EPS SCI 15 Lecture 2 Review

Science uses an __________________ (SI units) for, e.g., length (m), temperature K, C), and concentration (mole).

International System of Units

Two hypotheses for the origin of water on Earth are debated: 

1. From inside Earth

2. Introduced by meteoroid impacts

The basic structure of Earth consists of crust, mantle, or core. 

1. Crust is either oceanic (basaltic) or continental (granitic). 

2. Crust and uppermost mantle form the cold and strong lithosphere, followed by the hot and plastic asthenosphere

Isostasy is:

the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth’s crust and mantle such that the crust “floats” at an elevation that depends on its thickness and density.

Most of the Earth’s surface is elevated either:

1. a little above sea level

2. 2-6km below sea level (bimodal distribution).

We map the ocean seafloor either through:

1. Satellite altimetry

2. multibeam sonar (via ships and underwater vehicles).

The _______ (granatic) is lighter (less dense) but thicker than the _______ (basaltic, more dense, thinner) crust.

Continentl crust, oceanic crust

Major oceanic areas are: 

1. Atlantic Ocean

2. Pacific Ocean

3. Indian Ocean

4. Arctic Ocean

5. Southern Ocean

Some important marginal seas include: 

1. Mediterranean Sea

2. Gulf of Mexico

3. Caribbean Sea

4. North Sea

5. Persian Gulf

6. South China Sea

Major depth zones of the seafloor consist of: (shallow to deep)

1. Continental shelf

2. Continental slope

3. Continental rise

4. Ocean basin (abyssal plain)

5. Deep-sea trenches

Continental margins are either ______ (broad flat shelves) or ______ (narrow shelf adjacent to a deep-sea trench).

passive, active

The deepest trench is the ___________ with its deepest point, the __________ (10,898 meters below sea level).

Mariana Trench, the Challenger Deep

At mid-oceanic ridges, new seafloor is formed through:

uprising hot mantle material at spreading zones of oceanic plates.