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AP Environmental > Unit 4- Earth Systems & Resources Vocabulary > Flashcards

Unit 4- Earth Systems & Resources Vocabulary Flashcards

1
Q

Asthenosphere

A

A layer of the upper mantle, just below the lithosphere, consisting of especially soft rock.

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2
Q

Atmosphere

A

The thin layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth 🌎🌍.

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3
Q

Bedrock

A

The continuous mass of solid rock that makes up the Earth’s crust.

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4
Q

Clay

A

Sentiment consisting of particles less than 0.002 mm in diameter.

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5
Q

Continental Drift

A

Was a theory that explained how continents should position on Earth’s surface.

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6
Q

Convection Circulation

A

A circular current (of air, water, magma, etc.) driven by temperature differences. In the atmosphere, warm air rises into regions of lower atmospheric pressure, where it expands and cools and then descends and becomes denser, replacing warm air that is rising. The air picks up heat and moisture near ground level and prepares to rise again, continuing the process.

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7
Q

Convergent Plate Boundary

A

The area where tectonic plates converge or come together. Can result in subduction or continental collision.

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8
Q

Core

A

The innermost part of Earth, made up of mostly of iron, that lies beneath the crust and mantle.

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9
Q

Coriolis Effect

A

The apparent deflection of north-south air currents to a partly east-west direction, caused by the faster spin of regions near the equator than of regions near the poles as a result of Earth’s rotation.

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10
Q

Crust

A

The lightweight outer layer of Earth, consisting of rock that floats atop the malleable mantle, which intern surrounds a mostly iron core.

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11
Q

Deposition

A

The arrival of eroded soil at a new location.

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12
Q

Divergent Plate Boundary

A

The area where tectonic plates push apart from each other as magma rises upward to the surface, creating new lithosphere as it cools and spreads. A prime example is the Mid-Atlantic range.

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13
Q

Dust Bowl

A

An area that loses huge amounts of topsoil to wind erosion as a result of drought and/or human impact. First used to name the region in the North American Great Plains severely affected by drought and topsoil loss in the 1930s. The term is now also used to describe that historical event and others like it.

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14
Q

Earthquake

A

A release of energy that occurs as Earth relieves accumulated pressure between masses of lithosphere and the results in shaking at the surface.

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15
Q

El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

A

A systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface pressure, and ocean circulation in the tropical Pacific ocean. ENSO cycles give rise to El Nino and la Nina conditions.

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16
Q

Electromagnetic Radiation

A

A kind of radiation including visible light, radio waves, gamma rays, and x-rays, in which electric and magnetic fields vary simultaneously.

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17
Q

Erosion

A

The removal of material from one place and its transport to another by action of wind or water.

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18
Q

Ferrell Cell

A

One of a pair of cells of convective circulation between 30° and 60° north and south latitude that influence global climate patterns.

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19
Q

Geology

A

The scientific study of Earth’s physical features, processes, and history.

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20
Q

Hadley Cell

A

One of a pair of cells of convective circulation between the equator of 30° north and south latitude that influence global climate patterns.

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21
Q

Humus

A

A dark, spongy, crumbly mass of material made up of complex organic compounds, resulting from a partial decomposition of organic matter.

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22
Q

Hydrothermal Vents

A

A location in the deep ocean where heated water spurts from the seafloor, carrying minerals that precipitate to form rocky structures. Unique and recently discovered ecosystems cluster around these vents; tubeworms, shrimp, and other creatures here use symbiotic bacteria to derive their energy from chemicals in the heated water rather than from sunlight.

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23
Q

Igneous Rock

A

One of the three main categories of rock. Formed from cooling magma. Granite and Basalt are examples of igneous rock.

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24
Q

La Nina

A

An exceptionally strong cooling of surface water in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that occurs every 2 to 7 years and has a widespread climate consequences.

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25
Q

Leaching

A

The process by which a solid materials such as minerals are dissolved in a liquid (usually water) and transported to another location.

26
Q

Lithosphere

A

The outer layer of Earth, consisting of crust and uppermost mantle and located just above the at asthenosphere. More generally, the solid part of Earth, including the rocks, sediment, and soil at the surface and extending down many miles underground.

27
Q

Loam

A

Soil with a relatively even mixture of clay-, silt-, and sand-sized particles.

28
Q

Magma

A

Molted, liquid rock.

29
Q

Mantle

A

The malleable layer of rock that lies beneath Earth’s crust and surrounds a mostly iron core.

30
Q

Mass Wasting

A

The downslope movement of soil and rock due to gravity.

31
Q

Mesosphere

A

The atmospheric layer above the stratosphere, extending 50 to 80 km (31 to 56 mi) above sea level.

32
Q

Metamorphic Rock

A

One of the three main categories of rock. Formed by great heat and/or pressure that reshapes crystals within the rock and changes its appearance and physical properties. Common metamorphic rocks include marble and slate.

33
Q

Mineral

A

A naturally occurring solid element or inorganic compound with a crystal structure, a specific chemical composition, and distinct physical properties.

34
Q

Lava

A

Magma that is released from the lithosphere and flows or splatters across the Earth’s surface.

35
Q

Ozone Layer

A

A portion of the stratosphere, roughly 17-30 km (10-19 mi) above sea level, that contains most of the ozone in the atmosphere.

36
Q

Plate Tectonics

A

The process by which Earth’s surface is shaped by the extremely slow movement of tectonic plates, or sections of crust. Earth’s surface includes about 15 major tectonic plates. Their interaction gives rise to processes that build mountains, cause earthquakes, and otherwise influence the landscape.

37
Q

Polar Cell

A

One of a pair of cells of convective circulation between the poles and 60° north and south latitude that influence global climate patterns.

38
Q

Rock

A

A solid aggregation of minerals.

39
Q

Rock Cycle

A

The very slow process in which rocks and the minerals that make them up or heated, melted, cooled, broken, and reassembled, forming igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

40
Q

Sand

A

Sediment consisting of particles 0.005-2.0 mm in diameter.

41
Q

Seafloor Spreading

A

The formation of new areas of oceanic crust, which occurs through the upwelling of magma at midocean ridges and it’s subsequent outward movement of either side.

42
Q

Sedimentary Rock

A

One of the three main categories of rock. Formed when dissolved minerals seep through sediment layers and act as a kind of glue, crystallizing and binding sediment particles together. Sandstone and shale are examples of sedimentary rock.

43
Q

Sediment

A

The eroded remains of rock.

44
Q

Silt

A

Sediment consisting of particles 0.002-0.005 mm in diameter.

45
Q

Soil

A

A complex plant-supporting system consisting of disintegrated rock, organic material, air, water, nutrients, and microorganisms.

46
Q

Soil Degradation

A

A deterioration of soil quality and decline in soil productivity, resulting primary from forest removal, cropland agriculture, and overgrazing of livestock.

47
Q

Soil Profile

A

The cross-section of a soil as a whole, from the surface to the bedrock.

48
Q

Stratosphere

A

The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere and below the mesosphere; it extends from 11 km (7 mi) to 50 km (31 mi) above sea level.

49
Q

Subduction

A

The plate tectonic process by which denser crust slides beneath lighter crust at a convergent plate boundary.

50
Q

Tectonic Plates

A

Tectonic plates are pieces of Earth’s crust and upper mantle, together referred as the lithosphere. The plates are around 100 km(62 mi) thick and consist of two principal types of material: oceanic crust and continental crust.

51
Q

Temperature Inversion

A

A departure from the normal temperature distribution in the atmosphere, in which a pocket of relatively cold air occurs near the ground, with warmer air above it. The cold air, denser than the air above it, traps pollutants near the ground and can thereby cause a buildup of smog. Also called thermal inversion.

52
Q

Thermosphere

A

The atmosphere’s top layer, extending upward to an altitude of 500 km (300 mi).

53
Q

Topsoil

A

That portion of the soil that is most nutritive for plants and is thus of the most direct importance to ecosystems and to agriculture. Also known as the A horizon.

54
Q

Transform Plate Boundary

A

The area where two tectonic plates meet and slip and grind alongside one another, creating earthquakes. For example, the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate rub against each other along California’s San Andreas Fault.

55
Q

Troposphere

A

The bottommost layer of the atmosphere; it extends to 11 km (7 mi) above sea level.

56
Q

Tsunami

A

An immense swell, or wave, of ocean water triggered by an earthquake, volcano, or landslide that can travel long distances across oceans and inundate coasts.

57
Q

Volcano

A

A site where molten rock, hot gas, or ash erupts through Earth’s surface, often creating a mountain over time as cooled lava accumulates.

58
Q

Watershed

A

An entire area of land from which water drains into a given river.

59
Q

Weathering

A

The process by which rocks and minerals are broken down, turning large particles into smaller particles. Weathering may proceed by physical, chemical, or biological means.

60
Q

Lava

A

Magma that is released from the lithosphere and flows or spatters across the Earth’s surface.

AP Environmental (11 decks)

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