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BTHS Geography Chapter 2
BTHS - A Living Planet
44
Geography
9th Grade
09/13/2009

Additional Geography Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Continents
Definition
Landmasses above water on earth
Term
Solar System
Definition

Consists of the sun and nine known planets, as well as other celestial bodies that orbit the sun.  The solar system also contains comets, spheres covered with ice and dust that leave trails of vapor as they race through space.

Asteroids - large chunks of rocky material are found in space as well.

Term
Core
Definition
Center of the earth made up of iron and nickel.  The outer core is liquid, but the inneer core is solid
Term
Magma
Definition
Molten rock that can form in the mantle and rise through the crust
Term
Crust
Definition

The thin layer of rock at the earth's surface.

19 - 37 miles thick

 

Term
atmosphere
Definition

(ATMOS meaning “uncut” or “indivisible)

(Sphere - ball or circle)

Contains the oxygen we breathe, protects the earth from radiation and space debris, and provides the medium for weather and climate.

Approximately 19 miles thick

Term
Lithosphere
Definition

(Lith = stone)

(Sphere = Circle or ball)

Includes the crust and the uppermost mantle.

Under the ocean, the lithosphere forms the ocean floor

(30 - 90 miles thick)

Term
Hydrosphere
Definition

(Hydro = water)

(Sphere = circle or ball)

 

made up of the water elements on earth, which include oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and water in the atmosphere

Term
Biosphere
Definition

(bios "life, way of living")

(sphere - ball or circle)

 

the part of the earth where plants and animals live.

Term
Continental Drift
Definition

Hypothesis that maintained that the earth was once a supercontinent that divided and slowly drifted apart over millions of years.

 

(< Greek hupothesis "foundation, base" < thesis "placing"]

Term

Asteroid

 

Definition

an irregularly shaped rock that orbits the Sun, mostly occurring in a band asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids range in size from the largest, Pallas, with a diameter of 480 km (300 mi), down to dust particles.

< Greek asteroeidēs "starlike" < astēr "star"]

Term
Hydrologic cycle
Definition
continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the earth
Term
Drainage Basin
Definition
an area drained by a major river and its tributaries
Term
ground water
Definition
water held in the pores of rock
Term
Water Table
Definition

Level at which the rock is saturated. 

The water table can rise or fall depending on the amount of precipitation in the region and on the amount of water pumped out of the ground

Term
Landforms
Definition

naturally formed features on the surface of the earth.

See pages 34 and 35 .

 

A good quiz question... how many landforms are shown on pages 34 and 35?

Term
Continental Shelf
Definition
The earth's (rock) surface from the edge of a continent to the deep part of the ocean
Term
Relief
Definition
The difference in elevation of a landform from its lowest point to its highest point
Term
Four Categories of Relief
Definition
Mountains, Hills, Plains, Plateaus
Term
Topography
Definition
The combination of the surface shape and composition of the landforms and their distribution in a region.
Term
Tectonic Plates
Definition

Enormous moving pieces of the earth's lithosphere

 

See Page 37

Term
San Andreas Fault
Definition

The San Andreas Fault, unlike most faults that stay below the ocean, emerges from the Pacific Ocean and traverses hundreds of miles of land. It runs through California for about 600 miles from Point Arena to the Imperial Valley. The fault marks the boundary between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates; earthquakes are caused by these plates sliding together.

[image]

Term
Divergent Boundary
Definition

Tectonic plates that move apart, spreading horizontally.  This plate movement can be observed in Iceland.

 [image]

Term
Convergent Boundary
Definition

Tectonic Plates colliding, causing either one plate to dive under the other or the edges of both plates to crumple.

An example can be founed in South Asia. 

India is crashing into the Asian continent and building up the Himalayas.

Term
Transform Boundary
Definition

Tectonic Plate movement where plates slide past one another.

One of the most famous examples of a transform boundary is in North America - the San Andreas Fault in California.

[image]

Term
Fault
Definition
A fracture in the earth's crust is called a fault and it is at the fault line that the plates move past each other.
Term
Earthquake
Definition
The shaking or trembling of the earth as plates grind or slip past each other.  Most are not noticeable but major earthquakes can be violent and destructive.
Term
Seismograph
Definition
A machine to measure the size of the waves created by an earthquake.
Term
Focus / Epicenter
Definition

The location on the earth where an earthquake begins is called the focus.

 

The point directly above the focus on the earth's surface is the epicenter.

Term
Richter Scale
Definition
A scale for measuring the intensity of earthquakes.
Term
Tsunami
Definition

A giant wave of water caused by an earthquake in the ocean.  Tsunami waves can travel at speeds up to 450 miles per hour producing waves of 50 to 100 feet high. 

Dude... you don't wanna be catching this wave!

Term
Volcanoe
Definition
A crack in the earth's surface where magma escapes, usually found along tectonic plate boundaries.
Term
Lava
Definition

Magma that has reached the earth's surface.

[image]

Term
Ring of Fire
Definition

A zone around the rim of the Pacific Ocean, is the location of the vast majority of active volcanoes.

See page 37

Term
Weathering
Definition
The physical and chemical processes that change the characteristics of rock on or near the earth's surface.
Term
Sediment
Definition
Small and smaller pieces of rock caused by the weathering process.
Term
Mechanical Weathering
Definition
Natural phenomenon that cause the changes in rock at the earth's surface.  The composition of the rock remains the same, only the size is changed. 
Term
Chemical Weathering
Definition

Occurs when a rock is changed into a new substance as a result of interaction between elements in the air or water and the minerals in the rock.

Some minerals react to oxygen, such as when iron rusts.

Term
Erosion
Definition

Occurs when weathered material is moved by the action of wind, water, ice, or gravity.

For erosion to occur, a transporting agent, such as water or wind, must be present.

Term
Delta
Definition
When a river enters the ocean, the sediment deposited in a fan-like landform is called a delta.
Term
Loess
Definition
Wind blown silt and clay sediment that produce very fertile soil.
Term
Glacier
Definition
A large, long lasting mass of ice that moves because  of gravity.
Term
Glaciation
Definition
The changing of landforms by slowly moving glaciers.
Term
Moraine
Definition
Rocks left behind by a glacier that form a ridge or a hill.
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