5003773
Description
Flashcards by Ashley Hay, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Ashley Hay
about 8 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| plate tectonics | the lithosphere is divided into plates which are (usually) in constant motion |
| transform plates | tectonic plates move sideways past each other -- results in earthquakes, faults |
| divergent plates | 2 plates "diverge", or move away from each other -- results in seafloor spreading, rifts |
| convergent plates | 2 plates "converge", or crash together -- results in volcanoes, mountains, island arcs, tsunamis |
| igneous rocks | -cooled magma (intrusive or extrusive) -any rock can be melted to magma and then cooled to become igneous -can be found at convergent boundaries |
| sedimentary rocks | -compressed, layered rocks -any rock can become sedimentary if goes through weathering/layering process -usually where fossils are found -found with rocks exposed to weathering |
| metamorphic rocks | -heated, but non-melted rocks -usually found at plates -any rock can become metamorphic if it's compressed w/out melting |
| monoculture | planting one crop in a large area, results in no genetic variation and leeches the soil of specific nutrients |
| leeching | the transportation of molecules through soil via groundwater (often from the plowing/ burning of fields) , results in quality nutrients being pushed further down |
| salinization | excessive watering, so salt appears on surface, leads to land degradation but can be reduced by using drip irrigation |
| erosion (in reference to damaging soil) | the physical movement of rock fragments, which is bad b/c there's nothing to hold soil together (ex: the Dust Bowl) |
| aquifer | small spaces found within permeable layers of rock and sediment where water is found confined: surrounded by layer of rock / clay unconfined: porous rock covered by soil, water flows freely |
| groundwater recharge | the process where water from precipitation percolates through soil and works its way into the groundwater |
| stratosphere | 2nd closest layer of atmosphere to surface, contains the ozone layer |
| troposphere | closest layer of atmosphere to surface, includes weather |
| differential heating | result of (1) albedo, and (2) the way the sun strikes earth, latitude and solar intensity it creates wind |
| albedo | how much energy is reflected off of a surface (ex: glaciers have a higher albedo than the ocean) |
| hadley cell | circulation pattern in the tropical atmosphere (30 degrees N/S of equator) -- it creates a rising motion near equator and descending motion in sub-tropics (think triangle) |
| Coriolis effect | lag of atmosphere slightly behind the spinning of the earth- deflects wind the deflection of an object's path b/c of the rotation of earth |
| El Nino - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) | reversal of wind and water currents in south pacific - suppresses upwelling off coast of Peru + results in cooler/wetter conditions in southeast U.S. + causes dry weather in southern Africa/ southeast Asia |
| soil degradation | the loss of some or all of a soil's ability to support plant growth |
| the rock cycle | the geologic cycle governing the constant formation, alteration, and destruction of rock material - results from tectonics, weathering, erosion, etc. |
| seismic activity | frequency and intensity of earthquakes experienced over time |
| rain shadow | a region with dry conditions found on leeward side of mountains - result of humid winds from ocean causing precipitation on the windward side |
| climate vs. weather | climate: average weather in an area over long period of time weather: short-term conditions of atmosphere in local area (ex: humidity, clouds, etc) |
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