Term
What is exponential growth? |
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Definition
| Growth in which the rate of growth is proportional to the amount of growth present |
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Term
What is the current human population of the planet? |
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Definition
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Term
What percentage of all the people who have ever lived are alive today? |
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Definition
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Term
In terms of loss of life, what has caused Earth’s greatest historic disasters? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the difference between weather and climate? |
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Definition
Weather – State of the atmosphere at a particular time and place
Climate – Weather conditions over a long period of time |
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Term
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Definition
| The tilt of the earths axis at 23.5 degrees. |
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Term
What are the lowest two of the four main atmospheric layers? |
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Definition
Troposhere
is the layer we live in and zone of weather
Stratosphere
has no weather and has very thin air , little molecules so cold |
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Term
| How thick is the layer in which we live? |
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Definition
| Troposphere is 7.5 mi thick |
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Term
| What is Earth's Constant Constituents? |
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Definition
Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Argon (inert gas)
(in Troposphere) |
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Term
| What are the Variable Constituens/ Pollutants? |
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Definition
· Methane- Coal
· Carbon Dioxide- exhaust (petroleum)
· Nitrogen Oxide/Dioxide
· CFC’s- spray cans
· O3- breaks up ozone layer melts plastic
· SO2- Acid rain |
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Term
| How do CFC's deplete the Ozone layer? |
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Definition
| When CFC's are released into the O3(ozone) in the Stratosphere they break it down and turn it into O2 (oxygen) which slowly erodes away out O3(ozone) layer |
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Term
Why is ozone depletion particularly effective in the Polar regions? |
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Definition
| The cold tempertures limits Nitrogen from thriving and Fighting off Chlorine Molecules that hurt the Ozone layer. |
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Term
| What is the Highest Temp Recorded in Texas and What is the Lowest? |
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Definition
· High: 120 F. Seymour, Texas (1936)
North-central Plains
· Low: -23 F. Seminale and Tula (1933 & 1899)
Texas High Plains |
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Term
| Which way does Texas Temp Trend? and on the map is its like vertical or horizontal? |
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Definition
Colder in the North and Warmer in the South
Temp lines are Horizontal |
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Term
| Which way does Texas Precipitation Trend? On the Map is the Precipitation line Vertical or Horizontal? |
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Definition
Texas precipitation trends from East to West precipitation decreasing from east to west 1 inch for every 15 miles.
The precipitation line on the map is Vertical. |
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Term
What are the Exceptions to the Percipitation
1in for every 15mi Rule |
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Definition
The Balcones Escarpment
Trans Pecos Mts |
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Term
Does Texas have periods of severe drought? If so, what were the worst two drought periods? |
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Definition
à Yes the Dustbowl “dirty thirties”
à Dustbowl 1935-1939
à 1954-1957..this drought affected all of texas |
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Term
| How Many Tornadoes a year does Texas have? |
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Definition
| 118 more than any other state |
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Term
What Texas tornado has caused the greatest damage? The greatest loss of life? |
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Definition
à The Wichita Falls April 10th, 1979
o Destroyed over 3,000 homes, left 42 people dead and 1,740 injured
o Estimated 20,000 homeless |
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Term
On average, how many hurricanes cross the Texas coast every decade? |
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Definition
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Term
What was particularly bad about the Galveston hurricane of 1900? About hurricane Carla? |
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Definition
à Galveston was the worst natural disaster in US History
o Causing 6,000-8,000 deaths
à Carla was the 3rd storm of the 1961 season and was considered the most powerful Hurricane to hit Texas in a century.
o Tides at 18.5 ft and winds at 175mph |
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Term
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Definition
à How earths water moves from location to location |
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Term
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Definition
| Where the water from a river flows |
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Term
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Definition
à A flood plain is where the water from the river goes when it floods |
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Term
What factors contribute to Central Texas flash flooding? |
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Definition
o Rock , soil, rainfall, urbanization
o Upstream floods- small tributaries of a river overwhelmed and flood this occurs very quickly, happens often in central texas
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Term
| How does the Balcones Escarpment and Trans Pecos Mts affect local rainfall rates? |
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Definition
| affects rainfall it increases it because of its elevation and blocks rain clouds. |
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Term
How is the greatest flood in Texas history related to downtown San Antonio? |
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Definition
à It rushed up to 9feet of water to the downtown leaving it extremely flooded.
