Earth Space Ch. 6

Why is the ocean blue?

• God likes blue.

• All other colors are allowed to pass through, but blue is eventually absorbed.

• Blue light is allowed to pass through, but all other colors are eventually absorbed.

• Light travels through the water and makes it blue.

Define crest:

• gentle, rolling wave that may appear even during calm weather

• highest point of a wave

• circular path in which surface currents move

• describes water in which waves are different sizes and move in various directions

What is the approximate percentage of Earth's surface covered by oceans?

• 60%

• 70%

• 80%

• 90%

Would melted sea ice or a melted iceberg taste like salt water?

• Yes, because ice contains salt.

• Yes; when seawater freezes, the salt stays.

• No; when seawater freezes, the salt is left behind.

• No, ice doesn't contain salt.

What is a sandy, gently sloping underwater plain that borders the coasts of the continents.

• continental shelf

• shelf break

• continental slope

• continental rise

Name the three primary types of water movement in the oceans:

• spring tide, shelf break, neap tide

• rift, trench, gyre

• crest, trough, period

• currents, waves, tides

What is the percentage of tsunamis caused by strong earthquakes?

• 60%

• 70%

• 80%

• 90%

What is a narrow column of sediment removed from the ocean floor?

• rift

• core

• period

• crest

What is the term for an underwater volcanic mountain?

• tsunami

• abyssal plain

• seamount

• submarine canyon

Why do high and low tides occur?

• the pull of the moon's gravity

• from rhythmic back-and-forth motion that transfers energy

• the pull of the sun's gravity

• from underwater volcanic mountains