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Environmental Science > Chapters 4-9 > Flashcards

Chapters 4-9 Flashcards

1
Q

Weathering

A

the disintegration and decomposition of material at or near the surface

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2
Q

Mass Wasting

A

the transfer of rock material downslope under the influence of gravity

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3
Q

Erosion

A

the incorporation and transportation of material by a mobile agent, usually water, wind, or ice

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4
Q

Mechanical Weathering

A 
Breaking of rocks into smaller pieces 
Processes of mechanical weathering:
-Frost wedging 
-Unloading
-Biological activity
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5
Q

Chemical Weathering

A

Alters the internal structures of minerals by removing or adding elements
Most important agent is water

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6
Q

Soil

A

a combination of mineral matter, water, and air – that portion of the regolith (rock and mineral fragments) that supports the growth of plants

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7
Q

angle of repose

A

Unconsolidated granular particles assume a stable slope called the angle of repose
Stable slope angle is different for various materials
Oversteepened slopes are unstable

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8
Q

Liquefaction

A

a special type of earthflow sometimes associated with earthquakes

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9
Q

Creep

A

Slow movement of soil and regolith downhill

Causes fences and utility poles to tilt

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10
Q

Soilfluction

A

Slow movement in areas underlain by permafrost

Upper (active) soil layer becomes saturated and slowly flows over a frozen surface below

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11
Q

Hydrologic Cycle

A 
Precipitation
Evaporation
Infiltration
Runoff
Transpiration
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12
Q

Drainage Basin

A

Land Area that contributes water to a river system

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13
Q

Gradient

A

From head (source) to mouth
Profile is a smooth curve
Gradient decreases from the head to the mouth.

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14
Q

Stream’s Load

A

Transported Material:
Dissolved load
Suspended load
Bed load

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15
Q

Delta

A

exist in ocean or lakes

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16
Q

Levee

A

form parallel to the stream channel

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17
Q

Valleys

A 
Characteristics of wide valleys 
Floodplain 
Features often include 
Meanders
Cutoffs
Oxbow lakes
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18
Q

Sinkholes

A

Causes dissolving groundwater.

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19
Q

Belt of Soil Moisture

A

The upper subdivision of the zone of aeration limited above by the land surface and below by the intermediate belt; this zone contains plant roots and water available for plant growth. Also known as belt of soil moisture;

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20
Q

Aquitard

A

An impermeable layer of material

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21
Q

Aquifer

A

a permeable layer of material

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22
Q

Zone of Saturation

A

All pore spaces in the material are filled with water

Water within the pores is groundwater

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23
Q

Geysers

A

Intermittent hot springs

Water turns to steam and erupts

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24
Q

Dripstone

A

Compose driptsone: calcite deposited as dripping water evaporates.

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25
Q

Stalactites

A

Hanging from the ceiling.

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26
Q

Stalagmites

A

Growing upward from the floor.

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27
Q

Karst Topography

A

Formed by dissolving rock at, or near, Earth’s surface
Common features:
-Sinkholes – surface depressions
-Sinkholes form by dissolving bedrock and cavern collapse
-Caves and caverns
Area lacks good surface drainage

28
Q

Glaciers

A

a thick mass of ice that forms over land from the compaction and recrystallization of snow and shows evidence of past or present flow

29
Q

Types of Glaciers

A

Valley, or alpine glaciers – form in mountainous areas
Ice sheets, or continental glaciers
-Large scale
-e.g., Over Greenland and Antarctica
Other types:
-Ice caps and piedmont glaciers (Iceland)

30
Q

Zone of Wastage

A

The area where there is a net loss due to melting

31
Q

Zone of accumulation

A

The area where a glacier forms.

32
Q

Glacial Drift

A

All sediments of glacial origin
Types of glacial drift
-Till – material that is deposited directly by ice
-Stratified drift – sediment deposited by meltwater

33
Q

Moraine

A

layers or ridges of till

34
Q

Types of Moraines

A

Lateral
Medial (Till from two glaciers)
End
Ground (as glacier recedes)

35
Q

Indirect effects of Ice Age glaciers

A

Migration of animals and plants
Rebounding upward of the crust
Worldwide change in sea level
Climatic changes

36
Q

Milankovitch hypothesis

A 
Shape (eccentricity) of Earth’s orbit varies 
Angle of Earth’s axis (obliquity) changes (Milder winters and cooler summers)
Axis wobbles (precession)
37
Q

Asthenosphere

A

Exists beneath the lithosphere
Hotter and weaker than lithosphere
Allows for motion of lithosphere

38
Q

Divergent plate boundaries (constructive margins)

A

Two plates move apart
Mantle material upwells to create new seafloor
Ocean ridges and seafloor spreading
-Oceanic ridges develop along well-developed boundaries
-Along ridges, seafloor spreading creates new seafloor

