Term
| What evidence did Wegner use to support the existence of Pangaea? |
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Definition
| The distribution of fossils and present day plant species along with the jigsaw fit of the continents. |
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Term
| The oceanic crust is _____ and _____ than the continental crust |
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Definition
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Term
| Permafrost is typically found in tundra environments and can extend to depths of |
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Definition
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Term
| What type of tectonic phenomena leads to the creation of oceanic volcanic islands such as the Galapagos? |
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Definition
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Term
| Which type of plate boundary results from two or more plates coming together? |
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Definition
| Convergent plate boundary |
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Term
| A _____ is a fracture in the rock in which no appreciable movement has occurred |
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Definition
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Term
| In what general direction are the Galapagos moving at a rate of about an inch or two per year? |
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Definition
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Term
| Along continental rifts and hot spots, vast amounts of basaltic lava can flow from fissures, forming |
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Definition
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Term
| What does the word "Galapagos" mean? |
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Definition
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Term
| Why are the Galapagos so rich in biodiversity? |
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Definition
| They are at an intersection of warm and cold ocean currents |
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Term
| What is the source of heat that drives mantle convection? |
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Definition
| Radiogenic heat from the decay of isotopes |
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Term
| ______ are common features that develop in solid rock at the surface due to the release of pressure and can act as conduits for other weathering mechanisms |
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Definition
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Term
| The largest scale sand dunes are called |
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Definition
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Term
| How do the oldest island and the youngest island, Fernandina, compare in age? |
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Definition
| Fernandina: 40,000+ years old; Espanola: 3.5 million years old |
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Term
| What type of bond forms the strongest chemical bonds and compounds that tend to be strong with great hardness? |
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Definition
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Term
| Approximately how old are the Galapagos islands? |
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Definition
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Term
| _______ is the process of ice splitting rocks during freeze/thaw cycles. |
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Definition
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Term
| Complete the following statement with the correct terms. Clay is _____ to lift from a surface, and/but ____ to keep suspended in the air. |
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Definition
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Term
| A strike-slip fault can also be called a _____ fault. |
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Definition
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Term
| The mechanism of wind erosion in which loose particles of sand and dust are picked up and removed, leaving behind only coarser pebbles, is called ______ |
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Definition
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Term
| The continents and ocean basins are located in the |
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Definition
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Term
| Which Galapagos island no longer has enough elevation to trigger cloud formation? |
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Definition
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Term
| Foredunes are critical to the preservation of the integrity of many beaches, but they must maintain _______ o their surfaces to remain stable |
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Definition
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Term
| A ____ dune forms from shifting wind directions and abundant sand |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the typical characteristics of loess deposits? Be sure to describe their process of formation and distribution. |
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Definition
| 1) yellowish to buff color 2) compact/uniform 3) easily eroded 4) formed by silt blown in by dust storms 4) distribution related to continental glaciers |
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Term
| Felsic minerals tend to be |
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Definition
| light-colored, less dense |
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Term
| Some of the most highly elevated and tectonically active mountain ranges in the world are the result of |
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Definition
| convergent tectonic plate boundaries |
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Term
| According to high-resolution GPS satellites, lithospheric plates are moving at an average rate of |
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Definition
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Term
| In general, landscapes of great relief experience ____ rate(s) of landform change compared to those with low relief. |
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Definition
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Term
| Coastal plain streams that run parallel to the shoreline and act as tributaries to larger bodies of water are described as |
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Definition
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Term
| Sometimes rocks are grooved and polished by wind driven abrasion, these examples are often referred to as |
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Definition
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Term
| Small scale crescent-shaped dunes are described as |
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Definition
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Term
| In which of the following regions of the US is wind driven erosion most effective? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the most common mineral found in rocks on Earth? |
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Definition
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Term
| Which particle sizes composes large dust storms that extend hundreds of meters off the ground? |
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Definition
| Soil particles and course sand grains |
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Term
| The Hawaiian Islands and Emperor Seamounts represent a hot-spot track that |
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Definition
| is on a plate that is moving to the north-west |
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Term
| When considering the process of wind erosion, the wind acts most similar to |
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Definition
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Term
| _____ is the extremely slow downslope granular flow of regolith |
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Definition
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Term
| What term best describes the rocky outer layer of the Earth? |
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Definition
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Term
| Explosive or voluminous eruptions may cause the volcano to collapse into the floor of the empty magma chamber below, producing a very large depression called a |
