earth systems 2 nd semester final exam review guide 2012-2013

EARTH SYSTEMS2ND SEMESTERFINAL EXAM

REVIEW GUIDE2012-2013

What events warn scientists that a volcanic eruption may

occur?

1.) changes in earthquake activity near or around the volcano such as an increase in the strength and frequency of the earthquakes2.) temperature changes in the rock and soil surrounding a volcano 3.) the upward movement of magma beneath the surface may cause the surface of the volcano to bulge outward4.) changes in the amount and composition of the gases that the volcano emits

What are the three primary topographical land tectonic

settings?

1.) convergent/divergent tectonic plates 2.) subduction zones

-trench-island arc

3.) mid-ocean ridge

What is the difference between a

pluton and a batholith?

Magma that pushes up can cause fissures or fractures that can be skinny lines or huge fat formations. Magma that does not reach the Earth’s surface, then cools and solidifies is called a pluton. Small plutons are dikes, and large plutons are batholiths. What is an example of a batholith in Georgia?

What is an example of an exposed batholith?

Stone Mountain

Where is the most active site of volcano and

tectonic activity on Earth?

Pacific Ring of Fire

What are the fragments

of rock that are spit from

a volcano and includes large and small pieces of

volcanic ash, dust, lapilla,

bombs, and blocks?

pyroclastic material

How are most volcanic islands formed?

Most island volcanoes are made or formed ofmafic magma. Because of the magma’s low viscosity, they are the result of quiet eruptions.Mafic magma is magma rich in magnesium and iron and is commonly dark in color. Felsic magma is made of light-colored silica materials. Mafic rock commonly makes up oceanic crust and felsic and mafic rock together usually make up continental crust.

What are the conditions that affect whether

magma forms?

Magma forms when the temperature of the rock rises above the melting point of the minerals that compose it.

Also, the pressure of the rock lessons or decreases faster than its temperature does.

And, when it is mixed with fluids that decrease it’s melting point.

What happens when an ocean plate and a continental plate collide?

The oceanic plate is likely to subduct because it is more

dense than the continental plate.

What causes rock in the

lower mantle to remain below

its melting point?

Both temperature and pressure

increase as depth below Earth’s

surface increases. This keeps rock at the core hot and

liquid.

Explain how magma reaches Earth’s surface.

Both temperature and pressure

increase as depth below Earth’s

surface increases. This keeps rock at the core hot and

liquid.

How does the amount of a

rock’s surface area affect

weathering?

The larger the area, the

higher the rate of

weathering.

Plant and animal

activities cause what kind of weathering?

chemical and

mechanicalWeathering

Chemical weathering is when rocks break down as a result of chemical reactions such as the formation of caves or iron rusting.

Mechanical weathering is when rocks break down by physical means such as freezing and thawing and salt wedging.

Climates that have the fastest rate of

weathering are what?

Alternatinghot and coldtemperatures

Topography with high mountains

and steep slopes are especially

vulnerable to what type of

weathering?

mechanicalweathering

Which landform is

NOT the result of weathering and erosion?

wetlands

Which farming methods

conserve or save soil?

• Contour plowing – plowing the land in contours or curves that follow the shape of the land preventing water from flowing down hill and causing gullies to form

• Strip-cropping – alternating cover crops side by side with food crops preventing runoff

• Terracing – constructing step-like ridges that follow the contours of the land preventing runoff

• Crop rotation – the planting of different crops each year preventing the depletion of nutrients the soil needs to be healthy for plants

Furrowing is does not help soil. It is the old fashioned way of using a tool like a plow to dig a trench.

What effect would you expect a drought

to have on the capillary action in

soil and, ultimately, on your supply of

fresh groundwater?

Without rainwater to replenish aquifers, the capillary action will slow and then stop as the

water table drops and then dries. The result is a dry well and no water. Conservation of groundwater is critical during times of drought in order to

prevent total depletion of the water supply.

How does gravity affect

the flow of groundwater?

Water flows downward in response to gravity. The rate at which it flows depends on the permeability of the rock and the gradient. The greater the permeability of the rock, the faster the water will flow. The velocity of the flow responds to gravity and increases as the gradient increases.