o This brought about the building of the Olmos dam in 1921 and the river walk! |
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Term
Is there evidence from mythology of great prehistoric floods? |
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Definition
o Evidence of prehistoric floods are held in Huge Channels.
o Sand and salt hold evidence of giant glacial lakes/ floods
o Channel Scadlands produced from a break in a prehistoric ice dam |
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Term
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Definition
à An energy from the earth produced by tectonic plates shifting coming in a series of foreshocks and aftershocks. |
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Term
| How Often do Earthquakes Occur in texas, and how dangerous are they? |
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Definition
| Once a year not dangerous at all |
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Term
| Where do most Earthquakes occur? |
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Definition
| in the Pacific rim 80 % occur here |
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Term
| By Multiples of What does the Richter Scale go by to measure Magnitude...and to measure Energy?? |
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Definition
à Richter scale: goes by multiples of 10 in magnitude and goes by multiples of 30 energy
o Diff between 8.9 and a 9 on richter scale is more than diff between a 1 and 8 |
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Term
| What is the Elastic Rebound Theory, and where was it Discovered? |
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Definition
Plates pressing and rubbing up against each other at a fault zone have no where to go so the pressure that builds causes the rocks to become bendable and slide past each other causing an earthquake.
Discovered in San Francisco, California
o San Francisco, California (1906) |
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Term
| What are some Destructive Agents associated with Earthquakes? |
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Definition
o Fire
o Tsunami
o Avalanche
o Liquefacation |
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Term
What are some factors for loss of life in an Earthquake |
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Definition
o Population density
o Construction style (The most important)
o Local Geology
o Magnitude
o Local life support |
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Term
| What Natural Disaster canNot be predicted? |
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Definition
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Term
| Where did the Largest Texas quake Occur and what was its Magnitude? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the 3 places Texas Quakes Occur? |
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Definition
o Rio grande
o Balcones fault
§ In active
o Pan handle
§ Andarko Basin |
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Term
| Where do Natural and induced Quakes Occur? |
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Definition
Natural- Along Fault Zones
Induced- in Oil Fields |
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Term
| Can Texas ever have a big quake? |
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Definition
| Yes, in the Panhandle because of Rifting |
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Term
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Definition
à Vent through which Molten rock arrives through the surface |
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Term
What are the three main types of volcanic rocks and how do they differ chemically? |
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Definition
à Basalt,
o Dark, heavy rock that is rich in iron and magnesium low in silicon
à Andesite,
o Medium color and weight, even between amounts of basalt and rhyolite
à Rhyolite
o Light, and light in color High in Silica |
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Term
| Name and Describe the 3 ways lava erupts. |
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Definition
Lava flows – contain little gas and plenty magma so they just ooze out
Pyroclastic Fall eruptions- Magmas rich in gas boil and explode it looks like fire rising and spewing out of the top, as the gas rises quickly it could form an ash cloud at the top of the mountain, then the ash begins to fall as snow to the gorund.
Pyroclastic Flow Eruption- Less common and Very dangerous when the ash cloud gets heavier than the air around it then falls rolls and flows along the surrounding land at an amazing speed |
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Term
What is the relationship between the magma composition and eruption style? |
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Definition
à Silicon in magma controls how it flows because the amount of silicon in it controls the magmas viscosity or ability to flow.
o Ex basalt low in silicon forms a lava flow, flowing very slowly
§ Rhyolite highest in silicon are the wildest eruptions |
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Term
| How many earthquakes has Tx had and how many are associated with Damage? |
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Definition
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Term
| Since Hawaii has a lot of Basaltic exploisons, what do they call the surface of the rock if its smooth, what do they call it if its jagged? |
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Definition
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Term
| What kind of Volcanoes do Rhyolite Volcanoes form? give an example. |
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Definition
- SuperVolcanoes
- Ex. Yellowstone
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Term
| What is kind of Volcanoes do Andesitic Volcanoes form? Give a current example and an Older Example. |
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Definition
- StratoVolcanoes: They build up layers, build and build till they explode then start process over again.
