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. An imaginary circle around the earth that represents the halfway mark between the North and South Poles and establishes the boundary between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.






2. An imaginary circle around the earth that represents the halfway mark between the North and South Poles and establishes the boundary between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.






3. The chronological sequence of units of Earth time.






4. The point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.






5. The explosion of a dying giant or supergiant star.






6. A term applied to large areas of basaltic lava presumably extruded from fissures.






7. A process by which salts accumulate in soil.






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






9. The distance between two successive wave crests or troughs.






10. Mercury is named after the Roman messenger of the gods. It is the closest to the Sun.






11. The effect of water and carbon dioxide absorbing outgoing infrared radiation & raising a system's temperature. The term is generally used with reference to the Earth's temperature & although it can also be applied to other systems & such as greenhous






12. The level of light that penetrates through water.






13. Plutonic. Antonym of extrusive. Pertaining to igneous rocks or features formed by the emplacement of magma in pre-existing rocks.






14. A planetary satellite.






15. A process of erosion in which wind carries off particles of dust and sand.






16. Soil conditions prevailing in area whose mean annual temperature is 0o C.






17. The point on the Earth's surface where a magnetic needle points vertically downward (north magnetic pole) or vertically upward (south magnetic pole).






18. A supercontinent that existed from the the end of the Permian to the Jurassic & 300 to 200 million years ago & assembled from large continents like Euramerica & Gondwana & and Siberia & as well as smaller landmasses like the Cathaysian and Cimmerian






19. A layer of sedimentary rock; plural is strata.






20. Highly mafic igneous volcanic rock & typically fine-grained and dark in color; rough volcanic equivalent of gabbro. Basalt is the most abundant volcanic rock in the Earth's crust.






21. A large amount of gas and dust in space & spread out in an immense volume.






22. To wash or scrub away.






23. The closest star to Earth besides the sun. It is approximately 4 light years away.






24. The process of removing metal from ore.






25. Reduction of pore space between individual particles as the result of overlying sediments or of tectonic movements.






26. Fossils formed when water containing minerals leaks into a mold. The minerals harden to form a copy of the original structure or organism.






27. A device containing a free-swinging magnetic needle that is attracted to Earth's magnetic North Pole. Used to determine direction of travel.






28. Glacial deposits laid down directly by glaciers or laid down in lakes & ocean & or streams as result of glacial activity.






29. A roughly circular reef with an occasional small & low & coral sand island surrounding a shallow lagoon.






30. A statement of relative age in layered rocks: In a series of sedimentary rocks that has not been overturned & the topmost layer is always the youngest and the bottommost layer is always the oldest.






31. A study designed to collect critical data to be used for comparison or as a control in a later study.






32. Similar to a groin but built to keep sand out of a harbor entrance.






33. A tool for measuring the relative clarity of water.






34. A type of disintegration in which jointed rock is forced apart by the expansion of water as it freezes in fractures.






35. (Greek-Aphrodite)named after the Roman goddess of love. It is the planet closest in size to Earth and the second planted from the Sun.






36. A planetary satellite.






37. Igneous. Antonym of intrusive. Synonym of volcanic. Pertaining to igneous rocks or features formed from lava released on the Earth's surface.






38. Lava extruded beneath water characterized by pillow shapes.






39. Occurs at the intersection of the water table with the ground surface.






40. Long narrow beaches separated in many places from the mainland by lagoons.






41. Pertaining to clastic material formed by volcanic explosion or aerial expulsion from a volcanic vent.






42. A method of sediment transport in which the turbulence of a fluid is able to keep particles supported in the fluid.






43. Geologic time expressed in years before the present.






44. 1. A steep-walled & usually conical depression at the summit or on the flanks of a volcano & resulting from the explosive ejection of material from a vent. 2. A bowl-shaped depression with a raised & overturned rim produced by the impact of a meteori






45. The uprush of a wave onto the beach followed by the return flow of the water down the beach slope in the intervals between waves.






46. A waterway from open ocean into a lagoon.






47. The theory that states that the present-day continents are the fragmented pieces of preexisting larger landmasses called supercontinents.






48. Deserts in zones of descending air between 25 degrees and 30 degrees north and south latitude.






49. Any natural concentration of a valuable material in the Earth's crust & whether that material can be extracted profitably or not.






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