Rock becomes chemically weathered when what happens?

When carbonic acid, formed when water passes through soil, dissolves minerals in the rock, then rock becomes chemically

weathered?

Which minerals make rocks especially

vulnerable to chemical

weathering?

calcite• The mineral calcite is composed

of calcium, carbon, and oxygen. The chemical formula is CaCO3.

A cavern is a natural cavity in rock that forms as a result of

what?

the dissolution of minerals or

minerals washed out from inside

the Earth

How does a river form?

•Precipitation or rainfall exceeds evapotranspiration.•Soil soaks up as much water as it can hold.• Excess water erodes the land, and eventually a river valley forms.

What are two ways that fresh water supplies

can be maintained?

•water conservation methods•alternative methods of obtaining fresh water

What is a watershed

?

the area drained by

a river system

What is a tributary?

a stream that feeds another stream or lake

Where does most

evaporation and precipitation

occur on Earth?

oceans

What are the stages of the water

cycle?

The process by which liquid water changes into water vapor is called evaporation. Annually, about 500,000 km3 of water evaporates into the atmosphere. The total loss of water from the soil, water sources such as lakes, rivers, oceans,streams, plants, and organisms is called evapotranspiration. Then, when water changes states from a gas to a liquid and cools, condensation occurs and some of it becomes tiny water droplets and forms clouds. Finally, in the last stage of the water cycle called precipitation, water falls to Earth in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail and the process starts over. More than 75% of all precipitation falls on Earth’s oceans.

A massive sheet of ice that may

cover millions of square

kilometers is what?

continental glacier

What is an alpine

glacier?

An alpine glacier is a narrow, wedge-shaped piece of ice that forms in mountainous regions and is confined to small areas by surrounding topography. Examples include valley glaciers, cirque glaciers, and piedmont glaciers.

Sediment carried and

deposited by glaciers is

called what?

Glacial drift

Explain the principle

behind the Milankovitch

theory?

Cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit

and in the tilt of its axis cause

climatic changes.

Which of the following is one

theory that explains the cause of ice

ages?

Ice ages may be caused by volcanic dust that blocks sunlight.

How does an alpine glacier

form and where is it

found?

It forms in the mountains and is confined by

local topography.

How does an iceberg

form?

Action of the tides causes a block of ice to break from an

ice shelf.

What forms when small

marine animals that live in

warm, shallow seas grow?

coral reefs

A gentle slope that forms a smooth

coastal plain with long, wide beaches

is a feature of which of the following?

emergent coastline

An area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from

the ocean is known as what?

estuary

How are barrier islands

formed?

Barrier islands are formed when sand spits separate from land after a storm.

Sarasota, Florida

How can coastal

lands be protected?

• Private owners and the government need to work together to form new protective laws

• We need to vote for people who will work now to form guidelines to protect the coastlines.

• We can encourage local governments to work to rebuild eroded beaches.

• Local governments should be encouraged to slow or stop coastal development or putting up new buildings close to the beach.

Where are the flattest regions on

Earth?

abyssal plains

abyssal plains are large, flat, almost level areas of deep-ocean basins

How do sediments from rivers spread

over the deep-ocean basins?

turbidity currents

Turbidity currents are formed when earthquakes cause underwater landslides or when a

large sediment load is shifted from other currents and runs down a continental slope.

The Mariana Trench is

best known for its what?

The Mariana Trench is known as the deepest

part of the ocean on Earth.

The trench is about 2,550 kilometers (1,580 mi) long but has a mean width of only 69 kilometers (43 mi). It reaches a maximum-known depth of about 10.91 kilometers (6.78 mi) (35,800 ft) at the

Challenger Deep, a small slot-shaped valley in its floor, at its southern end, although some unrepeated measurements place the deepest portion at 11.03 kilometers (6.85 mi).

James Cameron and his team is currently diving in the Mariana Trench.

What are ocean trenches and

mid-ocean ridges and how do the processes that

form them differ?

Trenches are long, narrow depressions or holes in deep-ocean basins and form where one tectonic plate subducts under another tectonic plate.

