Test your basic knowledge |

Earth Science

Subject : science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A sedimentary rock composed of combustible matter derived from the partial decomposition of plant material.






2. The top of a wave.






3. A protective wall built offshore and usually parallel to the shore.






4. Materials that are found in nature that are useful or necessary for people to live.






5. A lake in an abandoned meander.






6. The symbol used on a map to indicate directions & both cardinal and ordinal.






7. The elevation at which snow persists throughout the year.






8. A comet that passed Earth in 1997 and won't return to the inner solar system until the year 4377.






9. The layer of gases (air) & that surrounds a planet or moon.






10. A narrow strip of land along the margin of the ocean extending inland for a variable distance from low water mark.






11. The rise and fall of sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon on the Earth.






12. A low & nearly flat accumulation of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river or stream & commonly triangular or fan-shaped.






13. Synonym of intrusive. Antonym of volcanic. Applies to igneous rocks formed beneath the surface of the Earth; typically with large crystals due to the slowness of cooling.






14. The generally dark & more or less stable part of the organic matter in a soil & so well decomposed that the original sources cannot be identified.






15. The very slow & generally continuous downslope movement of soil and debris under the influence of gravity.






16. A substance that produces negatively charged hydroxide ions ( OH- ) in water and reacts with acids to form salts.






17. The concept of a sequence of events involving the formation & alteration & destruction and reformation of rocks as a result of geologic processes.






18. The line formed by the intersection of the axial plane of a fold with a bedding plane & marking where the bed shows its maximum curvature.






19. The oldest eon in Earth history & extending from the origin of the Earth to about 3.9 billion years ago.






20. A small & dust-bearing whirlwind.






21. Deposition of fine mineral particles (silt) on the beds of streams or lakes.






22. A major drainage divide separating the drainage to one ocean from another.






23. A large area with common features that set it apart from other areas.






24. A commonly used scale of earthquake intensity.






25. The environment where a particular plant or animal is normally found.






26. The presence of layers in some rocks caused by parallel alignment of minerals.






27. A curved belt of volcanic islands lying above a subduction zone.






28. The surface between the zone of saturation and the zone of aeration.






29. A geometrical form taken by a mineral & giving external expression to orderly internal atomic arrangement.






30. A hydrocarbon (coal or petroleum) that can be extracted from the Earth for use as a fuel. Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources.






31. Living on land.






32. The production of living matter by organisms that make food using sunlight or chemicals. Usually expressed as grams of carbon per square meter per year.






33. A measure of acidity.






34. A spring whose temperature is 6.5o C or more above mean annual air temperature.






35. The tendency of a moving object to continue in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place.






36. A seismic body wave that involves particle motion from side to side & perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. S-waves are slower than P-waves and cannot travel through a liquid.






37. A volcano that is composed of alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic material & along with abundant dikes and sills. Viscous & intermediate lava may flow from a central vent. Example: Mt. Fuji in Japan.






38. Ratio between weight of given volume of material and weight of equal volume of pure water.






39. Turbulent stream water flow down a steep gradient & but not as steep as in a waterfall.






40. A vent on the seafloor from which hydrothermal fluids are emitted. Upon mixing with seawater and cooling & the fluids precipitate a cloud of fine-grained sulfide minerals that resembles a cloud of black smoke.






41. A stone or boulder & glacially transported from place of origin and left in an area of different bedrock composition.






42. The persistence of wind-formed waves after wind ceases.






43. A fracture or zone of fractures along the boundaries of tectonic plates where movement has taken place.






44. Heat transport by moving particles & and the thermal energy that they carry & to a new location.






45. An icicle-shaped accumulation of dripstone hanging from cave roof.






46. Destruction of the ozone layer caused by the release of CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) into the atmosphere which react chemically with ozone and break it down into different gases.






47. To preserve & or to avoid wasteful use.






48. The formation & advance and retreat of glaciers and the results of these activities.






49. The low spot between two successive waves.






50. The breaking away of ice from the front of the glacier when it ends in a lake or an ocean. Produces icebergs.