering is faster in warm,
humid climates
Mechanical
Weathering
--agents:
Acid
Precipitation
Water, weak acids, air
Rain, sleet, or snow that
contains a high concentration of
acids
Oxidation
A chemical reaction in which an
element, such as iron, combines
with oxygen to form an oxide
Gravity
-affects weathering
-the steepness of the slope of a
mountain will cause the
rainwater to run quicker
Erosion
The process by which wind,
water, ice or gravity transports
soil and sediment from one
location to another
Deposition
The process in which material is
laid
-agents:
Water, wind, ice, gravity
--agents:
Ice Wedging
Abrasion
The breakdown of rock into
smaller pieces by physical
means
-extreme temperature
changes and water increases
rate of weathering
Ice, abrasion, wind, water,
gravity, plants, animals
Result of water seeping into
cracks during warm weather,
then freezing and expanding
during cold weather. This
process continues and the
crack widens.
The grinding and wearing
away of rock surfaces through
the mechanical action of other
rock or sand particles
Soil
Soil
Sand
A loose mixture of rock
fragments, organic
material, water, and air
that can support the
growth of vegetation
Bedrock
The layer of rock
beneath the soil
Top soil
The upper, outer most
layer of soil that is
richest in organic
material; usually 2-8
inches deep
The soil laying directly
under the top soil
Sub soil
Soil Texture The soil quality that is
based on the
proportions of soil
particles; sand, silt, clay
Silt
Clay
Humus
Loam
A particle in soil that is
.05-2mm in size
A particle in soil that is
.002-.05mm in size
A particle in soil that is
less than .002mm in
size
The dark, organic
material formed in soil
from the decayed
remains of plants and
animals
Soil that contains almost
equal amounts of sand,
silt and clay. Soil is rich
with nutrients and best
suited for gardening.
Soil horizons Series of layers of soil
with humus-rich soil on
top (top soil), sediment
below that and bedrock
on the bottom
Parent Rock
Chemical weathering
oxidation
soil
Mechanical weathering
Rock
Ice wedging
Layers of the Earth
Crust
The thin and solid outermost
layer of the Earth above the
mantle
Mantle
The layer of rock between
the earth’s crust and core
Core
The central part of the earth
below the mantle
Outer Core
The liquid layer of the
Earth’s core that lies
beneath the mantle and
surrounds the inner core
Inner Core
The solid, dense center of
the planet that extends from
the bottom of the outer core
to the center of the Earth
Lithosphere
The outermost, rigid layer of
the Earth. Made of two
parts-the crust and rigid
upper part of the mantle.
The lithosphere is divided
into pieces called tectonic
plates
Asthenosphere
Mesosphere
Seismic Waves
The plastic layer of the mantle
on which pieces of the
lithosphere move. It is made
of solid rock that flows very
slowly
The strong, lower part of the
mantle, beneath the
asthenosphere. It extends
from the bottom of the
asthenosphere to the core.
A wave of energy that travels
through the Earth and away
from an earthquake in all
directions. Their speed
depends on the density and
composition of material that
they pass through. A seismic
wave traveling through a solid
(inner core) will go faster than
a seismic wave traveling
through a liquid (outer core).
Layer
Crust
Temperature
Composition
01000OC
Oxygen,
silicon,
aluminum
Other
-Thinnest
layer (5100km)
-Oceanic
and
continental
crust
Mantle 10003700OC
More
magnesium
, less
aluminum
and silicon
than crust
-Thicker
than crust
-Contains
more of
Earth’s
mass
Core
Iron, small
amounts of
nickel
-Roughly
1/3 of the
earth’s
mass
37007000OC
The core is denser than the mantle because it
contains materials that are denser. The crust is
the least dense of the layers because it
contains materials that are less dense.