Mid-ocean ridges are long undersea mountain chains with steep, narrow valleys and form as magma rises from the asthenosphere.

What are the two main

processes that ocean water temperature depends on?

• The oceans’ temperature depends on the solar energy an area receives.• It also depends on the movement of water through the rotation of the Earth, through the pull of gravity from the Moon, and convection currents.

Volcanic eruptions, chemical weathering of

rock on land, and chemical reactions between sea

water and newly formed sea-floor rocks provide

most of the raw elements that form this dissolved

solid in the ocean.

sea saltsSea salts are made of about 75 dissolved chemical elements. The most

abundant elements in ocean water consist of chlorine, sodium, magnesium, sulfur,

calcium, and potassium. Gold, zinc, and phosphorus are some of the trace elements found in

ocean water.

The ocean zone that receives the

most solar energy and is

home to the most diverse ocean life

forms is what?

pelagic zone

Why are plankton the foundation of

life in the ocean?

they form the base of the ocean food

chain

The warming of the surface and lower

atmosphere of Earth that occurs when

carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and

reradiate infrared radiation is known as

what?

greenhouse effect

Prevailing winds that blow

throughout the contiguous

United States are called what?

Westerlies

What’s the difference

between an air mass and a weather front?

• An air mass is a body of air. It has similar characteristics to the land on top of which it forms. If there is a low pressure, there is most likely to be a storm.

• Fronts are the boundaries in between two different, or same air masses. (e.g: a cold front is when a cold air mass hits a warm air mass and quickly pushes the warm air mass upward.)

Continental polar, maritime polar,

continental tropical, and

maritime tropical are types of

what?

air massesAir masses are large bodies of air throughout which the temperature and

moisture content are similar.

What is the weather effect that occurs when a

moving air mass hits a mountain, rises, cools, and loses most of its moisture

and precipitation?

Rainshadow Effect

What affects the angle at which

the sun’s rays hit the Earth?

Latitude

Lines of latitude run east and west. The only line of latitude that is a Great Circle is the equator.

What are the two main

factors used to study climates?

Temperature and

Precipitation

What happens when city

buildings reradiate solar energy?

A heat island forms.

Does land or water hold the most heat and

why?

Land holds more heat than water.

Land is stationary. Water moves around.

How did the oceans become

salty?

Solids dissolved on land and ran into oceans.

Where is the majority of the matter from the

solar nebula found?

The Sun

What are the planets in our solar system?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas.) Pluto is considered a dwarf planet.

What are the major

characteristics of the inner and outer planets?

The inner planets are made of solids and the outer planets are made of gas and are called gas giants.

What are Johannes Kepler’s laws of planetary

motion?

Kepler’s first law is the law of ellipses that states each planet orbits the sun in an ellipse which is a closed curve with the focus point being the sun.

Kepler’s second law is the law of equal areas which describes the speed at which objects travel at different points in their orbits.

Kepler’s third law is the law of periods which describes the average distance of a planet from the sun and the orbital period of the planet. The orbital period is the time it takes for a body to complete a single orbit.

What is a solar

nebula?

A solar nebula is a rotating cloud of gas and dust.

How did the atmosphere of Earth develop?

Scientists believe the atmosphere formed when volcanic eruptions released large amounts of gases in a process called outgassing.

What separates the inner and

outer planets of our solar system?

The asteroid belt separates the inner and outer planets in our solar system.

ESSAY QUESTION: Explain what the five types of land degradation are and how they affect the Earth.

Land Degradation – when human activity and natural processes damage the land to the point where it no longer supports the local ecosystem which includes all the animals and plants

· agriculture – the process where arable land is plowed, fertilize, irrigated, and all natural ecosystems are destroyed

· urbanization – the movement of people from rural areas to cities causing urban sprawl when fertile, arable land is covered over with buildings and cement

· cvergrazing – when more animals graze on a piece of land than the land can support which destroys all grasses and causes erosion

· deforestation – the clear-cutting of all trees destroying all animals habitats

· desertification – when an area becomes like a desert because all the plants are removed and the land is useless for farming or human habitation