Plate Tectonics & Earth Processes
Boundary where plates move apart.
Divergent boundary
Which soil horizon is topsoil?
A horizon
What causes the seasons?
Earth’s tilt (23.5°) + revolution around the Sun
What does ENSO stand for?
El Niño–Southern Oscillation
What is a watershed?
Land area where all water drains to the same point
What major process forms at divergent ocean boundaries?
Seafloor spreading / mid-ocean ridges
Which soil particle is smallest?
Clay
Which atmospheric layer contains almost all weather?
Troposphere
What happens to trade winds during El Niño?
They weaken or reverse
Name one factor that affects how quickly water moves through a watershed.
Slope, soil type, vegetation, land use
Transform boundaries primarily cause what natural hazard?
Earthquakes
What is leaching?
Downward movement of dissolved minerals through soil
What two things drive global wind patterns?
Differential heating + Coriolis effect
During La Niña, what happens to upwelling off South America?
It increases
Infiltration is highest in soils with lots of _____.
Sand or organic matter
What type of boundary creates volcanic arcs and deep ocean trenches?
Ocean/Ocean Convergent
Rank soil components by permeability highest → lowest
Sand → silt → clay
At the equator, warm air (rises/sinks) and creates (low/high) pressure.
Rises; low pressure
In an El Niño year, South America gets (more/less) rain and Australia gets (more/less) rain.
South America gets more; Australia gets less
Runoff increases when vegetation is removed because…
Less root absorption → more surface flow → increased erosion
What plate boundary exists where the Himalayan Mtns were formed
Convergent, Continental/Continental
Name three soil formation factors.
Climate, organisms, parent material, time, topography
Explain why the poles receive less solar energy than the equator.
Sunlight hits at a lower angle → spreads over larger area → less intense radiation
Explain how El Niño affects global fisheries.
Warm water suppresses upwelling → fewer nutrients → fish populations drop
Explain how wetlands improve watershed health.
Filter pollutants, store floodwater, support biodiversity, recharge groundwater