Notes for Unit 4

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture notes on Earth Systems and Resources.

Plate Tectonics

The theory that explains the movement and interaction of the Earth's lithospheric plates.

Convergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where plates push toward each other, often creating mountains, oceanic trenches, or causing earthquakes and volcanoes.

Divergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where plates pull away from each other, leading to seafloor spreading and potential volcanic action.

Transform Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where plates slide past one another, which can lead to earthquakes.

Soil Formation

The process by which soil develops from parent material, organic material, climate, and topography.

Soil Horizons

Layers of soil that include O (organic), A (topsoil), E (eluviated), B (subsoil), C (parent material), and R (bedrock).

Insolation

Incoming solar radiation; the amount of solar energy received at a given location.

Hadley Cells

Large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns that result in warm air rising near the equator and cool air descending around 30°N and 30°S, creating tropical rainforests and deserts.

Watershed

An area of land where all the water that falls as precipitation drains into a common outlet.

El Nino

A periodic climate pattern that occurs when warm oceanic water is present in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, affecting global weather patterns.

La Nina

A climate pattern that occurs when cooler oceanic water is present in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, often associated with stronger normal wind patterns.

Ring of Fire

A major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

Soil Composition

The proportion of different soil particle sizes, including sand, silt, and clay.

Specific heat

The amount of heat required to change the temperature of a substance, impacting temperature variations in land and water.

Rain Shadow Effect

The dry area on the leeward side of a mountain range where moisture-laden air descends, losing its moisture as rain falls on the windward side.