Plate Tectonics
Tectonic
A block of lithosphere that
Plates
consists of the crust and the
rigid, outermost part of the
mantle
Continental
The hypothesis that states that
Drift
the continents once formed a
single landmass, broke up, and
drifted to their present
locations
Pangaea
The single, large continent that
existed 245 million years ago,
before the continents drifted to
their current location
Divergent
Boundary
The boundary between two
tectonic plates that are moving
away from each other
Transform
Boundary
The boundary between tectonic
plates that are sliding past
each other horizontally
Fault
A break in a body of rock along
which one block slides relative
to another ex: normal, reverse,
strike-slip
Sea-floor
Spreading
As a result of
plate
tectonics:
-mountain building
-uplift (rising of regions of
crust)
-subsidence (sinking of regions
of crust)
-earthquake
Fossils
Fossils are used to show the
age of the Earth and how it
has/it changed
Plate
Tectonics
Convergent
Boundary
The process by which new
oceanic lithosphere forms as
magma rises toward the
surface and solidifies
The theory that explains how
large pieces of the Earth’s
outermost layer, called tectonic
plates, move and change shape
The boundary formed by the
collision of two lithospheric
plates
Continental-Continental Collisions
--When two tectonic plates with continental crust collide, they buckle and thicken,
which pushes the continental crust upward.
Continental-Oceanic Collisions
--When a plate with oceanic crust collides with a plate with continental crust, the
denser oceanic crust sinks into the asthenosphere. This convergent boundary
has a special name: the subduction zone. Old ocean crust gets pushed into the
asthenosphere, where it is remelted and recycled.
Oceanic-Oceanic Collisions
--When two tectonic plates with oceanic lithosphere collide, one of the plates with
oceanic lithosphere is subducted, or sinks, under the other plate.
Moving Apart
--At a divergent boundary, two tectonic plates separate from each other. As they
move apart, magma rises to fill the gap. At a mid-ocean ridge, the rising magma
cools to form new sea floor.
Sliding Past
--At a transform boundary, two tectonic plates slide past one another. Because
tectonic plates have irregular edges, they grind and jerk as they slide, which
produces earthquakes.
Normal Faults often form when rocks are pulled apart because of
tension.
Reverse Faults often form when rocks are pushed together by
compression.
Strike-Slip Faults are often formed when rocks are moved
horizontally by opposing forces.
Transform
boundary
collide
separate
Divergent
boundary
Tectonic plates
Currents, Waves, Tides
Ocean
Current
Surface
Current
Deep
Current
Waves
A movement of ocean
water that follows a
regular pattern
A horizontal movement
of ocean water that is
caused by wind and that
occurs at or near the
ocean’s surface
A streamline movement
of ocean water far below
the surface
How they form: (pg.
420)
-Decreasing
Temperatures
-Increasing Salinity
Through Freezing
-Increasing Salinity
Through Evaporation
crest
Movement of water
formed by wind,
earthquakes, or other
factors
top of the wave
trough
bottom of the wave
Tides
The periodic rise and fall of the
water level in the oceans and
other large bodies of water
Caused:
By rotation of Earth and
moon’s revolution
Spring Tide
A tide of increased range that
occurs two times a month, at
the new and full moon
Neap Tide
A tide of minimum range that
occurs during the first and third
quarters of the moon
Moon Phases and Eclipses
Phases
The change in the sunlit area
of one celestial body (moon) as
seen from another celestial
body (Earth).
Waxing
The sunlit fraction that we can
see is from Earth is getting
larger
Waning
The sunlit fraction that we can
see from Earth is getting
smaller
Eclipse
An event in which the shadow
on one celestial body falls on
another
Solar
Eclipse
Occurs when the sun, moon
and Earth are in line where the
moon is between the sun and
Earth. The moon seems to
block out the sun.
Lunar
Eclipse
Occurs when the sun, Earth
and moon are in line where the
Earth is between the sun and
moon. The Earth blocks most
of the sun and the reflecting
light gives the moon a reddish
tint.
Earth’s Water—The Water Cycle
Water in the
97% Salt Water (Oceans)
World
3% Fresh Water (Ice Caps,
Underground, Rivers, Lakes)
Salinity
A measure of the amount of
dissolved salts in a given amount
of liquid
Composition of ~55% chlorine (Cl)
Ocean Water ~30% Sodium (Na)
NaCl (salt)
Desalination
The process of removing salt
from ocean water
Water Cycle
The continuous movement of
water from the ocean to the
atmosphere to the land and back
to the ocean
Condensation A change from a gas to a liquid.
As water vapor rises into the
atmosphere, it cools and
interacts with dust particles.
