Unit 4 Earth Systems and Resources

Convergent Boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other.

Divergent Boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other.

Transform Boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions

Epicenter

Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus

Physical Weathering

tectonics, water flow, wind, ice

Chemical Weathering

water dissolves, acids dissolve, oxygen forms oxides

Biological Weathering

mosses, lichen, fungi, animals, tree root wedging, release of acids and wear away rocks

Soil Horizon O

humus

Soil Horizon A

organic matter (from living) topsoil

Soil Horizon B

Composed of leached soil and does not contain any nutrients

Soil Horizon C

partially weathered parent material and sits right above the bedrock, the solid piece of rock/crust

O, A, E, B, C

Soil horizons in order

Troposphere

Lowest layer, 75% of all gases, weather, most greenhouse gases

Stratopshere

Layer of the atmosphere with the ozone layer

Mesosphere

Layer of the atmosphere that protects earth from meteors

Thermosphere

Layer of the atmosphere that has a higher temp and the aurora borealis

Exosphere

farthest layer of the earth's atmosphere

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light

Climate

The average weather conditions in an area over at least 30 years

Coreolis Effect

The effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents.

Convection Cells

large wind patterns in Earth's atmosphere caused by convection

Hadley Cells

a large-scale atmospheric convection cell in which air rises at the equator and sinks at medium latitudes, typically about 30° north or south.

Upwelling

The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface

El Nino

an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late December.

Rain Shadow Effect

Precipitation falls on the windward side of a mountain range, resulting in lush vegetation & a warm, moist climate on one side, but a desert area on the leeward side.

Lithosphere

solid outer section of earth (crust+top of upper mantle)

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

Layers of the atmosphere

La Nina

a climate pattern that describes the cooling of surface ocean waters along the tropical west coast of South America