Honors Earth Science Study Guide
Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Define these parts of the water cycle.
 Accumulation – (reservoirs) places where water builds up
 Condensation – gaseous water forms liquid water after cooling
 Evaporation – liquid water forms gaseous water after heating
 Precipitation – gaseous water condenses in the atmosphere, causing rain, hail, snow, sleet, etc.
 Runoff – precipitation over land collects and flows to lower, larger bodies of water
 Transpiration – plants lose water from their leaves through small pore-like openings
 Groundwater – water stored in the ground in aquifers, reservoirs, caverns, etc.
2. What causes the temperature to decrease with altitude in the troposphere?
The sun heats the ground and the water on Earth’s surface. As you move farther from these heat
sources, the air becomes colder.
3. The amount of water in Earth’s atmosphere: changes/does not change. (Circle One)
Does not
4. What causes the temperature to rise in the stratosphere?
The ozonosphere contains ozone, a molecule that absorbs harmful light from the sun. As it absorbs
this light, the light energy is transformed into heat.
5. What is the composition of the atmosphere? (In terms of elements)
Mostly nitrogen (78%), with smaller parts oxygen (21%) and other gases (<1%)
6. In your own words, describe how air pressure decreases as you climb a mountain. Use the word
density.
Air pressure decreases as you move up a mountain because the molecules have weight. Most of the
molecules are drawn toward the lowest layer of Earth, so fewer and fewer escape to outer layers.
Since the number of these molecules is so small, and the amount of space is the same, the density is
low.
7. During thermal expansion, density decreases. Explain why using the following words: mass, volume,
kinetic energy.
During thermal expansion, density decreases because the heat absorbed by molecules is kinetic
energy (motion of molecules – we define temperature as the speed of molecules, hence “kinetic”).
As the substance expands, mass doesn’t change – only its volume increases. We are not adding
mass to the sample. Since density is mass/volume, density goes down as volume goes up.
8. How is temperature different from thermal energy?
Temperature is a measure of the speed of molecules, and has no relation to the number of
molecules in a sample. But, total thermal energy combines all kinetic energy of all molecules in a
sample, meaning it is heavily reliant on the number of molecules.
9. Why does warm air rise?
Warm air rises because the gases experience thermal expansion. As they expand, their density
decreases. Less dense materials float on top of other ones, so the warm air will rise through cooler,
denser air.
10. Wind is the movement of air caused by a difference in _____________________
________________________.
Air pressure
11. Air pressure always (naturally) flows from areas of __________ pressure to __________ pressure.
High, low
12. On a sunny day, the land heats up faster than the water. This causes the wind to blow from
the______________________________ to the _________________________. EXPLAIN.
Ocean/water, land
When the land heats up, it heats up the air above it. The warm air rises, pulling air from the colder
ocean over as air pressure over land decreases. The warm air continues up, then cools down as it
gets higher into the atmosphere. As it cools, it sinks back down over the ocean, and the cycle
continues.
13. What is the #1 cause of wind?
Wind is (generally) caused by a difference in air pressure.
14. What are the 4 different types of air masses? Where does each one come from?
Cold/dry (polar land), cold/wet (polar water), warm/dry (tropical land), warm/wet (tropical water)
15. The boundary between two different air masses is called what?
front
16. What do cold fronts and warm fronts look like on a weather map?
Cold front – blue line with triangles, warm front – red line with semicircles
17. Cold fronts form precipitation behind/in front of (circle one) the front.
Behind
18. Warm fronts form precipitation behind/in front of (circle one) the front.
In front of
19. Compare and contrast warm and cold air fronts.
Warm fronts bring in warm air, have generally calmer, but longer-lasting, weather, and are
represented with red semicircles. Cold fronts bring in cool air, have stormy, but shorter-lasting,
weather, and are represented with blue triangles. Both are fronts that are associated with low
pressure systems and a change in the weather.
20. What are the 3 different classes of rocks?
igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
21. What processes are responsible for breaking larger rocks into smaller pieces (sediment)?
Weathering and erosion
22. What processes are responsible for creating sedimentary rocks from sediment?
Compacting and cementing
23. What are igneous rocks called if they form above the Earth? Inside?
Extrusive, intrusive
24. Indiana is well known for its vast deposits of this sedimentary stone, found in lakebeds, that
contributes to southern Indiana’s vast network of caves.
Limestone
25. What information can we gain from fossils?
How, when, and where the organism lived
26. Are the following objects fossils? If so, write “fossil” and a brief reason why. If not, write “no” and a
brief reason why not.
a. Pottery piece found in an ancient city – no, not “living”
b. Casting (mold) of an ancient fish in rock – yes, imprint
c. Dog prints in mud – no, not old or long lasting
d. Dinosaur tracks in rock – yes, trace
e. Small, extinct mammal preserved in glacial ice – yes, remains
27. Which layer is the oldest? Rank the fossils in age from youngest to oldest.
A, B, C, D, E
28. The Earth has been around for approximately 4.6 billion years. Within that space, time is split into
large and small chunks. Order the chunks in order from largest to smallest: period, age, eon,
epoch, era
Eon, era, period, epoch, age
29. Define the following terms:
a. Glacier – massive chunk of ice that moves under its own weight
b. Cave – underground empty space from the weathering of rock
c. Sinkhole - hole in the ground formed by the collapse of the surface layer
30. Explain the topographical (landscape) differences in northern and southern Indiana. How did
glaciers affect these changes?
Northern Indiana is flat. Southern Indiana is hilly and cavernous (lots of caves). Glaciers flattened
land as they moved south, then melted. The water cut deeper valleys and penetrated the
limestone, forming caves.
31. What is soil? How is soil made?
Soil is a mixture of sediment, organic matter, air, and water. Soil development depends on 4
factors: rock type, climate, topography, and living things. These work together to break down
parent rock into smaller and smaller pieces.
32. Soil can be developed or undeveloped. List 4 factors that speed up or slow down soil development.
Soil development depends on 4 factors: rock type, climate, topography, and living things.
33. What is a soil profile? How is this different from a soil horizon?
Soil profile is a vertical section of the soil layers. A horizon is one of these layers.
34. Which horizon contains the most humus?
A horizon (topsoil)
35. Which layer is most responsible for the makeup of the soil?
Parent rock
36. Soil texture comes in 3 sizes. List them and explain which will drain water the best.
Sand, silt, and clay – sand drains the best because its grains are the largest, leaving spaces for water.