All Flashcards
Define: Plate tectonics
Theory that Earth's crust is divided into plates that move.
Define: Fault
A fracture in Earth's crust where plates meet.
Define: Weathering
Breaking down rocks into smaller pieces.
Define: Erosion
Moving broken rock pieces from one place to another.
Define: Deposition
Dropping eroded material in a new location.
Define: Decomposition
Adding organic matter to the soil.
Define: Climate
Long-term weather patterns (30+ years).
Define: Weather
Short-term atmospheric conditions.
Define: El Niño
Warmer-than-normal Pacific Ocean surface waters.
Define: La Niña
Cooler-than-normal Pacific Ocean surface waters.
What are the steps of soil formation?
Weathering, erosion, deposition, decomposition.
List the layers of the atmosphere (inner to outer).
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere
Define plate tectonics.
The theory that Earth's crust is divided into plates that move.
What is a fault?
A fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock.
Define weathering.
The breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces.
What is erosion?
The movement of weathered material from one place to another.
Define deposition.
The process of eroded material being dropped in a new location.
What is decomposition?
The process of adding organic matter to the soil.
Define climate.
Long-term weather patterns in an area (30+ years).
What is weather?
Short-term atmospheric conditions in an area.
Define El Niño.
Warmer-than-normal surface waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
What is La Niña?
Cooler-than-normal surface waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean.