World Geography: The Physical World Flashcards
What are the three main layers of the Earth?
Core, mantle and crust
What is the core made out of?
Inner core is solid iron-nickel and outer core is liquid iron-nickel
What is the theory stating that there are plate tectonics?
Continental Drift Theory
What term is used to describe activities of continental drift?
Plate tectonics
What is an example of a continental-continental divergent landform?
Great Rift Valley
What is an example of an oceanic-oceanic divergent landform?
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
What is the difference between continental-continental and oceanic-oceanic divergent boundaries?
Continental ones have larger rift valleys and are above water
What is an example of an oceanic-continental convergent landform?
Andes Mountains
What is an example of an oceanic-oceanic convergent landform?
Philippine Islands
What is an example of a continental-continental convergent landform?
Himilayas
What is an example of a transform landform?
San Andreas Fault
What is an example of a hotspot?
Hawaii
How are tsunamis created?
Disturbances in the ocean, such as underwater earthquakes, cause tsunami waves
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering is breaking rocks into smaller rocks and erosion is wearing away at Earth’s surface
What are the two types of weathering?
Physical and chemical
physical weathering
when rocks are physically broken into smaller pieces
chemical weathering
when rocks are chemically changed and broken
What are the three types of erosion?
Wind, glacial and water erosion
wind erosion
dust, sand and soil is carried from place to place by wind
What are the benefits of wind erosion?
Rich soil can be carried to create fertile land
What are the drawbacks of wind erosion?
Rich soil can be carried away and land becomes more barren
glacial erosion
when landscapes are carved and destroyed by glacial movement
moraine
large pile of rocks and debris left behind by glaciers
What do moraines look like?
They are usually ridges or dams that create glacial lakes
What are the two types of glaciers?
Sheet and mountain glaciers
sheet glacier
flat sheets of ice that can break off to form icebergs
What is an example of a sheet glacier?
Greenland or Antarctica
mountain glacier
glacier found high in mountains that moves downhill
water erosion
when water carries sediment or carves away rock
