7. The true shape of the Earth is an oblate spheroid, but from space
it looks like a perfect sphere.
8. The best model of the earth is a sphere
21. Summer Solstice is June 21st
22. Winter Solstice is December 21st
23. Equinoxes: March 21st and September 21st
32. The half-life of a radioactive element cannot be changed!
33. Ocean crust is thin and made of basalt.
34. Continental crust is thick and made of granite!
37. Chemical weathering occurs most rapidly in warm, moist climates and involves a change in chemical composition of the rock.
38. Physical weathering occurs most rapidly in cold, moist climates due to frost action.
39. Air moves clockwise and outward around a high pressure system.
40. Air moves counterclockwise and toward the center of a low pressure system.
44. As temperature increases, air pressure decreases. (Indirect)
45. As moisture increases, pressure decreases (Indirect).
46. Air pressure decreases with altitude.
48.Winds are due to air pressure differences.
49. Wind blows from areas of high pressure to low pressure
52. The closer the air temperature and dew point temperature the
greater the chance of precipitation (increased humidity).
54. Cold Front57. Cold fronts move the fastest!
Cold fronts force warm air up and are associated with short narrow bands of heavy precipitation and thunder/lightning in advance of the front!
55. Warm Front
Warm fronts ride up the back of cold air and produce longer periods of steady rain and occur both in front of and behind the advancing front.
58. Porosity does NOT depend on particle size.
59. As particle size increases, permeability increases!
63. Apparent diameter of objects (sun, moon) gets larger when the object is closer
to Earth (perihelion/perigee)
70. Streams are the number one agent of erosion. B/C there is so much of it on Earth!
71. Stream velocity depends on slope and discharge.
1. Increase in slope = increased velocity and increased discharge.
72. Velocity is fastest on the outside of a meander bend.
73. Heavy, round and dense particles settle out first (Graded bedding).
74. Bedding (vertical sorting): biggest sentiments are on bottom!
Horizontal Sorting – Biggest is located near the shore
76. Sedimentary rocks – strata – flat layers – most likely to have fossils
77. Igneous rock: cools fast, small crystals; cools slow, big crystals
78. Metamorphic – banding, foliation or distorted structure
79. Mineral properties depend on internal atomic arrangement.
- it will determine the hardness, cleavage
84. P waves travel faster than S waves.
85. P waves travel through liquid and solids – S waves only travel through solids.
86. Three (3) seismic stations are needed to locate the epicenter of an earthquake.
92. When in doubt…. See if the reference tables will help!
93. Uranium 235 dates old rocks.
94. Carbon 14 dates recent living objects.
99. Be familiar with this chart:
DateLat. of
Sun’s direct rays
Direction of sunrise and
sunset
Altitude of noon
sunLength of Daylight
Sept 21 (Autumnal Equinox)
Equator Due east + Due west 48o 12 hours
Dec. 21 (Winter
Solstice)
Tropic of Capricorn (23 ½ o S)
Rises S. of east + sets S.
of West24.5o
8 hours (shortest daylight)
March 21 (Vernal
Equinox)Equator Due east +
Due west 48o 12 hours
June 21 (Summer Solstice)
Tropic of Cancer
(23 1/2o N)
Rises N. of east + sets N.
of west71.5o
16 hours (longest daylight)
Read introductory paragraphs and study diagrams before looking at questions. Look for helpful key words like always, never, none, except, most, least. Underline
or hi-light key words!!
If certain words cause confusion, cross them out and substitute a
different word, then read the question again.
Example: substitute the word “spin” for rotate or “orbit” for revolution.
Don’t leave any questions blank! Mark an answer for every question. You may lose credit by
guessing incorrectly, but an unanswered question will cost you credit automatically.
Try to supply your own answer to a multiple choice question before you look at the alternatives. Then choose the response closest to your own answer.
If all else fails and you have to guess an answer, then and only then consider this advice:
If two choices are very similar choose neither. If two choices are opposite, choose one of them. The most general alternative is frequently the right answer. Don't change your original answer unless you're completely sure it's wrong.
Skip over hard questions that are stumping you. Go back to them later. Something else in the test
may give you a clue to the harder problems.