Eventually, the water vapor turns
to liquid water
Precipitation
Solid or liquid water that falls to
Earth. When water droplets
become heavy enough, they fall
back to Earth’s surface as
precipitation. Most precipitation
falls directly back to the ocean
Evaporation The physical change from a
liquid to a gas. The sun
heats liquid water, causing
it to rise into the
atmosphere as water vapor.
Water evaporates directly
from oceans, lakes, rivers,
falling rain, plants, animals,
and other sources
Transpiratio The process by which
n
moisture is carried through
plants from roots to small
pores on the underside of
leaves, where it changes to
vapor and is released to the
atmosphere
Infiltration
The movement of water
(percolation) through the ground
Runoff
The water flow that occurs
when the soil is infiltrated to
full capacity and excess
water from rain or other
sources flows over the land
Subsurface Topography
Subsurface
Topography
The features of the ocean
floor
Seamount
A submerged mountain on
the ocean floor that is at
least 1,000 m high and that
has a volcanic origin
Continental
Shelf
The gently sloping section of
the continental margin
located between the
shoreline and the
continental slope
Continental
Slope
The steeply inclined section
of the continental margin
located between the
continental rise and
continental shelf
Continental
Rise
The gently sloping section of
the continental margin
located between the
continental slope and
abyssal plain
Abyssal Plain
Mid-Ocean
Ridge
Ocean
Trenches
Rift Valley
A large, flat, almost level area
of the deep-ocean basin
A long, undersea mountain
chain that forms along the floor
of the major oceans
A steep, long depression in the
deep-sea floor that runs
parallel to a chain of volcanic
islands or a continental margin
A long, narrow valley that forms
as tectonic plates separate
Pacific Ocean
Location: West of North America
Largest ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Location: East of North America
2nd largest ocean
Indian Ocean
Location: Between Africa, Asia,
and Australia
3rd largest ocean
Artic Ocean
Location: North of Europe
Smallest ocean
Abyssal plain
Continental slope
Mid-ocean
ridge
Continental
shelf
trench
Waves
wavelength
crest
Wave height
Wave speed
Atmosphere and Weather
Atmosphere A mixture of gases that
surrounds a planet or moon
Composition: 78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
1% Other (argon, carbon
dioxide, water vapor, other
gases)
Air pressure The measure of the force
with which are molecules
push on a surface. Air
pressure increases closer
to the Earth’s surface.
Layers of the Troposphere, Stratosphere,
atmosphere mesosphere,
Thermosphere
Troposphere The lowest layer of the
atmosphere, in which
temperature decreases at a
constant rate as altitude
increases.
‘tropo-‘ meaning turning or
change
‘-sphere’ meaning ball
(surrounding)
Stratosphere
The layer of the atmosphere
that is above the troposphere
and in which temperature
increases as altitude increases.
In this layer the gases are
layered and do not mix much.
‘strata-‘ meaning layer
‘-sphere’ meaning ball
Mesosphere
The layer of the atmosphere
between the stratosphere and
the thermosphere and in which
temperature decreases as
altitude increases.
‘meso-‘ meaning middle
‘-sphere’ meaning ball
Thermosphere
The uppermost layer of the
atmosphere, in which
temperature increases at
altitude increases. In this layer
the temperatures are the
highest.
‘thermo-‘ meaning heat
‘-sphere’ meaning ball
Atmospheric
Heating
The Earth and its atmosphere
are heated by processes of
radiation, thermal conduction,
and convection.
Radiation
That transfer of energy as
electromagnetic waves.
Energy from the sun is
absorbed by the atmosphere,
land, and water and changed
into thermal energy.
50% is absorbed by Earth’s
surface, 25% is reflected by
clouds and air, 20% is
absorbed by ozone, clouds,
and atmospheric gases, and
5% is reflected by Earth’s
surface.
Thermal
Conduction
The transfer of energy as heat
through a material
Convection
The movement of matter due
to differences in density; the
transfer of energy due to the
movement of matter;
circulation
Greenhouse
Effect
Global
Warming
The warming of the surface and
lower atmosphere of Earth that
occurs when water vapor,
carbon dioxide, and other gases
absorb and reradiate thermal
energy.