- Mt. St Helens
- Mt. Vesuvius- 79 A.D Buried Pompeii
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Term
| What kind of exploision is Santorini-"Atlantis" associated with? |
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Definition
| an Andesitic eruption...Causing the formation of a Caldera and the loss of Santorini land |
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Term
| What Kind of Volcanoes do Basalt Volcanoes form? and What kind of eruptions do they make? |
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Definition
Basalt Cindercones- the Ice at the top of the volcanoe explodes
ex. Iceland Volcanoe
Shield Volcanoes- wide low dome shaped, formed from basalt erupting from a centeral vent or crater. |
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Term
Does Texas have volcanoes? If so, where are they and to what age(s) do they belong? |
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Definition
Yes,
Mesozoic volcanoes on balcones fault
Cenozoic volcanoes Trans pecos fault |
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Term
| Where is Trans-Pecos Volcanism/ SuperVolcanoes most active? |
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Definition
| UT el paso/ The Davis Mountains |
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Term
| Are Texas Volcanic Eruptions Possible? |
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Definition
Yes,
à possible within 1,000 years because of New Mexico’s active volcanoes in the eastern border |
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Term
What are the 3 recent Volcano sites in New Mexico |
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Definition
§ Raton clayton field- youngest only 2,300 years old and still active
§ Potrillo volcanic field- north west of elpaso , Aden crater formed here
§ White sands missle range. |
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Term
| Do Stones fall out of the sky? if so is it Rare and what sizes are they? |
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Definition
Yes
Dust falls all the time, but stones occur occasionally |
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Term
Has anyone ever been hit by a meteorite? |
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Definition
à Yes
Ann Hodges in Sylafauga, Albama 1954 |
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Term
What took place at Tunguska, Siberia, in 1908? |
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Definition
à A Mysterious large explosion heard over 600 miles away and felt over 300 miles away, left no crater or traces of what actually happened, but left trees lying away from the epicenter of the explosion and a lot animals dead. |
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Term
| What is the Avg Velocity of a Meteor? the Avg Velocity of a Comet? |
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Definition
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Term
What is Meteor Crater in Arizona and what caused it to form? |
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Definition
4000 Diameter, 570 ‘ deep
49,000 years old
Product of a 100’in diam Iron meterorite
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Term
Are crater impact sites common? |
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Definition
| No they are rare to find, because plate tectonics and erosion slowly erase them from the surface. |
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Term
| In Comets which is the most important factor, Mass or Velocity? |
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Definition
| Velocity is the most important factor determining energy |
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Term
| What and where is the Manicouagan impact site? |
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Definition
à A huge crater formed in Canada
over 212 million years ago, but most evidence has been eroded away due to accretion |
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Term
What is the K-T boundary layer and what do K and T stand for? |
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Definition
K stands for Krestacious which is in the Mesozoic period
T stands for Tertiary which is in the Cenozoic period
The K-T Boundary is an unconformity in the earth where these two stones meet but are separated by a deposit of sediment. |
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Term
| Who Discovered the K-T Boundary and where was it Located? |
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Definition
The Alvarez team
Discovered the KT Boundary Layer in Italy 1981 |
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Term
What substance is the K-T boundary rich in?
What other substances are found there and what do they indicate? |
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Definition
Irridium
Soot and Glass Indicate an Asteroid impact |
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Term
| What and Where is Chicxulub located and how large is it? |
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Definition
An Impact Site Located @ the
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
(Crater of Doom)
About 6 miles
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Term
What would be the immediate effects from a Chicxulub-size asteroid impact? |
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Definition
à 11.3 magnitude quake
à Tsunami
à Fire ball and air blast would wipe out all of the water and rock
à Earths forest would be set ablaze
à Surface of the earth would be shrouded in ash and soot |
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Term
What would be the longer-term, global effects of a Chixulub size impact? |
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Definition
à Earth would be shrouded in complete darkness
à Global winter
à Acid rain
à Living things destroyed
à Temp rise to 18 degrees farenheit |
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Term
What would be the result if the largest known asteroid were to strike the Earth? |
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Definition
| all earths oceans would evaporate |
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Term
Are there craters or meteorite impact sites in Texas? If so, where are they located? |
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Definition
à Yes
à Bee bluff
à Marquez
à Odessa- The only Texas Crater
à Sierra Madera |
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Term
| Where is the K-T Boundary in Texas ? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the only Texas Crater site? |
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Definition
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Term
What is the largest known Texas impact site? |
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Definition
à Marquez, Texas 22Meters |
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