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Definition
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Term
| ________ divides most ocean basins roughly in half |
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Definition
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Term
| Under what environment conditions would physical weathering by freeze-thaw be most effective? |
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Definition
| In arctic and high mountain environments |
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Term
| Peat, coal, lignite, and natural gas are all examples of |
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Definition
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Term
| A _____ may result from the suspension of fine particles of sediment by wind over significant distances |
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Definition
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Term
| Marble forms as a metamorphic product of what original rock? |
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Definition
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Term
| What kind of conditions would limit the effectiveness of wind erosion |
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Definition
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Term
| What kind of anthropogenic activities can induce mass wasting? |
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Definition
| Excavation, adding water to slopes, extracting mineral resources, explosives, and scarfication |
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Term
| The steepest portion of a desert sand dune is on the ____ side |
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Definition
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Term
| In permafrost terrains, the term active layer refers to: |
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Definition
| the shallow surface layer above the permafrost table which thaws and freezes with the changing seasons |
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Term
| Sandstone pillars are features that can be found in the southwestern US, but are unusual in the southeastern US. What explanations best account for this? |
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Definition
| The southeast is more humid |
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Term
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Definition
| Large, crater-like depression left when a stratovolcano blows its top off |
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Term
| If Earth's history was represented by one 24-hour day, how long has life proliferated on the planet? |
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Definition
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Term
| New construction can lead to the degradation of tundra environments as a result of |
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Definition
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Term
| The smallest particle that retains all of the chemical properties of an element is called a(n) |
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Definition
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Term
| Why do some islands support lush forests on one side and arid deserts on another side? |
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Definition
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Term
| Basaltic lavas differ from felsic lavas in that they |
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Definition
| tend to be much less viscous that felsic lavas |
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Term
| _____ involve the massive displacement of rock or sediment straight down a steep slope |
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Definition
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Term
| What fundamental force is responsible for the layering most distinctive of sedimentary rock deposits? |
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Definition
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Term
| The formation of salt deposits in the bottoms of dry lake beds (i.e. Bonneville Salt Flats, UT) is a result of which process? |
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Definition
| Streams bring dissolved solids into the lake, and since evaporation removes only pure water, the salts remain behind |
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Term
| Why are smaller particles of sedimentary material often hard for wind to move? |
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Definition
| Larger fragments become closely fitted together, concealing the smaller particles that lie beneath them |
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Term
| Fine grained deposits of windblown material called _____ have accumulated in thick layers in the midlatitude regions of the world and provide fertile soil for agriculture |
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Definition
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Term
| Desert pavements are best characterized by |
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Definition
| closely fitted rock fragments with smaller particles beneath |
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Term
| Why do desert sand dunes take on several specific shapes? |
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Definition
| It depends on the direction of the prevailing winds and the amount of sand |
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Term
| When considering the destructive potential of a tsunami, it is important to consider that a cubic meter of water weighs approximately: |
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Definition
| 1000 kilograms/2200 pounds |
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Term
| Crescent-shaped dunes that are stabilized by vegetation growth are called |
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Definition
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Term
| What is required to induce mass movements along the Palos Verdes Hill of Los Angeles, California and other similar developments in steep hillside settings? |
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Definition
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Term
| What term best describing the individual lifting and transportation of individual particles by wind? |
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Definition
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Term
| Stone polygons can alter to stone stripes as a result of |
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Definition
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Term
| When sedimentary particles move in series of short bounces, the process is termed |
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Definition
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Term
| The availability of _____ is most critical to weathering processes. |
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Definition
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Term
| The disintegration and dissolution of rocks at or near the surface of the Earth is described as |
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Definition
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Term
| Landscapes with a large amount of relief tend to increase the ____ of materials, causing them to have more _____ energy when they are weathered and transported downhill. |
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Definition
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Term
| A subduction zone is often created when |
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Definition
| an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate |
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Term
| mafic lava is composed mostly of |
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Definition
| silicates of magnesium and iron |
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Term
| The small spaces between mineral grains are called |
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Definition
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Term
| Continental rifting generates ______ faults |
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Definition
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Term
| Deep oceanic trenches are associated with |
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Definition
| diverging boundaries and subduction |
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Term
