Earth and Environmental Science flashcards

106 WACE Earth and Environmental Science cards across 2 modules (34 definitions, 72 key facts, 0 fill-the-gap, 0 formulas). Each session gives you 20 cards, due cards first. Swipe right for easy, left for hard, down for again. Keyboard: Space to flip, 1 to 4 to rate.

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Definition
Ecosystem services and natural capital: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Provisioning services
Provisioning services are the tangible products: food, fresh water, timber, fibre, fuel and genetic resources. WA fisheries and farmland deliver provisioning services.
Definition
Anthropogenic emissions and evidence: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Isotopic and oxygen fingerprints
The chemistry of the added carbon dioxide points to fossil fuels.
Definition
Magmatic and hydrothermal ore formation: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Crystal settling
Dense early-formed crystals such as chromite or magnetite sink through the magma and accumulate in layers at the base of the chamber, forming concentrated layers far richer than the bulk magma.
Definition
Climate feedbacks and tipping points: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Ice-albedo feedback
Warming melts reflective ice, exposing darker ocean or land that absorbs more sunlight, causing further warming and more melting.
Definition
Mine rehabilitation and restoration: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Replacing topsoil
Topsoil stripped before mining is stockpiled and returned, because it carries the seed bank, nutrients and soil microorganisms that vegetation depends on. Fresh topsoil works far better than stored topsoil, so progressive rehabilitation is preferred.
Definition
Earthquakes, seismic waves, magnitude and intensity: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define P waves (primary)
P waves (primary) are compressional, travel fastest, arrive first, and pass through solids and liquids.
Definition
Mining methods and the geosphere: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Open-cut (open-pit) mining
Open-cut (open-pit) mining is used for large, shallow, lower-grade ore bodies. Overburden is removed to expose the ore, creating a widening, deepening pit. Most Pilbara iron ore and Darling Range bauxite are mined open-cut, and the Kalgoorlie Super Pit is one of the largest open pits in the country.
Definition
Hazard, risk and vulnerability: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Exposure
Exposure is the people, property, infrastructure and ecosystems located where the hazard can reach them. A growing coastal city increases exposure to tsunamis.
Definition
Monitoring, modelling and remote sensing: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Indicators
Indicators are the measurable variables chosen to represent resource health, such as water-table level, fish stock size, vegetation cover or water quality.
Definition
Milankovitch cycles and orbital forcing: WACE Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science
Define Axial tilt (obliquity)
Axial tilt (obliquity) is the angle of Earth's axis, varying between about 22 and 24.5 degrees over roughly 41,000 years. Greater tilt produces stronger seasonal contrasts.