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Environmental Science > Chapters 4-9 > Flashcards

Chapters 4-9 Flashcards

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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
Stalactites
Hanging from the ceiling.
26
Stalagmites
Growing upward from the floor.
27
Karst Topography
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
Glaciers
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
Types of Glaciers
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
Zone of Wastage
The area where there is a net loss due to melting
31
Zone of accumulation
The area where a glacier forms.
32
Glacial Drift
All sediments of glacial origin Types of glacial drift -Till – material that is deposited directly by ice -Stratified drift – sediment deposited by meltwater
33
Moraine
layers or ridges of till
34
Types of Moraines
Lateral Medial (Till from two glaciers) End Ground (as glacier recedes)
35
Indirect effects of Ice Age glaciers
Migration of animals and plants Rebounding upward of the crust Worldwide change in sea level Climatic changes
36
Milankovitch hypothesis
``` Shape (eccentricity) of Earth’s orbit varies Angle of Earth’s axis (obliquity) changes (Milder winters and cooler summers) Axis wobbles (precession) ```
37
Asthenosphere
Exists beneath the lithosphere Hotter and weaker than lithosphere Allows for motion of lithosphere
38
Divergent plate boundaries (constructive margins)
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
Divergent boundaries are located
along oceanic ridges
40
Convergent plate boundaries (destructive margins)
Plates collide, an ocean trench forms and lithosphere is subducted into the mantle
41
Mid Ocean Range
Convergent
42
Oceanic-continental convergence
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
Transform Fault Boundaries
Plates slide past one another | No new crust is created or destroyed
44
Transform Faults
Most join two segments of a mid-ocean ridge | Aid the movement of oceanic crustal material
45
Hot Spots and Mantle Plumes
Caused by rising plumes of mantle material | Volcanoes can form over them (Hawaiian Island chain)
46
Mantle plumes
Long-lived structures | Some originate at great depth, perhaps at the mantle-core boundary
47
Slab-pull and ridge-push model
Descending oceanic crust pulls the plate | Elevated ridge system pushes the plate
48
Mantle Drag
Resists Subduction
49
Earthquake Waves
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
Wind Wave vs. Tsunami
Same wave height | Different wave length and wave period.
51
Crust
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
Continental Crust
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
Oceanic Crust
Basaltic composition Density about 3.0 g/cm3 Younger (180 million years or less) than the continental crust
54
Mantle
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
Outer Core
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
Inner Core
Sphere with a radius of 1216 km (754 miles) | Behaves like a solid
57
Lithosphere
Crust and uppermost mantle (about 100 km thick) | Cool, rigid, solid
58
Asthenosphere
Beneath the lithosphere Upper mantle To a depth of about 660 kilometers Soft, weak layer that is easily deformed
59
Mesosphere (Or Lower Mantle)
660–2900 km More rigid layer Rocks are very hot and capable of gradual flow
60
Factors Affecting Viscosity
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
Dissolved gases (volatiles)
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
Parts of a Volcano
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
Shield Volcano
Broad, slightly domed Primarily made of basaltic (fluid) lava Generally large size e.g., Mauna Loa in Hawaii
64
Cinder Cone
Built from ejected lava fragments Steep slope angle Rather small size Frequently occur in groups
65
Composite cone (or stratovolcano)
Most are adjacent to the Pacific Ocean (e.g., Mt. Rainier) Large size Interbedded lavas and pyroclastics Most violent type of activity
66
Lahar
Volcanic mudflow
67
Viscosity of Volcanoes
Shield- Low Viscosity | Stratovolcano- High Viscosity

Environmental Science (4 decks)

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