Earth Science Flashcards

Which type of seismic wave causes the most damage during an earthquake by moving the ground side to side?

Answer: Surface waves

Surface waves (Love and Rayleigh waves) travel along Earth's surface and produce the greatest ground motion, causing the most structural damage.

A stream cuts through horizontal rock layers and exposes the following from bottom to top: limestone, shale, sandstone. Which layer is oldest?

Answer: Limestone

According to the Law of Superposition, in undisturbed horizontal layers, the lowest layer (limestone) is the oldest.

What is the primary cause of the Coriolis effect on large air masses in the Northern Hemisphere?

Answer: Earth's rotation

Earth's rotation causes freely moving objects, including air masses, to deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.

Which property of a mineral is tested by observing how light reflects off its surface?

Answer: Luster

Luster describes how a mineral reflects light and is categorized as metallic or nonmetallic.

A fossil of a marine organism is found at 3,000 meters elevation in the Himalayas. What does this most likely indicate?

Answer: Tectonic uplift raised former seafloor

The presence of marine fossils at high elevations indicates that tectonic forces lifted former ocean floor to create mountain ranges.

Which atmospheric layer contains the ozone layer that absorbs most ultraviolet radiation?

Answer: Stratosphere

The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere, approximately 15–35 km above Earth's surface, where it absorbs harmful UV radiation.

What does a barometric pressure reading of 1013 mb most likely indicate about upcoming weather?

Answer: Fair and stable weather

1013 mb is approximately standard sea-level pressure, associated with high pressure and fair, stable weather conditions.