| A | B |
|---|
| stress | force applied to a given area |
| compressional stress | shortens and thickens crust |
| tensional stress | thins and stretches crust |
| strain | actual change in shape or size of a rock body due to stress |
| ductile deformation | rock deep in the ground flows/folds in response to stress |
| brittle deformation | rock body near the surface fractures/faults in response to stress |
| anticline | formed by upfolding (arching) of rock layers |
| syncline | formed by downfolds, or rock troughs |
| normal fault | hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall in response to tensional stress |
| reverse fault | hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall in response to compressional stress |
| thrust fault | a reverse fault with a dip angle of less than 45 degrees |
| isostasy | vertical movement of earth's plates based on gravitational balance of land mass vs. asthenosphere depression |
| joint | vertical fracture in a rock body with no offset |
| weathering | the disintegration and decomposition of rock at or near Earth's surface |
| erosion | the transport of weathered rocks by a mobile agent |
| frost wedging | physical weathering caused by the expansion of water as it freezes within a rock body |
| talus slopes | large piles of rock rubble at the base of rock outcrops |
| sheeting | large slabs of igneous rock break loose in layers |
| mass wasting | downslope movements of soil and unconsolidated materials (rock fragments) without the use of a transport medium |
| competence | maximum size of particles a stream is capable of carrying based on its velocity (energy) |
| capacity | maximum load (amount of sediment) a stream can carry |
| meanders | wide, sweeping bends in an older stream |
| calving | when large pieces of ice break off the front of a glacier; form icebergs at sea |
| plucking | when a glacier loosens and lifts blocks of rock as it moves over a fractured surface |
| drift | deposits of sediment left by a retreating glacier |
| saltation | rolling and skipping of larger grains of sand along the surface of the desert by the force of winds |
| desert pavement | stony surace of coarse pebbles and cobbles formed as the final result of longterm deflation |
| loess | a blanket of fine, windblown silt over a broad area |
| physical oceanography | study of the physical properties of the ocean, such as temperature, depth, and waves and currents |
| geological oceanography | study of the shape, composition, and evolution of the seafloor and its sediments |
| ocean | an immense body of saltwater with a well-defined basin |
| bathymetry | study of the depth and topography of the ocean floor |
| abyssal plain | deep, extremely flat features formed by thick accumulations of fine sediment from turbidity currents |
| diurnal | one high and low tide per day |
| semidiurnal | two equal sets of high and low tides per day |
| geostrophic flow | warm currents directed away from the equator, and cool ones toward it |
| Coriolis Effect | the apparent deflective force of Earth's rotation on all free-moving objects; deflection to right in northern hemisphere and to left in southern |
| Ekman Spiral | vertical spiraling effect on ocean water due to the combination of the coriolis effect and the drag of deflected surface water on the underlying water |
| upwelling | the vertical movement of cold, nutrient-rich, deep water to the surface to replace warmer surface water that has been moved away, such as by continental deflection |
| El Nino | name given to periodic warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean |
| La Nina | name given to the periodic cooling of the eastern Pacific Ocean |
| thermocline | layer of water in which there is a rapid change in temperature with depth |
| plankton | includes all organisms that drift in the ocean |
| nekton | includes all animals capable of moving independent of the ocean currents |
| benthos | organisms living on or in the bottom of the ocean |
| pelagic zone | open zone of the ocean at any depth |
| benthic zone | marine-life zone that includes any sea-bottom surface regardless of its distance from shore |
| terrigeneous sediment | formed from eroded continental rocks that are transported to the ocean by rivers and runoff |
| biogeneious sediment | formed from shells and skeletons of marine animals and algae |
| chemosynthesis | process whereby microorganisms create energy without the use of light |
| bycatch | unintentional harvest |
| ocean acidification | addition of inorganic carbon sources into the ocean, driving the production of carbonic acid and lowering the pH |
| eutrophication | process where oxygen is lost from the water column as a direct result of the decay of algal blooms formed by the addition of nitrate sources |
| photophores | light producing adaptations found in deep sea fish |
| barbel | long, skinny extension from the chin of a deep sea fish, usually tipped with a photophore, and used like a fishing lure |
| weather | state of the atmosphere at a particular time and a particular place |
| climate | long-term state of the atmosphere at a particular location |
| solar insolation | measure of the portion of the sun's energy that reaches Earth's surface |
| albedo | solar energy reflected by the Earth's surface |
| troposphere | layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface where almost all weather occurs |
| stratosphere | layer above troposphere that contains the ozone layer and jet streams |
| temperature inversion | indicates that the temperature is increasing with height in the atmosphere |
| isobar | countour line drawn connecting areas of equal pressure |
| anemometer | measures wind speed |
| relative humidity | actual ratio of how much water vapor is present vs. how much the air is capable of holding for that temperature and pressure |
| sling psychrometer | type of hygrometer using 2 thermometers, one with a wet bulb and one dry, and a table |
| dew point | the temperature at which a parcel of air has to be cooled to reach saturation |
| station model | symbolic illustration showing weather occurring at a given reporting station |
| air mass | a large body of air with uniform temperature and moisture |
| front | place where 2 air masses interact |
| cold front | fast moving front associated with violent weather activity that occurs directly at the front |
| warm front | associated with steady precipitation that generally happens ahead of the front |
| cold front map symbol | blue line with triangles pointing in the direction of movement |
| warm front map symbol | red line with half circles pointing in the direction of movement |
| jet stream | strong pressure gradient create high winds at high altitudes where polar air masses meet tropical air masses |
| monsoon | seasonal reversal of wind direction associated with large continents |
| high pressure system | pressure increases as you move toward the center of the system and winds move clockwise; also called an anticyclone |
| low pressure system | pressure increases as you move away from the center of the system and winds move counterclockwise; also called a cyclone |
| condensation nuclei | very fine particles in the atmosphere that provide a surface for water to condense and form a cloud |
| renewable energy source | generally one that can be replenished by nature within a 100 year period |
| cryosphere | the frozen part of the Earth's surface |
