Unit 4: Earth Systems and Resources

Divergent boundaries

___________________________ occur between plates that move away from one another and can result in seafloor spreading, rift valleys, earthquakes and volcanoes.

Transform boundaries

_______________________ occur when plates grind past each other and can result in earthquakes.

rift valley

A _______________ is a long, elongated depression with steep walls formed when the crust is spread apart.

Soils

_______ are formed when parent rock material is weathered, transported, and deposited.

Humus

__________ is dark organic material formed by the decomposition of leaves and other plant material by soil microorganisms.

water quality

Protecting soils can protect _______________ as soils physically and chemically filter and clean water that moves through them.

O-A-E-B-C-R.

The soil profile horizons in order are ___________________

size,porosity.

The total amount of water that soil can hold varies with different types of soil and is determined by ________ and _____________.

Clay

_______ is the smallest particle of soil, followed by silt, and then sand.

runoff, flooding

Soils with small pores will retain more water leading to higher levels _________ of ____________ and .

Compaction

________________ of soil by humans results in a loss of aeration.

Leaching

____________ is the loss of water-soluble nutrients from the soil due to rain and irrigation.

watershed

A ______________ is an area of land where water from streams and rivers all drain into a single larger body of water.

78%, 21%

The Earth's atmosphere is made up of ____ nitrogen and ____ oxygen.

temperature gradients.

The layers of the atmosphere are based on __________________________.

equator

Global wind patterns mainly result from the most intense solar radiation arriving at the ___________, resulting in density differences.

Coriolis

During the ______________ Effect wind moves to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere due to earth spinning in a counter-clockwise direction.

Convection currents

____________________ which move the tectonic plates are created when hot material rises and cooler, denser material falls back.

Convergent boundaries

___________________________ occur between plates that move towards one another and can result in the creation of mountains, island arcs, earthquakes, and volcanoes.

seasons

The tilt of Earth's axis of rotation (23.5o) causes the __________ and the number of hours of daylight in a particular location.

rain shadow

A _______________ is a dry region of land on the side of the mountain range that is protected from prevailing winds.

El Nino

___________ is created by weak trade winds that prevent the pushing of warm water off the pacific coast of N and S America which allows for the warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean and prevents upwelling.

La Nina

__________ is caused by stronger than normal trade winds that pushes warm water west allowing for deeper cold water to rise to the surface near the S. American coast.