Oceans 100 Exam 1 SDSU 2025 Questions and
Answers
Science - -Evidence of the natural world
-Scientific Method - -The process of objectively establishing facts through testing and
experimentation
Observation > Hypothesis > Testing > Theory
-Hypothesis - -An idea proposed to explain one or more facts; must be testable and
potentially false
-Scientific Theory - -The structure of ideas that explains a wide range of observations from
the natural world; supported by an abundance of evidence; rigorously tested
-How are the fields of oceanography (geology, chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, etc.)
used within oceanography? - -Geology: plate tectonics
Biology: evolution by natural selection(Darwin)
Physics: relativity
Astronomy: Big Bang
Chemistry: chemical components in ocean
Geography: where things are and why
-Mercator Projection - -2D depiction of Earth; distorts size of latitude
-How much of all water on Earth is found in the oceans, and where else can it be found? - -
97%
In descending order: Antarctica and Greenland(ice), underground water, rivers/lakes,
atmosphere
-What are the 5 major oceans? - -From largest to smallest:
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Artic, Antarctic
-Which ocean is the deepest/most shallow and why? - -Deepest: Pacific; contains the most
trenches, tectonic activity, the largest, oldest, and coldest
Most Shallow: Artic; surrounded by the most land= most shelves
-How much of Earth is covered by oceans? - -71% and increasing
-What is the average temperature of the ocean's water? - -4° C
-What percent of the ocean's water is warmed by the sun? - -2%
-How old are the oceans? - -At least 4 billion years old
, -What are the most abundant elements in the ocean? - -From most to least:
Hydrogen, Oxygen, Chloride, Sodium
-How old is our Solar System? - -Around 4.6 billion years old
-How was our solar system formed? - -Supernova: a great explosion of a star= huge
amount of energy and elements released= formed a nebula
-What is a nebula and how is it related to Earths formation? - -Nebula: cloud of dust and
gas
Earth was condensed from a solar nebula
-Density formula - -Mass/Volume
-What are the density differentiations of Earth? - -From least to most dense(innermost
core to outermost):
-Solid iron inner core
-Liquid iron outer core
-Mantle
-Crust
-What are the layers of Earth from top to bottom? - -Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
Mesosphere
Core
-Lithosphere - -Contains the crust and uppermost mantle; ~100km thick and broken into
rigid pieces(tectonic plates)
-Asthenosphere - -Upper mantle below; ~600km thick; ductile rocks(solid but can be
molded, think of play doh)
-Mesosphere - -Lower mantle
-What layers are constantly interacting with one another? - -The lithosphere and
asthenosphere (tectonic activity)
-What helped with the formation of the atmosphere? - -Volcanic Outcasting: volcanos
erupt > gases released
-How did the oceans form? - -Volcanic eruptions released H20 in the atmosphere which
rained down (caused 1/2 the water, other 1/2 was from icy comets)
-Earth's stratification - -Stratification: layering that occurs in most sedimentary rocks and
igneous rocks formed at Earth's surface from lava flows and volcanic fragment deposits
Answers
Science - -Evidence of the natural world
-Scientific Method - -The process of objectively establishing facts through testing and
experimentation
Observation > Hypothesis > Testing > Theory
-Hypothesis - -An idea proposed to explain one or more facts; must be testable and
potentially false
-Scientific Theory - -The structure of ideas that explains a wide range of observations from
the natural world; supported by an abundance of evidence; rigorously tested
-How are the fields of oceanography (geology, chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, etc.)
used within oceanography? - -Geology: plate tectonics
Biology: evolution by natural selection(Darwin)
Physics: relativity
Astronomy: Big Bang
Chemistry: chemical components in ocean
Geography: where things are and why
-Mercator Projection - -2D depiction of Earth; distorts size of latitude
-How much of all water on Earth is found in the oceans, and where else can it be found? - -
97%
In descending order: Antarctica and Greenland(ice), underground water, rivers/lakes,
atmosphere
-What are the 5 major oceans? - -From largest to smallest:
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Artic, Antarctic
-Which ocean is the deepest/most shallow and why? - -Deepest: Pacific; contains the most
trenches, tectonic activity, the largest, oldest, and coldest
Most Shallow: Artic; surrounded by the most land= most shelves
-How much of Earth is covered by oceans? - -71% and increasing
-What is the average temperature of the ocean's water? - -4° C
-What percent of the ocean's water is warmed by the sun? - -2%
-How old are the oceans? - -At least 4 billion years old
, -What are the most abundant elements in the ocean? - -From most to least:
Hydrogen, Oxygen, Chloride, Sodium
-How old is our Solar System? - -Around 4.6 billion years old
-How was our solar system formed? - -Supernova: a great explosion of a star= huge
amount of energy and elements released= formed a nebula
-What is a nebula and how is it related to Earths formation? - -Nebula: cloud of dust and
gas
Earth was condensed from a solar nebula
-Density formula - -Mass/Volume
-What are the density differentiations of Earth? - -From least to most dense(innermost
core to outermost):
-Solid iron inner core
-Liquid iron outer core
-Mantle
-Crust
-What are the layers of Earth from top to bottom? - -Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
Mesosphere
Core
-Lithosphere - -Contains the crust and uppermost mantle; ~100km thick and broken into
rigid pieces(tectonic plates)
-Asthenosphere - -Upper mantle below; ~600km thick; ductile rocks(solid but can be
molded, think of play doh)
-Mesosphere - -Lower mantle
-What layers are constantly interacting with one another? - -The lithosphere and
asthenosphere (tectonic activity)
-What helped with the formation of the atmosphere? - -Volcanic Outcasting: volcanos
erupt > gases released
-How did the oceans form? - -Volcanic eruptions released H20 in the atmosphere which
rained down (caused 1/2 the water, other 1/2 was from icy comets)
-Earth's stratification - -Stratification: layering that occurs in most sedimentary rocks and
igneous rocks formed at Earth's surface from lava flows and volcanic fragment deposits
