Memorize these and recognize 33.3% of all Earth Science clues.
| # | Answer | Count | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | wind | 8 | The comet-shaped magnetosphere that surrounds the Earth is shaped by the stream of plasma known as this |
| 2 | earth | 6 | Loam |
| 3 | the mantle | 4 | The Mohorovicic discontinuity separates the Earth's crust from this |
| 4 | the crust | 4 | This layer extends down from the surface of the Earth about 30 miles beneath the continents |
| 5 | salt | 4 | An analysis of seawater shows that about 78% of the total solids are this one mineral |
| 6 | metamorphic | 3 | Gneiss & schist are examples of this class of rock transformed by heat, pressure or chemical reactions |
| 7 | fire | 3 | Conflagration |
| 8 | erosion | 3 | The spire called a hoodoo, seen here, was formed by this 7-letter weathering process |
| 9 | tides | 3 | ( Jimmy of the Clue Crew shows an astronomical animation on the monitor.) When the sun & moon align, their gravitational forces work together to produ... |
| 10 | Core | 3 | Temperatures in this part of the Earth rival the surface of the Sun, but pressure there is so great the metals don't melt |
| 11 | a glacier | 3 | A moraine is the name for the material & debris deposited over time by one of these as it moves on |
| 12 | the epicenter | 3 | Seismographers use the difference in speed between P waves & S waves to locate this point |
| 13 | the stratosphere | 2 | Ranging about 4 to 30 miles up, this atmospheric layer is relatively free of violent storms & also contains the ozone layer |
| 14 | the San Andreas Fault | 2 | ( Jimmy of the Clue Crew shows a map on the monitor.) It wasn't until after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that scientists discovered that this fau... |
| 15 | the Moon | 2 | This natural satellite of the Earth once may have been part of the planet, or a separate planet itself |
| 16 | the Mohs scale | 2 | If a mineral is scratched by topaz but not quartz, its hardness lies between 7 & 8 on this scale |
| 17 | the International Date Line | 2 | This line follows the 180th meridian for most of its distance |
| 18 | salinity | 2 | An isohaline on an ocean map connects points with the same amount of this |
| 19 | mountains | 2 | By definition, orogeny concerns itself with the formation of these by upward movements of the Earth's crust |
| 20 | islands | 2 | These land masses are generally classified as continental or oceanic |
| 21 | Iceland | 2 | Due to the spread of the Mid-Atlantic ridge, this country right over it widens about 1" a year |
| 22 | Greenland | 2 | There are 2 major ice sheets on Earth; one covers most of Antarctica & the other most of this island |
| 23 | earthquakes | 2 | Way back in the 2nd century A.D., Chinese scholar Zhang Heng made a device called a seismoscope to detect these |
| 24 | Bituminous | 2 | Ranking below anthracite, it's the most common type of coal |
| 25 | the magnetic north pole | 2 | At this location, a freely suspended compass needle will point straight down |
| 26 | the ice age | 2 | It's the more common name for the Earth's glacial period |
| 27 | the hydrosphere | 2 | Collective term for the waters of the Earth as distinguished from the atmosphere & lithosphere |
| 28 | the confluence | 2 | From the Latin meaning "to flow together", it's the point at which two streams meet |
| 29 | the Arctic Circle | 2 | On the line of latitude known as this, the Sun doesn't rise on the winter solstice or set on the summer |
| 30 | relative humidity | 2 | The heat index combines current temperature & this, water vapor in the air as a percentage of its saturation point |
| 31 | iron | 2 | 1 of the 2 metals that together make up about 13% of the weight of the Earth's crust |
| 32 | a caldera | 2 | Molokini Atoll, off Maui, is actually one of these craters caused by the explosion & then collapse of a volcano's cone |
These appear 8+ times. Memorize these first.
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