EES - Final Exam Review

Precession

A slow motion of Earth's axis that traces out a cone over a period of 26,000 years

Nutation

Wobbling of the Earth's axis that is superimposed on Earth's precession.

satellite

An object that revolves around another object in space

Kepler's Third Law

The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.

Kepler's First Law

The orbit of each planet around the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.

Kepler's Second Law

As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times

How seasons are affected by earths movement

Different areas get different amounts or light/heat at a time

How tides are affected by earths movement

The order of the moon, sun, and earth change, changing how high or low the tides are

Neap tide

the tide with the least difference between consecutive low and high tides

Spring tide

The tide with the greatest difference between consecutive low and high tides

Stars formation

Supernova

Fusion

Creation of energy by joining the nuclei of two hydrogen atoms to form helium.

Fission

A nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

energy produced by the sun

radiant energy

How heat gets to earths surface

Electromagnetic waves

Order the items in space, biggest to smallest

Universe, galaxy, solar system, planets

universe

All of space and everything in it

Galaxy

A huge group of single stars, star systems, star clusters, dust, and gas bound together by gravity

Solar system

sun, planets, and all the other objects that revolve around the sun

Planet

A large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce light of its own

Plate boundary

the region where two tectonic plates are in contact

Divergent

Going in different directions

continental divergent

rift valley

Oceanic Divergent

mid-ocean ridge

Convergent

coming together

oceanic-oceanic convergence

denser plate is subducted, deep trenches generated, volcanic island arcs generated

Continental-Oceanic Convergence

Oceanic crust goes under the continental crust, creating a subduction zone

continental-continental convergence

happens where 2 continental plates collide and push up creating mountain ranges

Transform

Slide past

Destructive boundary

Convergent- denser crust gets pushed into magma

Constructive boundary

Divergent- new crust is created to fill the space

Conservative boundary

Transform- nothing is created or destroyed

Metamorphic rock

rock that has been changed by heat and pressure

Igneous rock

a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface

Sedimentary rock

a rock that forms from compressed or cemented layers of sediment

Fault line

a break or crack in Earth's surface. Caused by shifting and moving plates.

Focus (Earthquake)

Where the Earthquake actually happened or took place underground.

Epicenter

Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus

magnitude

Measure of the energy released during an earthquake

Deeper focus

the stronger the earthquake

Shallow focus

The weaker the earthquake

High magnitude

Stronger earthquake

Low magnitude

Weaker earthquake

P waves

seismic waves that compress and expand the ground like an accordion (push/pull waves)

S waves

A type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side

Surface waves: L waves

a type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach Earth's surface

The fastest earthquake wave is the

P wave

The slowest earthquake wave is the

L wave

Seismograph

A device that records ground movements caused by seismic waves as they move through Earth

Richter scale

A scale that rates an earthquake's magnitude based on the size of its seismic waves.

The first waves to arrive at a seismograph are

P waves

Weathering

The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.

Erosion

the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

Deposition

Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.

Physical weathering processes

mechanical breakage into smaller pieces
1. Ice wedging
2. Mineral wedging
3. Termal expansion and contraction: rocks expand when warm and shrink when cool
4. Unloading: Granite can produce a exfoliation dome when it comes to surface
5. Root wedging
6. Water

chemical weathering processes

oxidation/reduction, hydrolysis, carbonation

Scientific term for rust

Iron oxide/oxidizing

Scientific term for acid rain

Acid deposition

wind erosion

when the wind picks up dirt and dust and moves it from one place to another

Water erosion

when streams, river, and oceans cut into the land wearing away the soil and rocks moving them elsewhere.

Gravity erosion

it causes water and glaciers to move downhill and particles carried by wind and water to settle. it can also cause landslides and mudflows; surface water

Glacier erosion

When large bodies of ice pick up rocks and soil as they move; can destroy forests, carve out valleys, alter the course of rivers and wear down mountains;, the type of erosion that can cause hills and moraines

human erosion

deforestation, overgrazing, unmanaged construction activity, and road building

flood prevention

artificial levees, diversion channels, avoid living on a floodplain

Flood plain

Flat land near the edges of rivers formed by mud and silt deposited by floods

sand dunes are formed by

wind erosion and deposition

Beach erosion

The removal of beach materials into the sea or lakes by the action of waves, tides, or wind

Causes of beach erosion

Dams, Dredging, Jetties, Slowly rising ocean levels

Dams

a barrier that runs across a river or stream to control the flow of water

Dredging

making a river deeper or wider by digging up sand and mud from the bottom

Jetties

A pair of structures extending into the ocean at the entrance to a harbor or river that are built for the purpose of protection against storm waves and sediment deposition.

Effects of beach erosion

Destruction of the marine ecosystem, property damage, economic loss as communities must spend more and more money on fortifying coastlines (beach erosion)

Dune plants reduce beach erosion because

the roots of dune plants hold sand in place

Sea Walls - disadvantages

.Beach level drops and could underline the wall
.More erosion further down the coast (greater downdrift)
.More erosion in areas that aren't protected
.Very high maintenance - the most expensive *
.Can be obtrusive and unnatural to look at *

Sea walls

Hard stabilization structures built along the shoreline to prevent storm erosion

Sand pumping

Putting large amounts of sand mixed with water back onto beaches

Rockslides

occur when blocks of bedrock break loose and slide down a slope

How do you prevent rockslides?

-catchment dams and containment basins to control debris and water.
-artificial channels or chutes to redirect debris flow.
-nets and artificial walls to prevent falling rock or earth from hitting roads or structures.

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

Urbanization's effect on the lithosphere

High levels of erosion and sedimentation in rivers
destroys soil

Agriculture

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.

Agriculture's effect on the lithosphere

Strips it of its nutrients/decreases fertility

deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

Deforestation's effect on the lithosphere

Soil becomes loose, low in nutrients
less trees to reduce flood damages

Sustainability

The use of Earth's renewable and nonrenewable natural resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.

Sustainablility's effect on the lithosphere

More nutrients for the future, revives the soil
More trees mean less carbon dioxide/more oxygen

What causes floods?

1)when so much rain water comes down and the ground cannot soak it up
2)the water flows into stream and rivers but overflows

Upstream flooding

rapid rise and fall of water level in smaller areas

Downstream flooding

slower rise and fall, but larger area affected

Surface currents

A horizontal movement of ocean water that is caused by wind and that occurs at or near the ocean's surface

uneven heating of earth's surface

cause by angle of the sun's rays , tilt of the Earth on its axis; affects the climates and biomes that exist on the planet

What effects ocean currents

Temperature, Salinity, Density

How does temperature affect ocean currents?

Temperature affects the density of the water, less temperature difference means less density difference, making weaker currents

How does salinity affect ocean currents?

Salinity affects the density of the water, less salinity difference means less density difference, making weaker currents

How does density affect ocean currents?

The density of seawater plays a vital role in causing ocean currents and circulating heat because of the fact that dense water sinks below less dense. The water that was down underneath the dense water before is pushed upwards resulting in a circulation.

Saltwater intrusion

an infiltration of salt water in an area where groundwater pressure has been reduced from extensive drilling of wells

Too much precipitation

Flooding, oversaturation

Too little precipitation

Drought, population decline

Where is most water used in the US?

Flushing toilets, bathing, washing dishes/clothing

Water cycle

the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.