Topics 1-3
What is the innermost layer of the Earth called?
Inner Core
What are the 3 basic tectonic plate movements?
Convergent, Divergent, Transform
What makes up the base of soil?
Minerals, Bacteria and Organic Minerals, Air, Moisture
What are the 3 main types of rock?
Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic
What 2 pieces of information do climate graphs provide?
Temperature, precipitation
What are the 4 layers of Earth's Interior? (Inner -> Outer)
Inner Core, Outer Core, Mantle, Crust
Describe the different tectonic plate movements.
Divergent - the plates move apart
Convergent - 2 plates come together
Transform - 2 plates slide past each other (can cause earthquakes)
What are the different types of soil?
Clay, Sand, Loam
How is igneous rock formed?
Formed from the cooling and hardening of magma that rises from deep under the earth’s crust then cools and hardens
How do you determine when growing season is? What about when it will snowfall?
Growing season - above 6°C
Snowfall - below 0°C
What does PPMC stand for?
Precambrian, Palezoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic)
Folding - the bending of rock layers due to tectonic plates pushing against each other
Faulting - when rocks break and move due to tectonic forces like compression, tension, or shearing
What is an ecozone? How many are there?
Ecozone - an area of the earth’s surface that has a unique combination of plants, wildlife, climate, landforms, and Human Activities.
15 (and 5 marine)
Sedimentary - Limestone, Sandstone
Metamorphic - Quartzite, Marble
What are possible causes of natural disasters?
Droughts (fires), transform boundaries (earthquakes), high winds over water (hurricanes), dry and moist air combine (tornados), etc.
What is Continental Drift?
The movement of Earth's continents over time due to tectonic plates (Pangea -> 7 Continents).
How can erosion destroy and reshape the landscape?
Destroy - wind, water, ice, and gravity wear down mountains, cliffs, and other landforms, carrying sediment away
Build - the eroded material is deposited elsewhere, forming new features like deltas, sand dunes, and riverbanks
Biggest - Boreal and Taiga Forest
Smallest - Deciduous Forest
What is the difference between weather and climate? How many factors impact them?
Weather - atmosphere conditions over a short period of time (days)
Climate - atmosphere conditions over a long period of time (decades)
6 factors!
Name 2 types of scales we use to measure natural disasters. Which natural disasters do we use them for?
Richter Scale - earthquakes
Fujita (F) Scale - tornadoes
Saffir-Simpson Scale - hurricanes
What was Alfred Wegener's theory?
Wegener proposed that the continents were once compressed into a supercontinent called Pangea and over time they have drifted apart into their current distribution.
Name all 7 of Canada's Landforms.
Western Cordillera, Interior Plains, Canadian Shield, Great Lakes-St.Lawrence Lowlands, Appalachians, Arctic - Hudson Bay Lowlands, Innuitian Mountains
What is Calcification? Leaching?
Calcification - in areas with drier climates, the water from the topsoil evaporates and water from below is drawn up to replace it. As the water reaches the surface, it evaporates leaving behind the minerals that were dissolved in it.
Leaching - in areas where there is a great deal of precipitation, water moves down through the soil. As the water moves down, it carries away the nutrients needed by plants.
L - Latitude
O - Ocean currents
W - Winds and air masses
E - Elevation
R - Relief
N - Nearness to water bodies
How do we calculate Average Annual Temperature? Temperature range? Total precipitation?
AAT - add up all 12 monthly temperatures, divide by 12
TR - highest temperature subtracted by the lowest temperature
TP - add all 12 precipitation values together