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Crust
The rigid first layer of Earth. 2 Types: oceanic and continental. Composed of plates that get moved by the mantle.
Mantle
Dense second layer of Earth (largest).
Core
The center, outer layer is liquid, inner layer is solid. 2x as dense than the mantle.
Tectonic plates
Giant slabs of rock that sit on the asthenosphere (composed of crust and lithosphere).
Continental drift
Theory by Alfred Wegener. The idea that the continents were all one joined land mass called Pangea and they moved overtime.
Magnetic reversals
Reversals in the magnetic field of Earth.
Subduction zones
Locations at which one tectonic plate descends beneath another plate into Earth's interior.
Faults
A deep crack in the ground that extends deep in Earth's crust. Where plates come together.
Divergent boundary
Tectonic plates move apart.
Accretion
Occurs when new land is added to the tectonic plate.
Seafloor spreading
Occurs when the divergent plates are under the sea, and they create new land.
Convergent boundary
Tectonic plates move toward each other and slowly collide.
Subduction
One plate moves over the other, pushing it deep into the mantle.
Transform boundary
Tectonic plates slide past each other.
Earthquakes
A release of energy in Earth's crust that causes seismic waves.
Magnitude
The amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake.
Focus
Where the earthquake begins within Earth's crust.
Epicenter
The location on Earth's crust directly above the focus.
Volcanoes
A break in Earth's crust through which magma, gases, and ash escape.
Composite volcanoes
Steep, high mountains. Formed by a series of eruptions that form layers of ash and lava. Ex: Mount Fuji and Mount St. Helens
Cinder cone volcanoes
Formed by a violent eruption that contains lots of ash and cinders. Cone shaped small mountain. Usually located near other types of volcanoes.
Shield volcanoes
Created by several slow, gentle eruptions cooling and forming layers of lava. Gentle sloping sides or mild hills. Ex: Mauna Loa
Hot spots
Exceptionally hot regions in the mantle.
Seamounts
A mountain created by a volcano on the seafloor.
Folded mountains
Tectonic plates move and segments of Earth's crust are bent and doubled over. Ex: The Appalachian Mountains
Fault-block mountains
Form on fault lines. One side of the fault drops or rises. Ex: Sierra Nevada Mountains
Soil composition
50% water and air, 45% minerals, 5% organic matter
Rock cycle
Parent material
The material from which soil forms. Ex: rocks or dead animals
Soil horizons
Layers of soil designated as O, A, B, C and D
Soil profile
a vertical cross-section of soil from the ground surface to the parent material underneath.
Porosity
The volumes of pores or spaces in a rock layer.
Permeability
The capability of a porous rock or sediment to permit the flow of fluids through its pore spaces.
Loam
A soil with roughly equal proportions of sand, silt, and clay
Types of soil, greatest to smallest particles
Sand, silt, clay
Watershed
An area of land to which all the precipitation that falls in that locations drains, such as into a river or stream.
Atmosphere
The protective layer of gases surrounding Earth
What is the atmosphere composed of?
78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen .93% Argon .038% Carbon Dioxide
What are the 5 layers of the atmosphere from closest to farthest from Earth?
Troposphere-Stratosphere-Mesosphere-Thermosphere-Exosphere
Convection Current
The circular movement of warm liquid or gas into a cooler area
Hadley cell
A cell that drives air around tropical regions (not a living cell)
Ferrel cell
A cell that moves air from 30 degrees to 50 degrees latitude (above equator to poles) (not living)
Polar cell
At 60 degrees latitude, the warmer air collides with cold polar air, and warmer air continues to ride and cold air continues to sink as polar easterlies to create a new cell.
Coriolis effect
Because of Earth's rotation, air currents move in a curved line instead of a straight line.
Prevailing winds
Winds that usually blow in one direction and in one region.
T/F Does hot air hold more moisture?
True
How is rain created?
As hot air rises, it cools and loses its ability to hold moisture, releasing the moisture into rain.
Seasonal Winds
Wins that blow only during one season
Monsoon
A seasonal change in the direction of the prevailing wind.
Front
The boundary where masses of different temperature and humidity collide.
Weather
The current condition of the atmosphere (daily basis)
Climate
The average weather patterns tracked in an area for at least 30 years.
Orographic effect
The result of air ascending one side of a mountain, cooling, condensing, and bringing precipitation to the other side of the mountain as it descends.
Rain shadow
A dry region on the side of the mountain that is sheltered from wind.
Salinity
The proportion of salt in a solution.
Thermohaline circulation
The global circulation pattern of water, shaped by differences in temperature and salinity.
Upwelling
The rise of cold, nutrient-dense, water to the surface.
Surface ocean currents
Continuous movements of ocean water.
el nino southern oscillation
Causes warmer oceans. A more intense El Nino that occurs every few years when the welling up of cold nutrient-rich water does not occur
El nina southern oscillation
Causes colder oceans.
Southern oscillation
A variation in air pressure between the tropical eastern and western Pacific Ocean.
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