A gradual increase in average
global temperature
Wind
The movement of air caused by
differences in air pressure
Coriolis Effect
The apparent curving of the
path of a moving object from an
otherwise straight path due to
the Earth’s rotation
Global Winds: Polar easterlies-prevailing
winds that blow from east
to west between 60o and
90o latitude in both
hemispheres Westerliesprevailing winds that blow
from weat to east between
30o and 60o latitude in both
hemispheres
Trade winds-prevailing
winds that blow northeast
from 30o north latitude to
the equator and that blow
southeast from 30o south
latitude to the equator
Doldrums-area between
Northern and Southern
hemispheres where there is
very little wind because the
warm, rising air created an
area of low pressure
Horse latitudes-area of
weak winds with sinking dry
air that is about 30o to 60o
south latitude.
Jet streams-a narrow belt of
strong winds that blow in
the upper troposphere
Local Winds: Sea and land breezes:
Mountain breezes, valley
breezes
radiation
pressure
mesosphere
atmosphere
nitrogen
troposphere
oxygen
thermosphere
Air Masses
Air Mass
A large body of air where
temperature and
moisture content are
constant throughout
Maritime Forms over water; wet
(m)
Continent Forms over land; dry
al (c)
Polar (P)
Forms over the polar
regions; cold
Tropical
Develops over the
(T)
Tropics; warm
Cold Air Masses affecting North
America:
Continental polar (cP)
Maritime polar (mP)
Warm Air Masses affecting North
America:
Maritime tropical (mT)
Continental tropical (cT)
Fronts
Cold Front
The boundary between air
masses of different densities
and usually different
temperatures
Forms where cold air moves
under warm air, which is less
dense, and pushes the warm
air up. Usually move quickly
and cause thunderstorms,
heavy rain or snow. Cooler air
usually follows.
Warm Front
Forms where warm air moves
over cold, denser air. The warm
air gradually replaces the cold
air. Generally brings drizzly rain
followed by clear and warm
weather.
Occluded
Front
Forms when a warm air mass is
caught between two colder air
masses. The coldest air mass
pushes up the warm up air
mass and moves forward and
meets the other cold air mass.
Has cool temperatures and
large amount of rain and snow.
Stationary
Front
Forms when a cold air mass
meets a warm air mass but
does not have enough force to
lift it. They remain separated
and brings many days of cloudy,
wet weather.
Clouds
Humidity
The amount of water vapor in
the air
Relative
Humidity
The ratio of the amount of water
vapor in the air to the amount of
water vapor needed to reach
saturation at a given
temperature
Factors
affecting
relative
humidity:
-Amount of water vapor
-Temperature
Measuring
relative
humidity:
Psychrometer which consists of
a wet and dry bulb. Use a chart
that shows differences in bulb
readings to find relative
humidity.
Condensation
The change of state from a gas
to a liquid
Cloud
A collection of small water
droplets or ice crystals
suspended in the air, which
forms when the air is cooled
and condensation occurs
Cumulus
Cloud
A fluffy white cloud with a
flat bottom that is formed
with warm air rises. This
type of cloud generally
indicates fair weather but
when large in size, cause
thunderstorms
(cumulonimbus cloud).
Stratus
Clouds
A type of cloud that forms
in layers that cover large
areas and often block out
sun. Fog is a type of
status cloud that forms
near the ground.
Cirrus
Clouds
Thin, feathery, white
clouds found at high
altitudes that are formed
when the wind is strong.
water
hail
cumulus
humidity
weather
Air masses
cirrus
clouds
front
Ocean currents
seasons
latitude
climate
Prevailing winds
curved
mountains
Large bodies of
water
Severe Weather
Thunderstor A usually brief, heavy storm
m
that consists of rain, strong
winds, lightning, and
thunder
Lightning
An electric discharge that
takes place between two
oppositely charged
surfaces, such as between
a cloud and the ground,
between two clouds, or
between two parts of the
same cloud.
Thunder
The sound caused by the
rapid expansion of air along
an electric strike
Tornadoes
A destructive, rotating
column of air that has very
high wind speeds, is visible
as a funnel-shaped could,
and touches the ground.
Caused when wind moving
in two directions causes a
layer of air in the middle and
begins to spin.
