Earth and Life Science Midterm 2 Review

The collection of all life on Earth, organized into major regions called biomes.

The 'Calendar' for Earth's history, divided into units of time.

The largest unit of time in the Geologic Time Scale.

A subdivision of an Eon, representing major events in Earth's history.

A subdivision of an Era, typically defined by geological formations.

The shortest subdivision in the Geologic Time Scale, often characterized by specific fossils.

The first Eon, characterized by the formation of Earth and a molten planet.

The current Eon, encompassing the emergence of complex life and humans.

A theory that proposes the fundamental building blocks of the universe aren't tiny particles but vibrating strings of energy called "Strings." These strings can be either closed or open loops.

A theory suggesting that the universe is infinite, unchanging, and has no beginning or end. New matter is continually created to maintain a constant density.

A theory proposing that the universe expands and contracts in cycles, with each cycle starting with a Big Bang and ending in a Big Crunch. The universe then inflates again.

A more advanced version of String Theory that introduces the concept of "Branes," which are multidimensional objects. Branes can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or even higher-dimensional.

Gabriele Veneziano

Fred Hoyle, Hermann Bondi, Thomas Gold, and Albert Einstein

Paul Steinhardt, Neil Turok, and Roger Penrose

Edward Witten

The theory that continents were once a single landmass that slowly drifted apart over millions of years.

The matching of large-scale geological features on different continents, like coastlines and rock formations.

The supercontinent that existed around 300 million years ago, before it broke apart to form the continents we know today.

First appeared in the Cenozoic Era. They are human-like primates that walked upright.

The first flowering plants. They appeared in the Cenozoic Era and coevolved with insects.

The Cenozoic Era is characterized by the expansion and diversification of mammals.

The largest extinction event in Earth's history, which occurred at the end of the Paleozoic Era. Over 90% of marine species, and many terrestrial species, went extinct.

A period of great evolutionary change and proliferation of life, occurring at the beginning of the Paleozoic Era.

A naturally occurring solid with a definite shape, formed by processes found in nature. It can be synthetically reproduced in labs, but it is still considered a mineral.

A mixture of decomposed organic matter, broken down rocks, and minerals.

The color left behind when a mineral is rubbed against a streak plate. It is a more reliable indicator than color because it doesn't vary as much.

The way a mineral reflects light. It can be metallic or non-metallic.

Minerals are inorganic, meaning they don't contain carbon bonded to hydrogen atoms.

Each mineral has a specific chemical composition that can be represented by a chemical formula.

The color of a mineral is determined by the wavelengths of light it absorbs. Some minerals are colorless because they absorb no light.

Minerals that are made in laboratories are called synthetic minerals.

A naturally formed, solid material made of mineral grains held together in a firm mass.

Rocks formed from cooled and solidified magma or lava.

Rocks formed from the accumulation and cementation of sediments.

Rocks formed from existing igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rocks, altered by heat, pressure, or hot fluids.

The continuous process of rock formation, alteration, and recycling over millions of years.

The process by which rock fragments are broken down into smaller pieces.

The process by which weathered rock fragments are transported and deposited in new locations.

The collective name for processes that cause rock fragments to settle in place.

Intrusive igneous rocks solidify inside the Earth, while extrusive igneous rocks solidify on the Earth's surface.

Intrusive igneous rocks are known as plutonic rocks, named after Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld.

Extrusive igneous rocks are known as volcanic rocks, named after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.

Intrusive igneous rocks cool slowly and have large, visible crystals.

Extrusive igneous rocks cool rapidly and have small, sometimes invisible crystals or a glassy texture.

Hardness is a mineral's ability to resist scratching. It's measured using the Mohs Hardness Scale.

Cleavage is how a mineral breaks along weak planes, while fracture is a break that doesn't follow those planes.