UNIT 2 Set
Core: The innermost, dense sphere of the Earth, composed of iron and nickel.
Mantle: The layer between the core and the crust, composed of hot, semi-solid, molten rock capable of slow movement.
Crust: The outermost layer of the Earth, a solid rock shell.
Lithosphere: The rigid outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper solid mantle.
Asthenosphere: The upper layer of the Earth's mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.
Tectonic Plates: Large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that float on the asthenosphere.
Plate Tectonics: The theory that the Earth's lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates that move relative to each other.
Seafloor Spreading: The process by which new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity at mid-ocean ridges and then moves away from the ridge.
Paleomagnetic Striping: Alternating bands of normal and reversed magnetic polarity in rocks on either side of a mid-ocean ridge, indicating reversals in Earth's magnetic field over time.
Convergent Boundary: A plate boundary where two tectonic plates move towards each other.
Subduction Zone: An area where one tectonic plate slides beneath another.
Divergent Boundary: A plate boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other.
Mid-Ocean Ridge: An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics, typically at a divergent boundary.
Hydrothermal Vent: An opening in the seabed where superheated water, rich in dissolved minerals, is released.
Transform Boundary: A plate boundary where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally.
Weathering: The gradual breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller pieces.
Erosion: The process by which weathered material is transported from one place to another.
Sedimentation: The deposition of suspended particles (sediments) in a new location.
Littoral Zone: The area along a shoreline that is affected by tides and waves; the intertidal zone.
Tides: The periodic rise and fall of the surface of large bodies of water, caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun.
Spring Tide: A tide with the greatest difference between high and low water, occurring during a new or full moon when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are aligned.
Neap Tide: A tide with the least difference between high and low water, occurring during the first and third quarter moons when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are at right angles.
Ocean Currents: Continuous, directed movement of seawater.
Thermohaline Circulation: Deep ocean currents driven by differences in temperature and salinity.
Upwelling: The upward movement of cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean to the surface.
Downwelling: The downward movement of surface water into the deeper ocean.
Coriolis Effect: An apparent deflection of moving objects (like air and water) caused by the Earth's rotation.
El Niño: The warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
La Niña: The cool phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), characterized by cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation): A climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean, characterized by fluctuating ocean temperatures and atmospheric pressure.