Earth Science Regents Vocabulary
Terms
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- abrasion
- Rubbing together
- absolute zero
- Temperature at which all motion stops
- air mass
- A large body of air with similar characteristics throughout
- altitude
- The angular distance of a celestrial object above the horizon
- air pressure
- The weight of overlying air.
- anemometer
- Insturment used to measure wind speed.
- anomalies
- Something out of the ordinary. Unlikely to be repeated
- asteriod
- A solid rocky or metallic object that orbits the sun.
- asthenosphere
- A layer of Earth that acts like think plastic
- atmosphere
- The shell of gases that surround the Earth.
- barometer
- Instrument used to measure air pressure.
- capillarity
- The ability of water to rise in small openings.
- climate
- Long term weather patterns.
- comet
- Compared to a dirty snoball. Has a tail when gets too close to the sun.
- condensation
- Changing from a gas to a liquid.
- conduction
- The transfer of energy through the collision of molecules in solids.
- constellation
- A group of stars that form a pattern in the sky.
- contour interval
- How much each line is worth on a topographic map.
- contour line
- Connect points of equal elevation.
- convection
- The transfer of energy due to differences in density in liquids and gases.
- convergent
- Coming together.
- coriolis effect
- A deflection of materials caused by Earth's rotation.
- correlation
- Matching up rock outcrops based on similar characteristics.
- cyclic
- Events occuring in a predictable pattern.
- cyclone
- A low pressure center.
- deforestation
- The cutting down of trees.
- density
- How tightly packed the atoms are in an object.
- depleted
- To be used up.
- deposition
- To drop off due to a decrease in velocity.
- dew point
- The temperature at which condensation occurs.
- discharge
- How much water is flowing in a stream/river.
- divergent
- Moving apart.
- doppler effect
- An apparent change in wavelength caused by a change in distance between two objects.
- duration
- A length of time.
- dynamic equilibrium
- A balance between equal forces.
- eccentricity
- Out of roundness.
- eclipse
- Occurs when celestrial objects move into another's shadow.
- elevation
- The height above sea level.
- ellipse
- A closed curve around two points.
- epicenter
- The place on Earth's surface directly above the focus.
- erosion
- To pick up due to an increase in velocity.
- evaportranspiration
- All water that enters the atmosphere.
- focus
- A fixed point or the actual spot in the Earth's crust where an earthquake originates.
- foucault pendulum
- A device which provides eviodence that the Earth rotates.
- front
- An interface (boundary) between two air masses.
- galaxy
- A large groupiong of stars.
- geocentric model
- Earth-centered.
- gradient
- Steepness. Slope.
- greenhouse effect
- The trapping of infrared energy in the Earth's atmosphere.
- depression
- Show areas of decreasing elevation.
- heliocentric
- Sun-centtered.
- hydrology
- The study of water.
- hydrosphere
- The layer of water on the Earth's surface.
- impermeable
- Does not allow water to flow through.
- index fossils
- Best way to correlate rock layers.
- inference
- An educated guess. An hypothesis.
- infiltration
- To seep through due to gravity.
- intensity
- The strength of something.
- interface
- A boundary across which energy is exchanged.
- isobar
- Lines copnnecting points of equal pressure.
- isotherm
- Lines connecting points of equal temperature.
- isotopes
- A different form of an element differing only in mass.
- kinetic energy
- Energy in motion.
- latitude
- The angular distnace north or south of the Equator.
- lithosphere
- The solid ground that we walk on.
- local time
- Equal for all locations on the same meridian (line of longitude).
- longitude
- The angular distance east or west of the prime Meridian.
- luminosity
- The brightness of an object.
- mass
- The amount of matter (atoms) in an object.
- meander
- A bend in a river or stream.
- meteor
- Also called a shooting star.
- meteorology
- The study of weather.
- model
- A representation of a system.
- orographic effect
- The effect that mountains have on precipitation patterns.
- outcrop
- Bedrock that can be seen on the Earth's surface.
- outgassing
- The escaping of water vapor from Earth's crust.
- ozone
- A gas found in the Earth's atmosphere (O3).
- percent deviation
- The amount of error in a measurement.
- permeable
- Allows water to flow through.
- porosity
- The amount of space between particles.
- potential energy
- Stored energy.
- pecipitation
- Any form of water that falls to the earth.
- principle of superposition
- Oldest layers on the bottom.
- principle of uniformitarianism
- Those things that occurred in the past are also occuring today.
- profile
- A side view of a topographic map.
- psychrometer
- Instrument used to measure relative humidity and dew p;oint.
- p-wave
- The first wave to arrive after an earthquake occurs.
- radiation
- The transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves.
- rate of change
- How much something changes over time.
- refraction
- The bending of energy.
- relative humidity
- The percentage of the air that is filled with water.
- revolution
- Thje amount of time to go once around the sun.
- rotation
- Spinning on an axis.
- saturated
- Filled with water.
- solar system
- Made up of a star and all the objects which revolve around it.
- solidification
- Changing from a liquid to a solid.
- specific heat
- The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance 1 degree C.
- strata
- Layers of bedrock.
- s-wave
- The last wave to arrive after an earthquake occurs.
- tectonics
- A study of the Earth's crustal movements.
- temperature
- A measure of the average kinectic energy.
- tides
- Rising and falling of the oceans caused by the moon's gravitational attraction to the Earth.
- transpiration
- Release of water from plants.
- tsunami
- A large tidal wave caused by an earthquake.
- unconformity
- A buried erosional surface.
- universe
- Everything that exists.
- vaporization
- Changing from a liquid to a gas.
- volume
- The amount of space an object takes up.
- water table
- The interface between the zone of aeration and the zone of saturation.
- weathering
- To break down.
- zenith
- The highest point.
- zone of aeration
- The portion of the soil which is filled with air.
- zone of saturation
- The portion of the soil which is filled with water.
- age of the solar system
- 4.5 billion years
- age of the Earth
- 4.5 billion years
- age of the universe
- 11 to 12 billion years
- abundant
- In great quantities.
- half-life
- The amount of time that it takes for one half of a substance to become stable.
- landscape
- A section of land with similar characteristics.
- lava
-
Magma that came to the
surface.