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geography hazardous earth glossary > glossary > Flashcards

glossary Flashcards

(83 cards)

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1
Q

Aftershocks

A

a less-powerful earthquake which follows a more-powerful

earthquake – a result of the fault ‘settling’ into its new position

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2
Q

Aid

A

short-term help – such as food, given in emergency, or long-term help

– such as training in health care

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3
Q

Atmosphere

A

the layer of gases above the Earth’s surface

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4
Q

Aurora borealis

A

magnetic force field where radiation from space hits Earth’s
magnetosphere and lights up the sky – also known as the
‘northern lights’

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5
Q

Basalt

A

a dark-coloured volcanic rock. Molten basalt spreads rapidly and is
widespread. About 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in basalt
lava flows

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6
Q

Climatologist

A

a scientist who is an expert in climate and climate change

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7
Q

Collision zones

A

where two tectonic plates collide – forming mountains fold mountains

like the Himalayas

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8
Q

Conservative plate

boundary

A

where two tectonic plates are sliding alongside each other, in the
same or different directions

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9
Q

Continental crust

A

the part of the Earth’s crust that makes up land, on average

30-50 km thick

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10
Q

Convection currents

A

currents which transfer heat from one part of a liquid or gas to

another.

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11
Q

Convergent plate

boundary

A

where two tectonic plates collide

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12
Q

Core

A

the centre of Earth, believed to be solid inside with a hot liquid

outer core

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13
Q

Coriolis force

A

a strong force created by the Earth’s rotation. It can cause storms,

including hurricanes

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14
Q

Cumulonimbus clouds

A

tall clouds created by the condensation of water vapour

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15
Q

Divergent plate

boundary

A

where two tectonic plates are moving away from each other

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16
Q

Economic impacts

A

impacts on the wealth of an area

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17
Q

Enhanced greenhouse

effect

A

the increased effectiveness of the greenhouse effect, believed to be
the cause of recent global warming

