Plate Tectonics
What makes up the mantle of the Earth?
The lithosphere, asthenosphere, and a layer of magma
What are the 3 major types of rock that are formed by different combinations of heat and pressure?
Igneous, sedimentary, and matamorphic
What is a Watershed?
All the land in an area that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland
What are the major gases that make up the atmosphere?
Nitrogen (~78%) and Oxygen (~21%)
Unequal heating, gravity, wind, salinity, and the location of continents
What is the core mainly composed of?
Iron and Nickel
What proccesses break rocks down?
Weathering and Erosion
How do humans effect watersheds?
They alter the water flow and input excess nutrients and soil
What are the layers of that atmosphere from closest to the Earth to farthest?
Troposhpere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
What is an Upwelling?
The upward movement of ocean water toward the surface as a result of diverging currents
What are the 3 types of plate boundaries?
Divergent, Convergent, and Transform
What are the layers or "horizons" of soil, in order from top to bottom?
O, A, E, B, D
What are the characteristics that affect a watershed?
Slope, soil type, and vegetation type
Why does air circulate in the atmosphere?
Due to changing density, water vapor capacity, and temperature
Define Rain Shadow
A region with dry condition found on the leeward side of a mountain range as a result of humid winds fron the ocean causing precipitation on the windward side
What is a fracture in rock caused by a movement of Earth's crust called?
A Fault
What causes soil erosion?
Water, wind, and human activities
What is the main source of energy on Earth?
Incoming solar radiation
What are the convection current "cells" called, in order from closest to the equator to farthest?
Hadley, Ferrell, Polar
Where do El Nino and La Nina take place?
In the South Pacific
What are some consequences of plate boundaries?
Earthquakes, volvanos, island arcs, hotspots, faults, tsunamis, valleys, and mountain ranges
What is the permeability of soil?
The ability of water to move through the soil
Why does Earth have seasons?
Because the Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.5 degrees
What is the Coriolis Effect?
The deflection of an object's path due to the rotation of the Earth
What effect does La Niña have?
It causes regions that were hot and dry to become cooler and wetter