AP Environmental Science Module 3

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.