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AC geology test 2
chapters 7-13
72
Geology
Undergraduate 2
03/27/2012

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Cards

Term
epicenter
Definition
point on earth's surface directly above the focus.
Term
focus
Definition
origin of and earthquake.
Term
San Andreas Fault
Definition
closet major fault to us.
Term
New Madrid fault zone
Definition
closest major fault zone to NWA.
Term
tsunamis
Definition
caused by underwater earthquakes
Term
greatest potential for disaster
Definition
Bay of Bengal and River Delta
Term
tropopause
Definition
boundary between troposhere and stratosphere.
Term
troposphere turnover time
Definition
2 weeks
Term
what absorbs UV radiation?
Definition
ozone
Term
monsoon
Definition
wind system generally associated with rain
Term
intertropical convergence zone
Definition
produces most of the precipitation in the tropical world.
Term
northeast trade winds
Definition
above the equator with constant wind flow
Term
what is necessary for precipitation?
Definition
rising air and water vapor
Term
three major grain growing areas
Definition
Great Plains, Ukraine, Argentina
Term
olivine crystal particles
Definition
cause the green tint to the green sand beach in Hawaii.
Term
Sanibel Island
Definition
Beach you could go to to collect large numbers of shells.
Term
how far does water expand when it freezes?
Definition
9%
Term
glacial flour
Definition
gives water its turquoise tint at Lake Louise
Term
chemically weather limestone
Definition
CO2 and water mix to make a weak solution of carbonic acid that breaks it down.
Term
average soil composition
Definition
45% rock and mineral fragments including clay
5% decomposed organic matter
50% pore space
Term
loam
Definition
equal amounts of sand, silt and clay. Allows water to move through slowly and stores a lot of water.
Term
leaching process
Definition
too much water filters through the soil and washes out most of the mineral constituents of the soil, leaving behind sterile soil.
Term
minimum rain in tropical areas
Definition
80 inches
Term
mollisols
Definition
nearly black surface horizon rich in organic matter and plant nutrient ions; subhumid to semiarid midlatitude grasslands.
Term
ultisols
Definition
southeast part of the US
Term
amount of water in the Great Lakes
Definition
20% of fresh water
Term
decline of wetlands
Definition
50% decline by degradation since colonization of the US. was 87 now 47
Term
UN report in 2003
Definition
says 7 billion people will be facing water scarcity in 50 years.
Term
withdrawal
Definition
refers to the use of water that is returned locally.
ex:showers and toilets
Term
consumption
Definition
use of water that is not returned locally
ex: irrigation
Term
irrigation in California and Texas
Definition
use 30% of all water consumed in the US
Term
salination
Definition
affects 10% of irrigated land globally. streams contain a salt concentration and create salt deposits in soil, decreasing productivity of crop fields.
Term
silting
Definition
occurs when reservoirs get backed up with sediment and reduce capacity
Term
three gorges Dam
Definition
largest hydroelectric dam in the world
Term
aquifer depletion
Definition
happens where water is used in excess of the recharge rate
Great Plains and portions of CA
Term
glacier formation
Definition
when snowfall in witner exceeds snow melt in the summer.
Term
Mt. Edna
Definition
longest documented Volcano that exists at the surface of the Earth and still exists
Term
spreading centers:
Definition
where you see the mid-atlantic ridge
Term
4.2 billion years ago
Definition
First continents started to form.
Term
Yellowstone
Definition
the oldest national park in the US
Term
Temperature in the stratosphere
Definition
gets warmer with altitude because of albedo. Different colors absorb different light(??)
Term
2 weeks
Definition
troposphere turnover time
Term
stratosphere turnover time
Definition
2 years
Term
where is the warmest air?
Definition
at or near the troposphere
Term
percentage of solar radiation that reaches the surface of Earth from the thermosphere
Definition
50%
Term
tropopause
Definition
boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere
Term
creation of the Himalayas.
Definition
India moved SW and crashed into Asia.
Term
Illusion Islands
Definition
The ACTUAL largest mountain range, they're under water
Term
intertropical convergence zone
Definition
produces most of the precipitation in the tropical world.Occurs where the northeast and southeast trade winds meet and cause air to rise.
Term
lithification
Definition
new sediment is formed when igneous rock is exposed at the surface
Term
mollisols
Definition
best soil
Term
How much fresh water is in the Great Lakes?
Definition
20%
Term
Average discharge of the Amazon
Definition
150000 cubic meters per second
Term
Average discharge of the Mississippi
Definition
17500 cubic meters second
Term
0.63%
Definition
percentage of ALL water that is usable fresh water
Term
1/2
Definition
amount of rain fall that is diverted for human use
Term
91%
Definition
Antarctic ice sheets contain how much of all ice on earth?
Term
zone of ablation
Definition
area that marks the transition between more snow melting in the summer than falling in the winter.
Term
Basal slip
Definition
type of glacial movement where the glacier slides across bedrock and there is melted water between the two.
Term
Plastic Flow
Definition
Type of glacial movement. Involves the natural flow of ice under the pressure of its own weight. Flows downhill of outward.
Term
Most famous hanging valley
Definition
Yosemite falls
Term
Formation of finger lakes
Definition
when glaciers scoured deep valleys and the valleys filled with water, these formed.
Term
terminal Moraine
Definition
end moraine that forms when a glacier is at its greatest advance before beginning to retreat
Term
Long Island
Definition
most famous terminal moraine
Term
esker
Definition
ridge that forms as the channel deposit of a stream that flowed withing or between a melting glacier
Term
drumlins
Definition
elongated hills common in the northern part of the US
Term
erosion
Definition
refers to the actual transportation of material
Term
weathering
Definition
refers to the physical and chemical changes of characteristics of rock.
Term
what would the absence of chemical weathering cause?
Definition
higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, thus higher temperatures.
Term
carbonic acid
Definition
primary cause of chemical weathering
Term
soil texture
Definition
proportion of different sized particles within a soil profiling
Term
nutrient cycle
Definition
The reason that rainforests can support vegetation. Nutrients are locked up in the plants, not the ground because the ground has gone through the leaching process.
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