essential knowledge unit 4 Flashcards
Convergent boundaries results in the creation of what
mountains, island arcs, earthquakes, and volcanoes
Divergent boundaries can result In what
seafloor spreading, rift valleys, volcanoes, and earthquakes
transform boundaries can result in what
earthquakes
Maps that show the global distribution of plate boundaries can be used to determine what
location of volcanoes, island arcs, earthquakes, hot spots, and faults
When does an earthquake occur
when stress overcomes a locked fault, releasing stored energy
soils are formed when…
parent material is weathered, transported, and deposited
soils are generally categorized by horizons based on their…
composition and organic material
soils can be eroded by what
winds and water
protecting soils can…
protect water quality; soils effectively filter and clean water that moves through
water retention in soils contributes to…
land productivity and fertility of soils
particle size and composition of each soil horizon can affect the…
porosity, permeability, and fertility of soil
The variety of methods to test chemical, physical, and biological properties of soil can aid in decisions such as
irrigation and fertilizer requirements
layers of the atmosphere are based on what
temperature gradients
layers of the atmosphere In order from closest to farthest are
troposphere
stratosphere
mesosphere
thermosphere
exosphere
global wind patterns primarily result in
the most intense solar radiation arriving at equator, resulting in density differences and the Coriolis effect
characteristics of a given watershed include….
area, length, slope, soil, vegetation types
what is the earths main source of energy
incoming solar radiation (insolation)
the angle of suns rays determines
the intensity of the solar radiation
the highest solar radiation per unit is where
the equator and decreases towards poles
the most and least radiation occurs when
most- during the locations longest Sumer day
least- the shortest winter day
weather and climate are affected by…
suns energy, geologic and geographic factors such as mountains and ocean temperatures
what is a rain shadow
a region of land that has become drier because a higher elevation area blocks precipitation from reaching the land
El Niño is…
when the east to west trade winds weaken causing the surface water in the equatorial pacific to become warmer than average
La Niña is…
the trade winds become stronger pushing warm water toward Asia and an upwelling of cold water on the west coast of America
What can El Niño and la niña cause
global changes in rainfall, wind, and ocean circulation patterns
