Science 10 Reviewer: Plate Tectonics and Climate Change

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the provided reviewer notes for Chapter 1 (Plate Tectonics), Chapter 2 (Living with Climate Change), and Chapter 3 (Climate-Smart Actions).

Continental Drift Theory

A theory proposed by Alfred Wegener in the early 1900s stating that all continents were once merged into a single supercontinent named Pangaea before drifting apart.

Seafloor Spreading Theory

A theory proposed by Harry Hammond Hess in the 1950s–1960s stating that ocean floors grow from mid-ocean ridges as magma rises, solidifies into new seafloor, spreads outward, and subducts at deep trenches.

Plate Tectonics

The unifying geological theory stating that Earth's lithosphere is broken into rigid sections called tectonic plates that move over the asthenosphere and interact at plate boundaries.

Earth's Tectonic Plates and Boundaries

A geographical map illustrating the locations and boundaries of Earth's major and minor lithospheric plates.

Lithosphere

The solid, rigid outer layer of Earth comprising the crust and the uppermost mantle.

Asthenosphere

The ductile region of Earth's upper mantle located directly beneath the lithosphere that is capable of flowing and allowing tectonic plates to move across it.

Primordial Heat

Leftover internal thermal energy from Earth's formation approximately $4.6\text{ billion}$ years ago, generated by accretion collisions and gravitational compression.

Radiogenic Heat

Internal thermal energy generated within Earth by the radioactive decay of isotopes such as uranium, thorium, and potassium-40.

Ridge Push

A tectonic plate driving mechanism where hot, buoyant magma rises at mid-ocean ridges to form new crust, which cools, hardens, and pushes older crust away.

Slab Pull

A tectonic plate driving mechanism where gravity pulls the heavy, cold, dense edge of a subducting oceanic plate down into the mantle, dragging the rest of the plate along.

Contraction Theory

A debunked geological hypothesis proposing that Earth's crust wrinkled like a raisin as it cooled after formation, creating mountain ranges.

Orogeny

The geological process of mountain building caused by the structural deformation and collision of tectonic plates.

Convergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates move toward each other, resulting in subduction zones, trenches, volcanic arcs, or mountain ranges.

Divergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates pull apart from each other, creating mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys, and new ocean floor.

Transform Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where two plates slide horizontally past one another along strike-slip faults without producing or destroying lithosphere.

Paleomagnetism

The study of magnetic minerals locked in volcanic rocks that aligned with Earth's magnetic poles at crystallization, providing historical records of plate movements.

Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB)

The active zone of intense deformation and seismicity located between the convergent boundaries bounding the Philippine archipelago.

Philippine Fault

An active left-lateral strike-slip fault system traversing the Philippine archipelago produced by plate convergence.

Weather

The short-term, day-to-day state of atmospheric conditions at a specific time and location.

Climate

The long-term average atmospheric pattern of a specific area, defined by the WMO using a 30-year observation period.

Cloud Altitude and Shape Classification

A diagram showing cloud types categorized by altitude levels (high, mid, low) and physical appearance.

Orographic Precipitation

Precipitation formed when moist air masses are forced upward over mountain barriers, releasing rain on the windward side and creating a dry rain shadow on the leeward side.

Global Wind Patterns (Philippines Example)

A reference table describing how global atmospheric wind patterns move heat and moisture across regions.

Amihan

The northeast monsoon in the Philippines that delivers cool, dry air originating from Siberia.

Habagat

The southwest monsoon in the Philippines that brings warm, moist air from tropical regions.

Greenhouse Effect

A natural atmospheric process where heat-trapping gases absorb and reradiate thermal energy back to Earth's surface, maintaining habitable global temperatures.

Global Warming

The sustained increase in Earth's average surface temperature caused by human activities that heighten greenhouse gas levels.

Climate Change

Long-term shifts in global temperature and weather patterns resulting from sustained global warming.

Milankovitch Cycles

Natural variations in Earth's orbital shape and axial tilt occurring over tens to hundreds of thousands of years that drive glacial and interglacial cycles.

El Niño

The warm phase of ENSO characterized by elevated ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, weakened trade winds, and reduced rainfall causing droughts in the Philippines.

La Niña

The cold phase of ENSO characterized by cooler ocean surface temperatures in the central Pacific, stronger trade winds, and increased rainfall leading to floods in the Philippines.

Pre-industrial Era

The period prior to the 1750s when human society relied primarily on manual labor and agriculture with minimal fossil fuel consumption.

Industrial Revolution

The era spanning 1760 to 1850 during which mechanized manufacturing and widespread fossil fuel combustion significantly increased greenhouse gas emissions.

International Climate Agreements Summary

A summary table listing major global climate treaties, including the December 2015 Paris Agreement and WCCCS-2025.

Paris Agreement

A binding 2015 international treaty signed in Paris aiming to restrict global temperature rise to well below $2\,^\circ\text{C}$ above pre-industrial levels and pursue limiting it to $1.5\,^\circ\text{C}$.

Climate Change Act of 2009 (Republic Act 9729)

A Philippine law enacted on October 23, 2009, that established the Climate Change Commission to oversee national climate management policies.

Climate Change Commission (CCC)

The sole policy-making agency under the Office of the President in the Philippines tasked with coordinating and evaluating climate action strategies.

Republic Act 10174 (People Survival Fund)

A 2012 Philippine law establishing the People Survival Fund with an annual allocation of at least $\text{Php 1 billion}$ for local adaptation projects.

Reforestation

The process of planting native trees to restore degraded or cleared forest areas.

Afforestation

The establishment of new forests by planting trees on land that was not historically forested.

Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices Table

A summary table detailing sustainable agricultural methods such as SALT, Rainwater harvesting, and Agritourism.

Hydroponics

A method of growing plants in water enriched with essential minerals without soil, often integrated with aquaculture in a closed-loop system.

Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT)

An agroforestry system designed for hilly land where nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs are planted along contour lines to halt soil erosion.

Rainwater Harvesting

The practice of collecting and storing rain runoff for agricultural and domestic use to preserve water supplies during dry periods.

Agritourism

A practice that invites visitors to farms to learn about sustainable agriculture firsthand and promote climate-smart farming awareness.

Renewable Energy

Energy derived from self-replenishing natural flows—such as geothermal, solar, wind, and hydro—that generate minimal to zero direct greenhouse gas emissions.