Hurricane
A severe storm that
develops over tropical
oceans and whose strong
winds of more than 120
km/h spiral in toward the
intensely low-pressure
storm center. Caused when
a group of thunderstorms is
moving over the water and
wind in different directions
meet and spin.
Eye
El Nino
Center of a hurricane
A change in the surface
water temperature in the
Pacific Ocean that
produces a warm current
La Nina
A change in the eastern
Pacific Ocean in which the
surface water temperature
becomes unusually cool
Tilt of the Earth
Weather
The short-term state of the
atmosphere, including
temperature, humidity,
precipitation, wind and
visibility
Climate
Sun’s rays…
Seasons
The average weather
condition in an area over a
long period of time
Strike the earth’s surface
at different angles because
the surface of the earth is
curved. More direct angle
near equator and less at
the poles
Differing weather during
different times of the year
due to the fact that the
earth is tilted on its axis at
23.5o angle. The tilt affects
how much solar energy an
area receives at the Earth
moves around the sun.
Locations near the equator
have less seasonal
change.
Rotation
The spin of a body on its
axis. As the Earth rotates,
only ½ of the Earth faces
the sun. The half facing
the sun is day and the
half facing away is night.
Revolution
The motion of a body that
travels around another
body in space. Earth’s
revolution around the Sun
is about 365.25 days.
Orbit
The path that a body
follows as it travels
around another body in
space
The force that pulls two
objects together. The
gravity between the Earth
and the moon allow for
the moon to orbit the
earth.
Gravity
Planets
Satellites
Moon
Inner Planets
A natural or artificial body that
revolves around a planet
Revolves planets and has not
atmosphere. All planets except
Mercury and Venus have moons.
Earth’s moon is called Luna
Consisting of Mercury, Venus, Earth
and Mars. These inner planets are
closets to the sun and are more
closely spaced.
Terrestrial
Planets
Also known as the inner planets
because their surfaces are dense
and rocky.
Outer Planets
Consisting of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune. These outer planets
are large and composed mostly of
gases.
Dwarf Planet
Any object that orbits the sun, is
round because of its own gravity, but
has not cleared its orbital path
-Pluto: demoted to dwarf planet in
2006, less than half the size of
Mercury, made of ice and rock, moon
named Charon
Comet
A small body of ice, rock,
and cosmic dust that
follows an elliptical orbit
around the sun and that
gives off gas and dust in
the form of a tail as it
passes close to the sun
Asteroid
A small, rocky object that
orbits the sun, usually in a
band between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter
Asteroid
Belt
The region of the solar
system that is between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter
(between the inner and
outer planets) in which
asteroids orbit
Meteors
A bright streak of light that
results when a meteoroid
burns up in the Earth’s
atmosphere
PLANETS
Mercury
-Closest to the sun
-Takes 88 Earth days to revolve one time around sun
-One day on Mercury is 59 Earth Days
-Distance from the sun: 3.2 light-minutes (35, 983, 095
miles)
-Surface features: Large craters, diverse temperatures (279 to 801*F) but no atmosphere to trap the heat so it
cools rapidly
-Size: Diameter 3,032 miles (4,879 km), smaller than Earth
-Ability to support life: No, not much of atmosphere and
high temps.
