oceans test study

march 7th

layers of earth in order

crust, lithosphere,asthenosphere, mantle, core

describe a convergent plate

This occurs when plates move towards each other and collide

what is a divergent plate

plates separate, often releasing magma onto the earth’s crust

describe a transform plate

plates rub, or even just brush together, or against eachother

what is an oceanic ridge

a mountain chain. typically created by divergent plate boundaries. the plates diverge, releasing magma, making new crust.

oceanic trench

a deep underwater valley formed at convergent plate boundaries where one plate is subducted beneath another.

Continental Shelf

the submerged border of a continent, extending from the shoreline to the continental slope.

continental slope

the steeply sloping area between the continental shelf and the ocean floor, where the ocean depth increases significantly.

Continental Rise

the gently sloping area located between the continental slope and the deep ocean floor, formed by the accumulation of sediments.

Seamount

a submerged mountain that rises from the ocean floor but does not reach the water's surface.

Canyon

a deep, narrow valley in the ocean floor, often formed by erosion or tectonic activity.

Abyssal Plain

a flat, deep-sea floor that lies at depths between 3,000 and 6,000 meters,

what is polarity

the orientation of magnetic or electric fields, or the distribution of charge in a molecule.

cohesion+adhesion

Cohesion means that water likes to stick to itself. and adhesion means that water likes to stick to other things.

Surface Tension

the result of cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the surface, creating a "skin" that resists external force.

density

a measure of how compact the mass in a substance or object is.

heat capacity

ratio of heat absorbed by a material to the temperature change

universal solvent

capable of dissolving more substances than any other liquid. a prime example is water.

how are ocean currents formed

wind, density differences in water masses caused by temperature

why are currents important?

regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface.