Earth's Systems and Resources

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on Earth's systems, processes, and human impacts.

Theory

The strongest explanation we have for a natural phenomenon, supported by multiple lines of repeated evidence.

Plate Tectonics

The theory that describes the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates over the asthenosphere.

Continental Drift

The hypothesis that continents floated and moved across the Earth's surface, proposed by Alfred Wegener.

Evidence 1: Continents Fit Together

The edges of continents fit together like puzzle pieces, indicating they were once joined.

Evidence 2: Fossils & Rock Records Match

Identical fossils and rocks found on separate continents support the idea of continental movement.

Geologic Activity Patterns

Geologic features like earthquakes and volcanoes cluster along plate boundaries, indicating interaction.

Transform Boundaries

Where plates slide past each other horizontally, resulting in earthquakes but no volcanoes.

Convergent Boundaries

Where plates come together; can be destructive to crust, resulting in phenomena like mountains.

Divergent Boundaries

Where plates pull apart, allowing magma to rise and create new crust, often forming volcanoes.

Hotspots

Stationary plumes of hot mantle that create chains of volcanoes as tectonic plates move over them.

Weathering

The breakdown of rock into smaller pieces through physical, biological, or chemical processes.

Erosion

The removal and transport of weathered material, usually by wind or water.

Deposition

The drop-off of sediments which can become parent material for soil formation.

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)

A measure of how well soil can retain and supply nutrient cations to plant roots.

Acidic Soils

Soils with low pH due to excess hydrogen ions, often resulting in nutrient leaching.

Insolation

Incoming solar radiation received per unit area on Earth's surface.

Atmospheric Pressure

The weight of air above a surface; higher pressure occurs near the Earth’s surface.

Convection Currents

Air or fluid movement caused by differences in temperature and density.

Ocean Gyres

Large circular currents in the ocean that distribute warm or cool water and nutrients.

Watershed

An area of land that drains to a single point, crucial for understanding hydrology.