Plate Tectonics and Earth Structure
The rigid outer layer of Earth, divided into plates
Crust/Lithosphere
The layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer
Stratosphere
The continuous movement of water between land, ocean, and atmosphere
Hydrologic cycle
The horizon containing the most organic matter and biological activity
O-Horizon
The ocean where El Niño originates
Pacific
The longest mountain range on Earth, located along a divergent boundary
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The boundary where two plates collide
convergent
The region where weather occurs due to rising and sinking air masses
Troposphere
The area of land that drains into a particular river system
Watershed
The term which describes the different percentages of sand, silt, and clay in different soils
soil texture
The weakened trade winds during El Niño cause this oceanic process to decrease off South America
Upwelling
The transform fault running through California where the Pacific and North American plates slide past each other
San Andreas Fault
The zone where an oceanic plate slides beneath a continental plate
Subduction zone
The effect that causes winds to curve due to Earth’s rotation
Coriolis
The process by which water moves through soil and porous rock
Percolation
The process by which water carries dissolved minerals downward through soil layers
Leaching
The trade winds normally push warm water in this direction across the Pacific
West
The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates created this massive mountain range
The process that forms new oceanic crust at divergent boundaries
Sea floor spreading
The phenomenon where air rises over a mountain, cools, and loses moisture
Rain Shadow
The process responsible for the sinking of dense, salty water in polar regions
Downwelling
The process by which rocks are broken down by wind, water, or ice
Weathering
El Niño often causes this weather pattern in the southwestern United States during winter
Rainfall
The mountain range formed where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate
Andes
The driving force behind plate movement, caused by heat transfer within the mantle
Convection
The term which describes the temperature at which air becomes saturated and condensation begins
Dew Point
The term which describes the global system of surface and deep ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity differences
Thermohaline Circulation
The dark organic material in soil from decomposed organisms
Humus
El Niño events often suppress hurricane formation in this ocean basin due to increased vertical wind shear.
Atlantic
This island nation sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and North American plates are moving apart.
Iceland