Question 1

What are tectonic plates?

Accepted Answer

Massive pieces of the Earth's crust that slowly move around over millions of years

(form different types of boundaries)

Question 2

What happens at a convergent boundary?

Accepted Answer

Two tectonic plates are moving toward each other, resulting in subduction

Question 3

What is subduction?

Accepted Answer

When one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate

(the denser plate goes downwards)

Question 4

What structures form between two oceanic plates at a convergent boundary?

Accepted Answer

Island arcs, oceanic trenches, and volcanoes

Question 5

What structures form between a continental and oceanic plate at a convergent boundary?

Accepted Answer

Mountains and volcanoes

Question 6

What is an island arc?

Accepted Answer

A curved chain of volcanic islands created by the subduction of oceanic plates

(occurs at convergent boundaries)

Question 7

What is an oceanic trench?

Accepted Answer

A deep, long depression in the ocean floor created by the subduction of oceanic plates

(occurs at convergent boundaries)

Question 8

What is seafloor spreading?

Accepted Answer

The formation of new oceanic crust as a result of new magma rising up at a divergent boundary

Question 9

What happens at a divergent boundary?

Accepted Answer

Two tectonic plates move apart from each other

(can result in seafloor spreading, rift valleys, volcanoes, and earthquakes)

Question 10

What happens at a transform boundary?

Accepted Answer

Two plates slide past each other, creating friction and energy

(an earthquake occurs when this energy is released quickly; e.g., San Andreas Fault)

Question 11

How can earthquakes occur at a transform boundary?

Accepted Answer

An earthquake occurs when stress overcomes a locked fault, releasing stored energy

Question 12

What is parent material?

Accepted Answer

Geological material that soil horizons form from

(underneath the soil; e.g., bedrock)

Question 13

What is weathering?

Accepted Answer

Breaking down parent material into smaller and smaller particles, forming soil

Question 14

What is deposition?

Accepted Answer

The process of introducing particles from other places into the soil

Question 15

What is a soil horizon?

Accepted Answer

A layer of soil with different properties and nutrients from the layers above and beneath it

Question 16

How does vegetation affect soil formation?

Accepted Answer

Vegetation helps hold soil in place, reducing erosion and helping formation

Plant roots also help break up parent material, forming soil

Question 17

How does soil form?

Accepted Answer

Over time, weathering breaks down parent material into smaller and smaller particles

Particles from other places might be introduced through deposition

Question 18

What is the O Horizon?

Accepted Answer

A layer of organic material at the very top of the soil

(consists of the remains of plants and animals)

Question 19

What is the A Horizon?

Accepted Answer

A layer of weathered and fertile soil, that has mostly mineral particles but also has organic matter

(below O Horizon or on top)

Question 20

What is the E Horizon?

Accepted Answer

A layer of leaching, where nutrients from upper horizons move to lower horizons

(E stands for eluviation/leaching; below A)

Question 21

What is the B Horizon?

Accepted Answer

A layer of subsoil where minerals such as iron and other nutrients accumulate

(below E or A)

Question 22

What is the C Horizon?

Accepted Answer

A layer of unconsolidated material above bedrock; not weathered enough to be considered soil

(usually too deep for plant roots; below B)

Question 23

What is bedrock (R Horizon)?

Accepted Answer

The solid rock that lies beneath the soil

(deepest layer; below C)

Question 24

What is the Dust Bowl?

Accepted Answer

A period of severe dust storms that caused major ecological and agricultural damage to the US in the 1930s

(poor agricultural practices led to soil erosion, exacerbating the event)

Question 25

How does soil affect water quality?

Accepted Answer

Soil and vegetation help filter water and remove pollutants, so if there is no soil or vegetation, water quality can be negatively impacted

Question 26

What causes soil erosion?

Accepted Answer

Soil erosion is caused by wind and water when there is no vegetation or plants to help hold the soil in place

Question 27

What is sediment transportation?

Accepted Answer

The movement of solid particles due to gravity, water, or some other force

Transportation of parent material can form soil

Question 28

What is the water-holding capacity of soil?

Accepted Answer

The total amount of water soil can hold

(varies with soil types; contributes to land productivity and soil fertility)

Question 29

What is the particle size of soil?

Accepted Answer

The diameter of individual particles in soil

(clay= <0.002mm, silt=0.002-0.05mm, sand=0.05-2mm, gravel= >2mm)

Question 30

What is a soil's porosity?

Accepted Answer

How many spaces or holes there are in the soil that liquid/air can pass through

(larger particle size = higher porosity)

Question 31

How is the permeability of soil?

Accepted Answer

The ability of nutrients and water to move down the soil horizons

(larger particle size = higher permeability)

Question 32

What is the fertility of soil?

Accepted Answer

The ability of a soil to sustain plant growth and provide nutrients

Question 33

TODO: ERT-4.C.3
There are a variety of methods to test the
chemical, physical, and biological properties of
soil that can aid in a variety of decisions, such
as irrigation and fertilizer requirements.

Accepted Answer

todo

Question 34

How do you read the soil texture triangle?

Accepted Answer

The angle of the numbers shows you the way the lines go for each type of particle

(40% sand, 20% clay, 40% silt = loam)

Question 35

What type of soil is 70% sand, 15% clay, and 15% silt?

Accepted Answer

Sandy loams

(follow the numbers diagonally)

Question 36

What are the major gases in Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Nitrogen (~78%) and oxygen (~21%)

(carbon dioxide, neon, and hydrogen exist in smaller concentrations)

Question 37

Why is ozone important in the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

It absorbs harmful UV radiation from the Sun, preventing it from reaching the surface

Question 38

Why does the equator naturally receive the most heat?

Accepted Answer

The earth's axis is tilted, causing the sun's rays to hit the surface at a higher angle near the equator

Question 39

What are convection cells?

Accepted Answer

Patterns of warm air rising and cool air sinking in the atmosphere that circulate heat from the equator to the poles and help redistribute heat energy on Earth

Question 40

What are Hadley cells?

Accepted Answer

The largest convection cells in the atmosphere that are closest to the equator

Warm air rises from the equator and falls at 30 degrees N/S

Question 41

What are Ferrel cells?

Accepted Answer

Medium-sized convection cells that are in the middle of Hadley and Polar cells (30-60 degrees)

Cold air falling from the Hadley cells pushes warm air up into the Ferrel cells

Question 42

What are Polar cells?

Accepted Answer

Smaller convection cells that are the closest to the poles

Cold air from the poles sinks and flows to lower latitudes, where it warms up and rises

Question 43

What are the three convection cells in the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Hadley cells

Ferrel cells

Polar cells

(six in total, three in North, three in South)

Question 44

What is the Coriolis effect?

Accepted Answer

A phenomenon caused by the rotation of the Earth, where objects appear to deflect right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere

(affects global weather patterns and the direction of ocean currents)

Question 45

What are trade winds and westerlies?

Accepted Answer

Trade winds are consistent easterly winds near the equator, while westerlies are consistent westerly winds in the mid-latitudes

(trade winds blow from the east to the west, while westerlies blow from the west to the east)

Unit 4 - Earth Systems and Resources, AP Environmental Science Flashcards