Terms And Definitions Flashcards
Abiotic
Pertaining to factors or things that are separate and independent from lining things; no lining.
Abyssal zone
This is the deepest region of the ocean. This zone is marked by extremely cold temperatures and very low levels of dissolved oxygen, but very high levels of nutrients because of the decaying plant and animal matter that falls from the zones above.
Acid
Any compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Also, a water solution that contains a surplus of hydrogen ions.
Active volcano
Volcano that is currently erupted or has erupted within recorded history.
Aggregate
Crowded or massed into a dense cluster
Air mass
Enormous bodies of air that move as a unit.
A layer
A soul horizon; the layer below the O layer is called the A layer. The A layer is formed of weathered rock, with some organic material; often referred to as topsoil.
Alkaline
A basic substance; chemically, a substance that absorbs hydrogen io s or release hydroxyl ions; in reference to natural water, a measure of the base content of the water.
Aquifer
An underground layer of porous rock, sand, or other material that allows the movement of water between layers of nonporous rock or clay. Aquifers are frequently tapped for wells.
Arable
Land that’s fit to be cultivated.
Asthenosphere
The part of the mantle that lies just below the lithosphere.
Atmosphere
The gaseous mass or envelope surrounding a celestial body, especially the one surrounding the earth, which is retained by the celestial body’s gravitational field.
Barrier Island
A long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland, built up by the action of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges.
Bathyal Zone
The steep descent of the seabed from the continental shelf to the abyssal zone.
Benthic Zone
The deepest layer in a body of water; characterized by very low temperatures and lo oxygen levels.
Biological Weathering
Any weathering that’s caused by activities of living organisms.
Biotic
Living or derived from living things.
B layer
A soil horizon; B receives the minerals and organic materials that are leached out of the horizon E.
Chemical Weathering
The result of chemical interaction with the bedrock that is typical of the action of both water and atmospheric gases.
C layer
A soil horizon, horizon C is made up of larger pieces of rock that have not undergone much weathering.
Clay
Soil made up of particles that are less that 0.002 mm in diameter.
Conduction
The transmission or conveying of something through a medium or passage, especially the transmission of electric charge or heat through a conducting medium without perceptible motion of the medium itself
Convecton
The vertical movement of air due to atmospheric heating and cooling.
Convection Currents
Ocean currents caused by the vertical movement of air due to atmospheric heating and cooling.
Convergent Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates are moving toward each other and have, or will, collide
Coral Reef
An erosion-resistant marine ridge or mound consisting chiefly of compacted coral together with algal material and biochemically deposited magnesium and calcium carbonates.
Coriolis Effect
The observed effect of the Coriolis force, especially the deflection of an object moving above the earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere, and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere.
Crop Rotation
The practice of alternating the crops grown on a piece of land - for example corn one year, legumes for two years, and then back to corn.
Delta
A usually triangular alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river.
Divergent Boundary
A pate boundary at which plates are moving away from each other. This causes an up-welling of magma from the mantle to cool and form new crust.
Doldrums
A region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls.
Dormant Volcanoes
Volcanoes that have not been known to erupt.
Drip Irrigation
A method of supplying irrigation water through tubes that literally drip water onto the soil at the base of each plant.
Earthquake
The result of vibrations (often due to plate movements) deep in the earth that release energy. They often occur as two plates slide past one another at a transform boundary.
