unit 4 vocabulary

earth systems and resources

tectonic plates

slab made u of earth's lithospherep

mantle

between the crust and core

crust

outermost layer of earth

core

inner part of the earth

convection currents

movement of energy/heat transfer

mid-ocean ridge

upwelling magma in the middle of the ocean

magma

not fluid within earth's crust (cooled - lava)

subduction zone

collision between tectonic plates where one sinks below the other

clay

fine-grained earth forming an impermeable layer in soil

silt

fine sand carried through water as sediment

loam

fertile soil of clay, sand, and humus

topsoil

top layer of soil

subsoil

soil under topsoil

water holding capacity

ability of soil to hold water against gravity

irrigation

supply of water through channels

troposphere

lowest region of earth's surface

stratosphere

above troposphere

ozone

toxic gas that reflects ultraviolet light

mesosphere

above stratosphere, below thermosphere

thermosphere

above mesosphere, increase in temperature with height

aerosols

substance under pressure released in a fine gas

albedo

proportion of radiation reflected by a surface

coriolis effect

mass in a rotating system experiences a force, important in weather systems

watershed

area of land that separates waters

insolation

exposure to the sun

jet streams

strong air streams circling the globe miles about the earth

monsoons

rainy season with prevailing wind

hurricane

a storm with violent wind, typically tropical

tornado

violent rotating winds in a funnel shape

rain shadow

region with little rainfall sheltered due to hills

milankovitch cycles

the shape of the earth's orbit is not a circle, the earth's axis is tilted