Venus -Known as Earth’s twin/sister
-Length of a year is 225 Earth days
-Length of Year is 5,832 hours
-Revolution is retrograde/clockwise (opposite of Earth)
-Distance from the sun: 6 light-minutes (67, 237, 910 miles)
-Surface features: Very high temperature of 864o*F or
462*C), Volcanoes on surface, reflective cloud cover
-Size: Diameter 7,521 miles (12,104 km), similar to size of
Earth
-Ability to support life: No, atmosphere is mostly carbon
dioxide and destructive acids
Earth -Only known planet to support life
-Length of day is 23 hours, 56 minutes
-Length of year is 365 days, 6 hours, 16 minutes
-Only has one natural satellite (Moon) that keeps our climate
steady and is 238,855 miles from Earth
-Distance from the sun: 8.3 light minutes (92,955,820 miles)
-Surface features: Water, air, weather, land
-Size: Diameter 7,926 miles (12,765 km)
-Ability to support life: Yes, mostly covered in water and
healthy air
Mars -Known as the Red planet
-Length of year is 687 Earth days (1 year, 322 days)
-Length of day is 24 hours, 37 minutes
-Two moons (Phobos and Deimos)
-Distance from the sun: 12.7 light-minutes (141,633,260
miles)
-Surface features: Rocky surface, volcanoes, shifting
tectonic plates, dust storms, polar ice caps, temperature
range from -125 to 23*F, low air pressure
-Size: Diameter 4,222 miles (6,794 km), smaller than Earth
-Ability to support life: No, temperature is too cold, low air
pressure that water boils away
Jupiter -Largest planet in our solar system
-See beautiful colors due to small amounts of organic compounds
-Length of year is 4,331 Earth days (11 years, 313 days)
-Length of the days is 9 hours, 56 minutes
-63 moons—4 largest are Europa, lo, Callisto, Ganymede
-Distance from the sun: 43.3 light-minutes (483,682,810 miles)
-Surface features: Made mostly of hydrogen and helium like the
sun, average temperature -234*F
-Size: Diameter 88,846 miles (142,984 km), larger than Earth
-Ability to support life: No because of the atmosphere
Saturn -Second largest planet
-Most prominent rings (but all gas giants have rings) made of icy particles
-Length of year is 10,759 Earth days (29 years, 155 days)
-Length of the day is 10 hours, 39 minutes
-52 moons—(Janus, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Titan)
-Distance from the sun: 1.3 light-hours
-Surface features: Made of mostly hydrogen and helium, fast winds and
rising heat cause yellow/gold banding, average temp -288*F
-Size: Diameter 74,898 miles (120,536 km), larger than Earth, 764 times
the volume of Earth and 95 times more massive
-Ability to support life: No because of the atmosphere
Uranus
-Tilted on its axis maybe caused from being hit by massive object
-Length of year is 30,687 Earth days (83 years, 273 days)
-Length of day is 17 hours, 15 minutes
- Revolution is retrograde/clockwise (opposite of Earth)
-27 Moons—5 major moons (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Oberon,
Titania)
-Distance from the sun: 2.7 light-hours (1,783,939,400 miles)
-Surface features: Atmosphere made up of hydrogen and methane
causing bright blue color, average temperature -357*F
-Size: Diameter 31,764 miles (51,118 km), larger than Earth
-Ability to support life: No because of the atmosphere
Neptune
-Outermost planet
-Length of year is 60,190 Earth days (163 years, 263 days)
-Length of day is 16 hours, 7 minutes
-13 moons—(Nereid, Triton)
-Distance from the sun: 4.2 light-hours (2,795,084,800 miles)
-Surface features: Hurricane like storms, belts of clouds, blue in
color from methane gas, average temperature -353*F
-Size: Diameter 30,776 miles (49, 528 km), larger than Earth
-Ability to support life: No because of atmosphere
Universe and Solar System
Heliocentric
‘sun-centered’ theory in which the
sun is the center of the solar
system and the Earth and other
planets revolve around the sun
Geocentric
‘Earth-centered’ theory in which
the Earth is the center of the
solar system and the sun and
other planets revolve around the
Earth (old theory)
Big Bang
Theory
The theory that states that the
universe began with a
tremendous explosion (gases
under pressure) 13.7 billion years
ago
Universe
A vast area of loosely repeated
structures. Contains our galaxy
‘The Milky Way’
Galaxy
A collection of stars, dust, and
gas bound together by gravity
Milky Way
The galaxy that contains out solar
system which contains Earth
Solar System
The collection of planets, stars,
etc. that contains our planet
Earth.
Hubble
Telescope
A large telescope in space that
astronomers use to study the
solar system.
Star
A collection of gases held
together by gravity. The closest
star to Earth is the sun.
Inertia
An objects resistance in speed
or direction until outside force
acts on the object.
Gravity
The force that attracts plants,
stars, etc. and is responsible for
keeping objects in orbit. Ex.
Earth around the sun, moon
around Earth, etc. Gravity is the
force that governs the motion of
the solar system.
Elliptical
The shape of an elongated
circle/oval. The shape of our
solar system
Revolution
The motion of a body that
travels around another body in
space; one complete trip along
an orbit