Quiz 2 Flashcards
Volcanic activity can also result in ____ activity
however most earthquakes occur at ____ plate boundaries
seismic
transform
*not all volcanoes result in earthquakes
What are transform plate boundaries?
what do snags cause?
what are fault lines?
plates slide against each other
snags get caught against one another and create immense pressure
this strain when released can cause plates to fracture and rapidly slip releasing massive energy
fault lines: cracks that result from plate fracturing
know concept of plate boundary map
…
what is soil composition?
relative amounts of minerals, organic matter, air, and water in soil
3 minerals and description
sand: largest
silt: medium
clay: smallest
soil texture?
proportion of 3 minerals
organic matter (OM)? how does it affect soil?
enters soil primarily as detritus and is decomposed. provides and retains nutrients. retains water.
Porosity?
Permeability?
Water holding capacity?
total amount of pore space in soil
how well water can move thru it
how much water soil can hold
most plants prefer what when it comes to permeability and WHC?
a balance
How do you fix 90% of soil problems? (Too permeability, too high WHC, etc.)
add OM
what is special about sand and clay?
sand composes most of soil
small amounts of clay can influence soil properties greatly
3 things evaluated for soil fertility?
quantity of nutrients
retention of nutrients capability
accessibility of nutrients
Cation exchange capacity?
why is clays so high?
what makes CEC of OM even higher?
a measure of how well soil holds + charged nutrients.
strong - charge and high SA
insanely high SA
*add OM to fix low CEC
soil pH affects:…
optimal range?
availability of nutrients
6-8
Igneous rocks? two primary types?
intrusive vs extrusive?
Formed from magma
Basaltic: ocean plates
Granitic: continental
intrusive: magma cools in earth
extrusive: magma cools above earth
sedimentary rocks?
compression of sediment
metamorphic rocks?
when other types of rocks are subjected to high temps and pressure which causes chemical and physical changes in rock
Bottom up vs top down soil formation
weathering of parent material
surface weathering and depositing of OM
what factors affect rate of soil formation?
parent material
topography and climate
organisms
Soil layers
O horizon: organic layer with most detritus. not all soils have
A horizon: mixed soil. AKA top soil. Contains OM and minerals.
B horizon: all soils have. Subsoil w minerals.
C horizon: all soils. Least weathered. Similar to parent material.
What is overburden in mining?
unwanted soil and rock that is above deposits. movement of this requires lots of machinery = emissions
Mine tailings?
a waste containing solvents and are unstable and can cause landslides
contributes to land and water pollution
Acid mine drainage?
metal mines have this particularly. Formation of highly acidic water rich in heavy metals. Can cause rusty color in water.
Types of mining?
placer: does not require removal of overburden.
Strip: removal of strips of soil and rock
open pit: what it sounds like
Mountain top removal: entire top or side of mountain is removed w explosives.
Sub surface mining: what it sounds like. Uses tunnels. Less overburden but high risk for workers and high acid drainage.
why does spring differ from fall weather?
Seasonal progression. Both equinox’s should be similar but in spring days continue to get longer and opposite for fall.
Know how Earth’s tilt corresponds to diff seasons in North and south
…
Our atmosphere is mostly
N2
As altitude goes up atmospheric pressure ___
and temp ____ as a result
remember PV=nRT
decreases
decreases
Layers of atmosphere and temp characteristics w heat source.
Troposphere:
temp decreases w alt
heated from hot ground
Stratosphere:
Stable layer of atmosphere where ozone layer is found
temp increases w alt (flipped)
heated from sun above
Mesosphere:
coldest since no GHGs
temp decreases w alt
heated from stratosphere below
Thermosphere (upper layer of atmosphere where auroras take place) and Exosphere (thin layer that separates atmosphere from space):
temp increases w alt
Heated by sun above same as stratosphere
Insolation and its relationship w Earth’s curves and tilt
Exposure to sun rays which heats Earth.
The curve and tilt of Earth effect the intensities of this at diff regions
___ also contributes to unequal heating
think light absorption
albedo
