EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE REVIEWER

1st Summative

1. ABRASION is the breakdown of rocks is caused by impact and friction. This primarily
occurs during collision of rocks, sand, and silt due to current or waves along a stream or
seashore causing sharp edges and corners to wear off and become rounded.
2. BIOSPHERE came from the Greek word bios meaning life. It is composed of all living
things and the areas where they are found. It includes all animals, microbes, and plants.
It extends to the upper areas of the atmosphere where insects and birds can be found.
3. CRYSTALLINE means having the structure and form of a crystal.
4. DISSOLUTION occurs in specific minerals which are dissolved in water. Examples of these
minerals are Halite (NaCl) and Calcite (CaCO3). The formation of stalactites and
stalagmites in caves are brought about by this chemical reaction.
5. EARTH is the largest of the terrestrial planets and the fifth largest in the solar system. It
is believed to be about 4.5 billion years old. The Earth is 2/3 water. Almost 1.5 million
species of animals. Earth probably means from the Old English word that means “soil.”
Its distance from the sun is 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). It takes 500 seconds
for the Sun to reach the Earth’s surface.
6. GEOSPHERE comes from the Greek word geos meaning ground. It pertains to the solid
part of the earth. It is divided in to three layers such as the crust, mantle, and the core.
7. MAGMATISM is a process under the earth’s crust where formation and movement of
magma occur.
8. MECHANICAL WEATHERING is the breakdown of rocks into pieces without any change in
its composition.
9. MINERALS are the essential building blocks that make up rocks, soils, and the Earth's
crust. A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical
composition and an ordered, crystalline atomic structure.
10. PULSATING UNIVERSE THEORY is a variation of the Big Bang theory, proposing that the
cosmos undergoes endless, cyclical phases of expansion and contraction.
11. PYROCLASTIC FLOW are fast-moving currents of hot gas and volcanic material (like ash
and pumice) that can flow down the sides of a volcano during explosive eruptions. A
pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving, ground-hugging avalanche of hot gas, ash, and rock
fragments that races down volcanic slopes.
12. TEMPERATURE is the quantitative measurement of how hot or cold a substance is.
13. TERRESTRIAL PLANETS are Earth-like planets made up of rocks or metals with a hard
surface. There are four terrestrial planets which include: Mercury, Venus, Earth and
 Mars. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planet and has one moon while Mars has two
named Deimos and Phobos.
14. ULTRAMAFIC denotes igneous rocks that composed chiefly of mafic minerals. Ultramafic
refers to dark-colored igneous and meta-igneous rocks composed primarily (typically
>90%) of mafic minerals like olivine and pyroxene.
15. WEATHERING refers to the process of disintegration and decomposition of rocks. It is the
process where rocks, minerals, and artificial materials break down or dissolve in place on
Earth's surface.
16. CHARACTERISTICS OF MINERALS
 Naturally occurring - term which identifies mineral as part of earth’s natural
processes.

 inorganic - means a substance is not a product of an organism.

