science vocab list 1
Terms
undefined, object
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- abrasion
- the grinding action of rock fragments against a streambed and one another
- absolute dating
- the use of radioactivity to make accurate determinations of the earths age
- acid rain
- rain or snow that contains droplets of sulfuric acid and nitric acid
- air mass
- a large section of the troposphere in which the temperature and humidity are similar
- air pressure belts
- belts of high or low pressure that encircle the earth
- alluvial fan
- deposit formed by a stream that flows from the steep mountains out onto a broad flat plane
- altimeter
- a barometer that indicates altitude
- altitude
- the height (elevation) above sea level
- amber
- fossil tree resin that sometimes contain preserved specimens of insects
- anemometer
- instrument used to measure wind speed
- aneroid barometer
- a type of barometer used to measure air pressure that does not contain any type of liquid
- anthracite
- rock formed when bituminous coal is pressed and folded by moving blocks of crust, very hard coal
- anticyclone
- a high-pressure system in which the wind blows clockwise
- aquifier
- the water bearing layer of permeable rock in an artesian system
- argon
- chemically inert (inactive) element found in the atmosphere; used in light bulbs
- artesian system
- layers of impermeable rock than enclose a layer of permeable rock, forming and natural pipe for ground water
- artificial satellite
- a spacecraft built by humans and placed in orbit to perform a specific task
- asteroids
- thousands of rocky fragments that revolve around the sun in circular orbits
- astronomer
- scientists who study the sun, moon, planets, and stars
- atmosphere
- the mixture of gases and solids that surround the earths lithosphere and hydrosphere