What causes convection currents and where in Earth’s interior do they occur?
Explain how the ocean floor grows at a divergent boundary. Explain what happens to the ocean floor at a convergent boundary.
What often occurs at transform boundaries?
Compare P and S waves. How are they similar? How are they different? How are they measured?
Explain the process of triangulation that is used to locate the epicenter of an earthquake.
Describe a shield volcano and explain how these form.
What is viscosity? What factors affect viscosity?
What characteristics does something have to have in order to be classified as a mineral? Why aren’t coal and glass considered to be minerals?
How do you test for a mineral’s streak? Why is streak more reliable to use when identifying a mineral than color is?
How do igneous rocks that form from cooling lava differ from igneous rocks that form from cooling magma?
What are the different types of sedimentary rocks? How does each form?
How do metamorphic rocks form? Explain how limestone could change into a metamorphic rock. What would it then be called?
Explain the rock cycle. How could an igneous rock change into a sedimentary rock? How could a sedimentary rock change into an igneous rock?
What does “uniformitarianism” mean? How does this idea help us to understand Earth’s history?
Describe the different layers of Earth’s atmosphere.
A common misconception that many people have is that air and oxygen are the same thing. Why is this idea not correct? What is the major gas in Earth’s current atmosphere?
What is a temperature inversion? Why is there a temperature inversion in the stratosphere?
What is a barometer used for? What does changing barometric pressure tell us about weather?
Describe each of these and give an example of each: radiation, conduction, convection
Why is warm air less dense than cold air? What effect does that have on air circulation?
(5.13) Where on Earth’s surface does the sun’s energy hit at the most direct angle? Where does it hit at the least direct angle?
(5.14) What is the Coriolis effect and what causes it?
(6.01) What is the difference between weather and climate? Give an example of each one.
(6.09) Do hurricanes (tropical cyclones) have low pressure or high pressure? Explain.
Explain how and where hurricanes form.