 homogeneous solid - minerals should have definite volume and rigid shape
 definite chemical composition - represented by a chemical formula.
 orderly crystalline structure - atoms of minerals are arranged in an orderly and
repeating pattern.
17. CRYOSPHERE is the portions of Earth's surface where water is in solid form, including sea
ice, glaciers, snow cover, and permafrost. Hydrosphere includes ice, water vapor and
liquid water. The permanently frozen part of this subsystem is called cryosphere.
18. TYPES OF ROCKS
 Igneous rocks - formed from hardening and crystallization of magma or molten
material that originates deep within the earth. Examples are basalt, pumice, and
granite.
Types of Igneous rock
1. Extrusive/Volcanic rock - forms when magma makes its way to Earth’s
surface as lava and then cools.
2. Intrusive/Plutonic rock - It cools slowly beneath the Earth surface and
are created by magma.
 Metamorphic rocks – forms from pre-existing rocks: either metamorphic, igneous,
sedimentary or other metamorphic rocks that have been altered by agents of
metamorphism. Examples are slate, marble, and jadeite.
Metamorphism is a process that transforms pre-existing rocks to another due to
the increase of pressure, temperature, and chemically active fluids.
Types of Metamorphic rock
1. Regional - due to changes in pressure and temperature over large
region of the crust. It may happen when rock is buried deep below
the surface of the earth.
 2. Contact - the rock minerals and textures are changed mainly by heat
due to contact with magma.
 Sedimentary rock – is a type of rock that are formed by the accumulation or
deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed
by cementation. Sedimentary rocks provide information about surface conditions
that existed in the Earth’s past. Examples are chalk and limestone.
Types of Sedimentary rock
1. Clastic sedimentary rock - formed from accumulation of clasts: little
pieces of broken rocks and shells.
2. Chemical sedimentary rock - formed when dissolved minerals
precipitate from a solution.
3. Organic sedimentary rock - rocks formed from the accumulation of
animal debris.
19. BIG BANG THEORY - The Big Bang Theory stands as the most widely accepted
explanation for the origin of the universe. According to this theory, the universe began
as an infinitely small, hot, and dense point, which rapidly expanded and continued to
stretch over 13.7 billion years.
20. ATMOSPHERE - Atmosphere serves as the Earth’s blanket. Its name rooted from the
Greek word atmos which means gas and sphaira which means globe or ball. 78%
nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and the remaining 0.10% is made up of different
trace gases and vapor. It acts as a thermostat. Ozone molecules in the stratosphere
absorb high energy radiation by means of photodissociation.
Layers of Atmosphere
1. Troposphere - is composed of 78% nitrogen 21% oxygen and 1% other
gases including argon. We live in this layer and weather occurs here.
2. Stratosphere – The ozone layer is found here and plays a vital role in
protecting us. The ozone layer protects us from ultraviolet light rays
given off from the Sun.
3. Mesosphere – This layer protects the earth from space junk because
of the ice crystals burn up space junk as it moves through this layer of
the atmosphere.
4. Thermosphere - It gets warmer with elevation. The temperature
ranges from negative 90 degrees at the bottom to over 1500 degree
Celsius at the very top.
5. Exosphere - It is a near-vacuum where gas molecules are spaced so far
apart that they rarely collide, allowing lighter particles to continually
escape into outer space.
21. HEAT ENERGY – The result of the movement of tiny particles called atoms, molecules, or
ions in solids, liquids, or gases.
Sources of Heat
1. Primordial heat – the internal heat energy that gradually gathered together
by means of dispersion in the planet during its few years of evolution.
2. Radiogenic heat – the thermal energy released as a result of spontaneous
nuclear disintegration.

Three Processes of Heat

1. Conduction - Heat transfers through direct physical contact when two

things touch.
 Ice melting in your hand: Your warm skin directly transfers heat to the cold ice cube.
 Walking on hot sand: The heat from the beach transfers straight into your bare feet.
 A metal spoon in hot soup: The submerged end gets hot, and the heat travels up the
handle to warm your fingers.
2. Convection - Heat transfers through the movement of liquids or gases.
Warm fluids rise up because they are lighter, and cold fluids sink down.
 Boiling water in a pot: The hot water at the bottom rises to the top, while the cooler
water sinks to take its place.
 Hot air balloons rising: The burner heats the air inside the balloon, making it lighter
than the surrounding cold air so it lifts upward.
 Sea breezes at the beach: The sun warms the land faster than the ocean, causing
hot air over the land to rise and cool air from the sea to blow in.
3. Radiation – the process of heat exchange between the Sun and the Earth.
Through radiation, it controls the temperature of the Earth.
 Feeling the warmth of a campfire: You can feel the heat on your face even if the
air around you are cold and you are not touching the flames.
 Sunlight warming your skin: Solar energy travels millions of miles through the
empty vacuum of space to warm the Earth.
 Microwave ovens: The appliance shoots invisible waves into your food, vibrating
the water molecules inside to heat it up