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18
Q

Epicentre

A

the point on the ground directly above the focus (centre) of an

earthquake

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19
Q

Evacuate

A

when people move from a place of danger to a safer place

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20
Q

Eye of the storm

A

the centre of a storm, consisting of calm, descending dense air

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21
Q

Ferrel cell

A

part of the global circulation model, where Earth’s atmosphere

consists of descending cool, dry air

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22
Q

Focus

A

the point of origin of an earthquake

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23
Q

Friction

A

the force which resists the movement of one surface over another

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24
Q

Geothermal

A

heat from inside the Earth

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25
Glacial
a cold period of time during which the Earth’s glaciers expanded widely
26
Global circulation | model
a theory that explains how the atmosphere operates in a series of three cells each side of the Equator
27
Greenhouse effect
the way that gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun. Like the glass in a greenhouse – they let heat in, but prevent most of it from escaping
28
Greenhouse gas
gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat around the Earth, leading to global warming
29
Gulf stream
a warm ocean current that begins in the Gulf of Mexico and is blown northeast across the North Atlantic
30
Hadley cell
the largest section of the global circulation model, found above the tropics and caused by the heating and cooling of Earth’s atmosphere
31
Hot spots
columns of heat in Earth's mantle found in the middle of a tectonic plate
32
Hurricane
the term given to a tropical cyclones in the USA and Caribbean
33
Ice cores
columns of ice that are extracted from ice sheets and used to reconstruct temperature patterns
34
Interglacial
a long period of warmer conditions between glacials
35
Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
a narrow zone of low pressure near the Equator where northern and southern air masses converge
36
Lava
melted rock that erupts from a volcano
37
Lava flows
lava flows at different speeds, depending on what it is made of. Lava flows are normally very slow and not hazardous but, when mixed with water, lava can flow very fast and be dangerous
38
Levée
embankments found on either side of a river, formed naturally by regular flooding or built up by people to protect the area against flooding
39
Lithosphere
the cool and brittle uppermost layer of the Earth. It includes the very top of the mantle and, above this, the crust
40
Magma
melted rock below the Earth’s surface. When it reaches the surface it is called lava
41
Magnetosphere
a huge invisible magnetic field that surrounds Earth, protecting it from harmful radiation from space and the sun
42
Magnitude
of an earthquake (how much the ground shakes), an expression of the total energy released
43
Mantle
the middle layer of the Earth. It lies between the crust and the core and is about 2900 km thick. Its outer layer is the asthenosphere. Below the asthenosphere it consists mainly of solid rock
44
Meteorites
fragments of rock and metal that fall to Earth from space
45
Milankovitch cycles
the three long-term cycles in the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Milankovitch’s theory is that glacials happen when the three cycles match up in a certain way
46
North Atlantic drift
a warm ocean current that branches off from the Gulf Stream into the North Atlantic Ocean
47
Ocean currents
permanent or semi-permanent large-scale horizontal movements of the ocean waters
48
Oceanic crust
the part of the Earth’s crust which is under the oceans, usually 6-8 km thick
49
Pangea
a supercontinent consisting of the whole land area of the globe before it was split up by continental drift
50
Plate boundaries
where tectonic plates meet. There are three kinds of boundary a) divergent – when two plates move apart b) convergent – when two plates collide c) conservative – when two plates slide past one another
51
Plumes
upwelling of molten rock through the asthenosphere to the lithosphere
52
Polar cell
sections of the Earth’s atmosphere found above the North and South Poles, consisting of descending cold, dry air
53
Polar desert
areas in Antarctica and the Arctic ice sheet that have dry and cold climate conditions
54
Predict
saying that something will happen in the future. A scientific prediction is based on statistical evidence
55
Primary effects
the direct impacts of event, usually occurring instantly
56
Probability
the chance of an event happening
57
Pyroclasts
fragments of volcanic material that is thrown out during explosive eruptions
58
Quaternary
the last 2.6 million years, during which there have been many glacials
59
Radioactive decay
atoms of unstable elements release particles from their nuclei and give off heat
60
Refugees
people who are forced to move due to natural hazards or war
61
Relief effort
help given by organisations or countries to help those facing an emergency
62
Richter scale
a scale for measuring the magnitude of earthquakes
63
Risk zone
areas assessed upon the likelihood of hazardous events happening, such as storm surges
64
Saffir-Simpson hurricane | scale
a scale that classifies hurricanes into five different categories according to their wind strength
65
Secondary effects
the indirect impacts of an event, usually occurring in the hours, weeks, months or years after the event
66
Seismometer
a machine for recording and measuring an earthquake using the Richter scale
67
Social impacts
the impacts of an event upon people
68
Solar insolation
the Sun’s energy
69
Storm surge
a rapid rise in the level of the sea caused by low pressure and strong winds
70
Stratosphere
the layer of air 10-50km above the Earth’s surface. It is above the cloudy layer we live in, the troposphere
71
Stratovolcano
type of volcano characterised by steep sides, also known as a composite cone
72
Subduction
describes oceanic crust sinking into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary. As the crust subducts, it melts back into the mantle
73
Sunspots
a dark patch that occasionally appears on the surface of the Sun
74
Tectonic hazards
natural events caused by movement of the Earth’s plates that affect people and property
75
Tectonic plate
the Earth’s surface is broken into large pieces, like a cracked eggshell. The pieces are called tectonic plates, or just plates
76
Thermal expansion
as a result of heating, expansion occurs. When sea water warms up, it expands
77
Trade winds
easterly winds that blow from high to low pressure, towards the Equator
78
Tree rings
the growth of a tree can be seen in its rings, each representing a year’s growth. Scientists use these to examine past climate conditions
79
Tropical cyclone
an area of low pressure with winds moving in a spiral around a calm central point called the eye of the storm – winds are powerful and rainfall is heavy
80
Tropics
regions either side of the Equator where the Sun moves directly overhead from its farthest point in the North and the South
81
Tsunami
earthquakes beneath the sea bed generate huge waves that travel up to 900km/h
82
Typhoon
term given to a tropical cyclone in the western North Pacific
83
Volcanic Explosivity | Index (VEI)
measures the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions on a scale of 1 to 8

geography hazardous earth glossary (1 decks)

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