Unit 4

Question 1

core

Answer 1

dense mass of solid nickel, iron, and radioactive elements that release massive amount of heat

Question 2

mantle

Answer 2

liquid layer of magma surrounding core, kept liquified by intense heat from core

Question 3

asthenosphere

Answer 3

solid, flexible outer layer of mantle, beneath the lithosphere

Question 4

lithosphere

Answer 4

thin, brittle layer of rock floating on top of mantle (broken up into tectonic plates)

Question 5

crust

Answer 5

very outer layer of the lithosphere, earth’s surface

Question 6

divergent plate boundary

Answer 6

plates move away from each other

Question 7

convergent plate boundary

Answer 7

plates move toward each other

Question 8

transform fault plate boundary

Answer 8

plates slide past each other in opposite directions (form: earthquakes)

Question 9

convection cycles

Answer 9

a cyclical process where heat transfers within a fluid (like air or water) through the movement of the fluid itself

Question 10

soil

Answer 10

mix of geologic (rock) and organic (living) components

Question 11

weathering

Answer 11

breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces

Question 12

erosion

Answer 12

transport of weathered rock fragments by wind and rain and carried to a new location and deposited (deposition)

Question 13

O-horizon

Answer 13

layer of organic matter (plant roots, dead leaves, animal waste, etc.)

Question 14

A-horizon

Answer 14

topsoil, layer of humus (decomposed organic matter) and minerals from parent materials

Question 15

B-horizon

Answer 15

subsoil; lighter layer below topsoil, mostly. made up of minerals with little to no organic matter

Question 17

compaction

Answer 17

compression of soil by machines (tractors, bulldozers), grazing livestock, and humans reduces ability to hold moisture

Question 18

gases of earth’s atmosphere

Answer 18

nitrogen, argon, oxygen, water vapor, and CO2

Question 18

nutrient depletion

Answer 18

repeatedly growing crops on the same soil removes key nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium)

Question 19

porosity

Answer 19

amount of pore space a soil has
(more sand in soil = more porous)
(more clay in soil = less porous)

Question 19

soil fertility

Answer 19

ability of soil to support plant growth

Question 20

exosphere

Answer 20

outermost layer where atmosphere merges with space

Question 21

thermosphere

Answer 21

temperature increases due to the absorption of highly energetic solar radiation (hottest place)

Question 22

mesosphere

Answer 22

temperature decreases because density decreases (coldest place)

Question 23

stratosphere

Answer 23

temperature increases because top layer statosphere is warmed by UV rays (like pool surface)

Question 24

troposphere

Answer 24

temperature decreases as air gets further from warmth of earth's surface.

Question 25

coriolis effect

Answer 25

an phenomenon where objects such as ocean currents and wind patterns moving on a rotating frame of reference (like the Earth) experiences an apparent deflection due to earth's rotation

Question 26

watershed

Answer 26

all of the land that drains into a specific body of water (river, lake, bay, etc.)

Question 27

albedo

Answer 27

the proportion of light that is reflected by the surface

Question 28

rain shadows

Answer 28

- dry land descends down the leeward side of the mountain and leads to arid desert conditions - warm, moist air from the ocean hits the windward side of the mountain and causes lush green vegetation and condenses H2O vapor and causes rain

Question 29

gyers

Answer 29

large ocean circulation patterns due to global wind

Question 30

upwelling zones

Answer 30

areas of the ocean where winds blow a warm surface water away from a land mass, drawing up colder, deeper water to replace it

Question 31

thermohaline circulation

Answer 31

connects all of the world's oceans, mixing salt, nutrients, and temperature throughout

Question 32

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

Answer 32

pattern of shifting atmospheric pressure and ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean between South America and Australia/Southeast Asia - oscillates/shifts regularly from El nino (warmer, rainier) to la Nina (cooler, drier) conditions along the coast of South America