| The process responsible for changing sediments into sedimentary rock, are compaction and |
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Definition
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Term
| Folding is the result of _________ plate tectonic processes |
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Definition
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Term
| Which elements are abundant in the crust? |
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Definition
| O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, Mg |
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Term
| Which geologic era are we currently living in? |
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Definition
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Term
| Geothermal energy is typically collected using |
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Definition
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Term
| A rock that is dark-colored and heavy is most likely composed of |
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Definition
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Term
| In order for material to move downslope, it must overcome which of the following forces? |
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Definition
| Friction, steepness, cohesion, and material strength |
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Term
| Due to the recent trend in rising global temperatures, scientists predict arctic temperatures will have risen ______ by the end of this century. |
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Definition
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Term
| Flowing regolith that is not saturated with water is known as a _______ |
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Definition
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Term
| Which element is the most abundant in Earth's crust? |
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Definition
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Term
| What term best describes a local steepening in otherwise uniformly dipping layered rock? |
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Definition
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Term
| In a tundra environment _______ is the slow movement of saturated soil downhill, often forming mounds. |
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Definition
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Term
| The formation of a pingo begins with the formation of _______ in the tundra |
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Definition
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Term
| How does the ability of wind to transport materials compare to other mechanisms in the Earth system? |
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Definition
| Greater than liquid because of the density in the atmosphere |
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Term
| What is the primary difference between the earthflow and mudflow? |
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Definition
| Mudflow is faster and wetter than earthflow |
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Term
| What term best describes the driving force behind plate tectonics? |
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Definition
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Term
| Hydrocarbon deposits are classified as |
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Definition
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Term
| The process by which landscapes are reduced and landforms rearranged is described best by the term |
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Definition
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Term
| The surface of the Earth is divided into individual rigid plates that move independently of one another on top of the |
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Definition
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Term
| Because of the extreme heat and pressure required, metamorphic rocks are generated most often |
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Definition
| at a substantial depth beneath the Earth's surface |
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Term
| The reduction of land-surface elevation due to the lifting and removal of particles by wind is termed ______, while the aggressive act of sandblasting an exposed surface by the action of wind is described as _______ |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the oldest of the Galapagos islands? |
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Definition
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Term
| When small pieces of rock are weathered, transported, deposited, and cemented, which of the following can be created? |
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Definition
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Term
| A(n) ______ involves a rotational and downhill movement of rock or regolith. |
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Definition
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Term
| Loess deposits are typically composed of |
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Definition
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Term
| The Richter scale is used to express the |
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Definition
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Term
| Since lithospheric plates move around, most mountain building activity occurs |
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Definition
| at the converging continental boundaries |
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Term
| A type of chemical weathering in which minerals react with dissolved oxygen in water is known as _______ |
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Definition
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Term
| Using changes in seismic wave velocities, we know that the Earth's inner core is stable in what phase? |
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Definition
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Term
| Faulting is the result of __________ plate tectonic processes. |
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Definition
| compressional and extensional |
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Term
| Chemical weathering is most effective in environments with |
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Definition
| warm, moist air and high annual rainfall |
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Term
| The process of rock metamorphism can affect what types of rock? |
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Definition
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Term
| The lithosphere is composed of |
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Definition
| crust and upper part of the mantle |
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Term
| Which type of volcanic feature is most common around the Pacific Ocean basin? |
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Definition
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Term
| Landforms generated in regions with no active volcanic or tectonic activity often form as a result of |
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Definition
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Term
| Globally, most active volcanoes are located along |
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Definition
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Term
| When wind-blown particles act to sandblast a natural surface, this is best described as _________ |
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Definition
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Term
| In regions with an arid climate, table-topped plateaus that are bordered with cliffs on all sides are referred to as |
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Definition
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Term
| Characteristic fractures that form in bedrock when it cools and contracts are described as |
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Definition
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Term
| The idea proposed by Alfred Wegener to explain the continental shapes and positions is known as |
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Definition
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Term
| Magma that cools deep below the Earth's surface forms what type of rock |
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Definition
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