AICE Marine Science AS Chapter#2 Earth Processes Study Guide

These flashcards cover key concepts from the AICE Marine Science AS Chapter#2 Earth Processes study guide, including tectonic processes, weathering, erosion, sedimentation, tides, and ocean currents.

What is the outermost layer of the Earth called and what are its characteristics?

The crust, it is 5km thick under ocean basins and 70 km thick beneath continents; oceanic crust is thinner and denser than continental crust.

What theory did Alfred Wegener propose in 1912?

The theory of continental drift, which stated that all continents were once connected as 'Pangea'.

What evidence did Wegener provide for the theory of continental drift?

Similar fossils of plants and animals, geological structures matching across continents, and the jigsaw puzzle fit of continental shorelines.

What is the theory of plate tectonics?

A revised version of the theory of continental drift that includes mechanisms for how continents move; it states that the lithosphere is broken into tectonic plates that move on the mantle.

What types of plate boundaries are formed when tectonic plates move?

Convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries.

Describe convergent boundaries.

Where two or more tectonic plates come together, forming zones where one plate slides below another, creating subduction zones.

What are some common features at subduction zones?

Trenches, volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

What is the process of convection currents in the mantle?

The movement of magma due to temperature and density differences, causing lithospheric plates to move.

What is erosion?

The process by which water, ice, wind, or gravity moves weathered rock or soil.

What are the three main types of weathering?

Chemical, physical, and biological weathering.

What are mid-ocean ridges and hydrothermal vents?

Locations found in mid-ocean ridge systems that form in extreme environments, characterized by high pressure and the presence of toxic chemicals.

What is sedimentation?

The process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.

What are estuaries?

Partially enclosed, tidal, coastal bodies of water where freshwater meets saltwater, creating brackish water.

What are the characteristics of tides?

Periodic rise and fall of the ocean surface due to the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun.

What are spring tides?

The greatest tidal range occurring during new and full moons due to alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.

What is the Global Conveyor Belt?

A thermohaline circulation movement that transports cold, dense water from the poles to the equator and vice versa.

What is El Niño?

A climate phenomenon that occurs every 3-5 years, characterized by the warming of ocean waters in the Pacific Ocean and changes in weather patterns.

What follows El Niño and what is it called?

La Niña, a cooling phase caused by stronger-than-average trade winds.