Earth Science Terms

Climate and Weather

• Climate is the average weather in a location over 30 years or more.
• Weather refers to the conditions of the atmosphere at a particular place and time, including temperature, humidity, wind speed, and precipitation.
• A season is a period of time characterized by specific weather patterns and the length of day and night.

Fossils and Fossil Record

• Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient animals and plants from past geologic ages.
• The Fossil Record refers to all of the fossils that have ever been found, which scientists use to understand Earth's history.
• Index Fossils are specific fossils known to exist in a particular time and place, used to determine the age of rocks or other fossils.

Glaciers and Ice Ages

• A glacier is a flowing mass of ice and snow that forms on mountaintops and near the North and South poles.
• Glacial Till is the eroded sediment deposited as glaciers retreat and expand.
• An Ice Age is a global climate marked by long periods of cold temperatures that cause glacial formation and expansion.
• Ice Cores are cylinders of ice drilled out of glaciers that contain layers of snow, dust, volcanic ash, atmospheric gases, and microbes from past time periods.

Gravity

• Gravity is the attractive force between all matter.

Relative Dating

• Relative Dating is the comparison of fossils in different rock layers to determine how old a rock or fossil is.