Physical Geography Flashcards
What is the Theory of Continental Drift?
It is the theory that all of earths land mass collided to form pangea 300 mya. Then, 200mya broke into pieces, drifting to the positions of the continents. It also says that all land mass is always moving.
What were Alfred Wegener’s 4 proofs? What did he never figure out about his theory before he died?
- South America & Africa fit together.
- Fossils of plants and animals on different continents.
- identical mountains and rocks on both sides of Atlantic Ocean
4.Cold places once warm,
warm places once cold.
He never figured out how the continents moved.
What is the Theory of Plate Tectonics?
Earth’s outer shell consists of plates that move on top of hot magma
What are the 4 layers of the Earth? What is each one made of? Which is the thinnest? Which is the thickest?
Crust: rocky surface layer, thin
mantle: molten rock, thickest layer
Outer Core:molten and liquid iron
Inner core: iron and nickel
What are the 3 types of tectonic boundaries? What is an example of each one?
Divergent Boundaries:(pull)Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Convergent Boundaries:(push)
Indian plate and Eurasian plate, Himalayas.
Transform Boundary:(slide past)
North American plate and the Pacific plate, California.
What are different things that can happen at these boundaries?
It can form mountain ranges, volcanos, new crust, earthquakes. geothermal activities like geysers or hot springs
What is the Ring of Fire?
Volcanic activity surrounding the Pacific Plate
names and the order (oldest to newest) of the 4 Geological eras? Which was the longest? Which is the shortest?
Precambrian Era: 4.5 billion years ago
Paleozoic Era: 545 million years ago
Mesozoic Era: 245 million years ago
Cenozoic Era: 65 million years ago
Which one is the age of Dinosaurs? Which is the age of Mammals?
Mesozoic Era :Age of the Dinosaurs
Cenozoic era:Age of the mammals
What was the name of the ice sheet that covered Canada?
Laurentide Ice Sheet
What are the 3 ways a glacier can shape the landscape?
- By scratching or polishing the surface like sandpaper.
- carving out valleys and lakes
- transport and then dump rocks along the way
What is the biggest and oldest landform region?
The Canadian shield
Which region do we live in?
St. Lawrence Lowlands
What are the 3 types of rocks? How was each type formed?
Igneous Rock, is formed when magma cools and hardens.
Sedimentary Rock forms by being buried and compacted by pressure from sediment particles.
Metamorphic Rock is rock that has been transformed by great heat or pressure
What is an ecozone?
It is an area with vegetation, climate, soil, wildlife, and landform structure.
What is the name of the ecozone we live in?
Mixedwood Plains
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather: the daily atmospheric conditions
Climate: the average weather patterns over time.
What are the 6 factors that affect climate?
Latitude, Ocean Currents,
Wind and Air Masses, Elevation,
Relief, Near Water
What are prevailing winds? Where do our winds mostly come from?
winds that blow from a single direction. in Canada, they blow from west to east
What is the windward side of a mountain? What is the leeward side of the mountain?
Windward side: the wet and windy, rainy side of the mountain
Leeward side: the dry side of the mountain, away from the wind
what are the 3 types of rainfall?
Orographic, Convectional and,
Frontal precipitation.
what is the greenhouse gas effect?
When heat is trapped near Earth’s surface by green house gasses
What are two of the main Greenhouse Gases?
carbon dioxide and methane
What are some impacts that climate change is having on Canada?
Rising temperatures, more extreme weather like heat waves, droughts, and wildfires, and melting ice and rising sea levels.