39
Q

Divergent boundaries are located

A

along oceanic ridges

40
Q

Convergent plate boundaries (destructive margins)

A

Plates collide, an ocean trench forms and lithosphere is subducted into the mantle

41
Q

Mid Ocean Range

A

Convergent

42
Q

Oceanic-continental convergence

A

Denser oceanic slab sinks into the asthenosphere
Pockets of magma develop and rise
Continental volcanic arc forms
Examples include the Andes, Cascades, and the Sierra-Nevadan system

43
Q

Transform Fault Boundaries

A

Plates slide past one another

No new crust is created or destroyed

44
Q

Transform Faults

A

Most join two segments of a mid-ocean ridge

Aid the movement of oceanic crustal material

45
Q

Hot Spots and Mantle Plumes

A

Caused by rising plumes of mantle material

Volcanoes can form over them (Hawaiian Island chain)

46
Q

Mantle plumes

A

Long-lived structures

Some originate at great depth, perhaps at the mantle-core boundary

47
Q

Slab-pull and ridge-push model

A

Descending oceanic crust pulls the plate

Elevated ridge system pushes the plate

48
Q

Mantle Drag

A

Resists Subduction

49
Q

Earthquake Waves

A

Surface waves:

  • Complex motion
  • Slowest velocity of all waves
Body Waves-
Primary Waves:
-Push-pull (compressional) motion 
-Travel through solids, liquids, and gases
-Greatest velocity of all earthquake waves
Secondary (S) waves:
-“Shake” motion 
-Travel only through solids 
-Slower velocity than P waves
50
Q

Wind Wave vs. Tsunami

A

Same wave height

Different wave length and wave period.

51
Q

Crust

A

Thin, rocky outer layer
Varies in thickness
-Roughly 7 km (5 miles) in oceanic regions
-Continental crust averages 35–40 km (22–25 miles)
-Exceeds 70 km (40 miles) in some mountainous regions

52
Q

Continental Crust

A

Upper crust composed of granitic rocks
Lower crust is more akin to basalt
Average density is about 2.7 g/cm3
Up to 4 billion years old

53
Q

Oceanic Crust

A

Basaltic composition
Density about 3.0 g/cm3
Younger (180 million years or less) than the continental crust

54
Q

Mantle

A

Below crust to a depth of 2900 kilometers (1800 miles)

Composition of the uppermost mantle is the igneous rock peridotite (changes at greater depths)

55
Q

Outer Core

A

Below mantle
A sphere having a radius of 3486 km (2161 miles)
Composed of an iron-nickel alloy
Average density of nearly 11 g/cm3

56
Q

Inner Core

A

Sphere with a radius of 1216 km (754 miles)

Behaves like a solid

57
Q

Lithosphere

A

Crust and uppermost mantle (about 100 km thick)

Cool, rigid, solid

58
Q

Asthenosphere

A

Beneath the lithosphere
Upper mantle
To a depth of about 660 kilometers
Soft, weak layer that is easily deformed

59
Q

Mesosphere (Or Lower Mantle)

A

660–2900 km
More rigid layer
Rocks are very hot and capable of gradual flow

60
Q

Factors Affecting Viscosity

A

Temperature (hotter magmas are less viscous)
Composition (silica content):
-High silica – high viscosity (e.g., rhyolitic lava)
-Low silica – more fluid (e.g., basaltic lava)
Dissolved gases (volatiles):
-Mainly water vapor and carbon dioxide
-Gases expand near the surface

61
Q

Dissolved gases (volatiles)

A

Provide the force to extrude lava
Violence of an eruption is related to how easily gases escape from magma
-Easy escape from fluid magma
-Viscous magma produces a more violent eruption

62
Q

Parts of a Volcano

A

Conduit, or pipe, carries gas-rich magma to the surface
Vent, the surface opening (connected to the magma chamber via a pipe)
Crater
-Steep-walled depression at the summit
-Caldera (a summit depression greater than 1 km diameter)

63
Q

Shield Volcano

A

Broad, slightly domed
Primarily made of basaltic (fluid) lava
Generally large size
e.g., Mauna Loa in Hawaii

64
Q

Cinder Cone

A

Built from ejected lava fragments
Steep slope angle
Rather small size
Frequently occur in groups

65
Q

Composite cone (or stratovolcano)

A

Most are adjacent to the Pacific Ocean (e.g., Mt. Rainier)
Large size
Interbedded lavas and pyroclastics
Most violent type of activity

66
Q

Lahar

A

Volcanic mudflow

67
Q

Viscosity of Volcanoes

A

Shield- Low Viscosity

Stratovolcano- High Viscosity

Environmental Science (4 decks)

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