Vocabulary Notes (All Chapters)

VOCABULARY NOTES: Color Code Key: I got this ~Ehh ~OMG! I DON'T KNOW THIS Chapter 7: Pangaea- A large landmass of all land on Earth joined together that began to break apart approximately 200 million years agoContinental Drift- The movement of Earth's continents over time Mid-Ocean Ridge- Long, narrow mountain range on the ocean floor; formed by magma at divergent plate boundaries Seafloor Spreading- The process by which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge Ocean Trench- A deep, underwater trough created by one plate subducting under another plate at a convergent boundary Normal Polarity- When magnetized objects, such as compass needles, orient themselves to point north Reversed Polarity- When magnetized objects reverse direction and orient themselves to point southPlate Tectonics- The theory that Earth's surface is broken into large, rigid pieces that move with respect to each other Plate- A large section of Earth's oceanic or continental crust and the rigid upper mantle that moves around on the asthenosphere Divergent Plate Boundary- The boundary between two plates that move away from each other Transform Plate Boundary- The boundary between two plates that slide past each other Convergent Plate Boundary- The boundary between two plates that move toward each other Subduction- The process that occurs when one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate Convection- The circulation of particles within a material caused by differences in thermal energy and density Uplift- The process that moves large bodies of Earth materials to higher elevations Chapter 9: Earthquake- The vibrations caused by the rupture and sudden movement of rocks along a break or a crack in Earth's crust Fault- A crack or a fracture in Earth's lithosphere along which movement occurs Seismic waves- Energy generated by an earthquake that travels as vibrations on and in Earth Focus- In an earthquake, the location below Earth's surface where rocks first move along a fault releasing energy in the form of seismic waves Epicenter- The location on Earth's surface directly above an earthquakes focus Primary Wave- A seismic wave that causes particles in the ground to move in a push-pull motion in the same direction that the wave travels Secondary wave- A seismic wave that causes particles in the ground to move at right angles relative to the directions the wave travels Surface wave- A seismic wave that causes particles in the ground to move up and down in a rolling motion Seismometer- An instrument used to measure and record ground motion that can be used to determine the distance seismic waves travel Volcano- A vent in Earth's crust through which molten rock flows Hot spot- A location where volcanoes form far from plate boundaries Shield volcano- A large volcano with a gentle slope of basaltic lavas, common along divergent plate boundaries and oceanic hot spots Composite volcano- A large, steep volcano that results from explosive eruptions of andesitic and rhyolitic lavas along convergent plate boundaries Cinder cone- Small, steep sided volcano that erupts gas-rich, basaltic lava Volcanic ash- Tiny particles of pulverized volcanic rock and glass Viscosity- A measurement of a liquid's resistance to flow Chapter 12: Radiation- Energy carried by electromagnetic waves including visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared light Convection- The circulation of particles within a material (gas or liquid) caused by differences in thermal energy and density Wind- The movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure Greenhouse Effect- The natural process that occurs when certain gases in the atmosphere absorb and reradiate thermal energy from the sun Air Pressure- The force that a column of air applies on the air or a surface below it Conduction- The transfer of thermal energy due to collisions (contact) between particles Water Cycle- The series of natural processes by which water continually moves throughout the hydrosphere Climate- The long-term average weather conditions that occur in a particular region Global Warming- An increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface Greenhouse Gas- A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs Earth's outgoing thermal energy Weather- The atmospheric conditions, along with short-term changes, of a certain place at a certain time Water Vapor- Water in its gaseous form Atmosphere- A thin layer of gases surrounding Earth Evaporation- The process of a liquid changing to a gas. Condensation- The process of a gas changing to a liquid. Chapter 16:Salinity- A measure of the mass of dissolved salts in a mass of water Seawater- Water from a sea or ocean that has an average salinity of 35 ppt (parts per thousand) Brackish water- A mix of freshwater and seawater which commonly occurs in estuaries where a river enters the ocean Tsunami- A wave that forms when an ocean disturbance suddenly moves a large volume of water Sea level- The average level of the ocean's surface at any given time Tide- The periodic rise and fall of the ocean's surface caused by the gravitational force between Earth and the moon, and between Earth and the sun Tidal range- The difference in water level between high tide and low tide Spring tide- The largest tidal range that occurs when Earth, the moon and the sun form a straight line Neap tide- The smallest tidal range that occurs when Earth, the moon and the sun form a right angle Ocean current- A large volume of water flowing in a certain direction Gyre- A large circular system of ocean currents Coriolis effect- The movement of wind and water to the right or left that is caused by Earth's rotation Upwelling- The vertical movement of water toward the ocean's surface Harmful algal bloom- The rapid growth of algae caused by the runoff of excess nutrients that can be toxic to other organisms Coral bleaching- The loss of color in corals that occurs when stressed corals expel the algae that live in them Chapter 18: Nonrenewable Resource- A natural resource that is being used up faster than it can be replenished by natural processes Renewable Resource- A natural resource that can be replenished by natural processes at least as quickly as it is used Fossil Fuel- A nonrenewable resource formed over millions of years from the remains of prehistoric organisms; for example: coal, oil, and natural gas Coal- A solid fossil fuel formed from decayed plant material Oil- A liquid fossil fuel formed from decayed marine organisms Natural Gas- A gaseous fossil fuel formed from marine organisms that is often found above a layer of oil Nuclear Energy- Energy stored in and released from the nucleus of an atom Solar Energy- Energy produced using rays from the sun Wind Energy- Energy produced by the rotation of blades on a large generator due to changes in air temperature Hydroelectric Energy- Energy produced by flowing water Geothermal Energy- Energy produced from hot magma or hot, dry rocks from below Earth's surface Biomass Energy- Energy produced by burning organic matter, such as wood, food scraps, and alcohol Chapter 24: Biosphere- The parts of Earth and the surrounding atmosphere where there is life Ecosystem- All the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment Ecology- The study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment Population- All the organisms of the same species that live in the same area at the same time Community- All the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem at the same time Habitat- The place within an ecosystem where an organism lives that provides the types of food, shelter, moisture level, and temperature needed for survival Limiting Factor- Anything that can restrict the size of a population, including living and nonliving features of an ecosystem, such as predators and drought Carrying Capacity-The largest number of individuals of one species that an ecosystem can support over time Producer- An organism that uses an outside energy source, such as the sun, and produces its own food Consumer- An organism that cannot make its own food and gets energy by eating other organisms Decomposer- An organism that breaks down dead organic material returning nutrients and minerals to the environment Symbiosis- A close, long-term relationship between two species that usually involves an exchange of food or energy Mutualism- A symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit Parasitism- A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed Commensalism- A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is not affected Niche- In an ecosystem, the unique role an organism fills through the processes of surviving, obtaining food and shelter, and avoiding danger