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54 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Crust |
Lithosphere - solid and hard - thinnest layer - outermost layer |
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Mantle |
Mesosphere - thick liquid rock - magma - made of semi-solid rock - thickest layer - middle layer |
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Outer Core |
Centrosphere - only liquid rock - iron and nickel |
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Inner Core |
- solid because of from outer layers - iron and nickel - extremely hot |
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Era |
A long and distinct period of history with particular features and characteristics |
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Precambrian Era (88%) |
- Canadian Shield formed - First organisms |
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Palaeozoic Era (7%) |
- Appalachians formed - Formation of Pangaea - First insects, amphibians, fish |
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Mesozoic Era (4%) |
- Formation of the Rocky Mountains begins - Innuitian Mountains formed - Break of Pangaea - Age of reptiles (dinosaurs) - First birds and animals |
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Cenozoic Era (1%) |
- Continents take on their present shape - Formation of the Rocky Mountains completed - Age of mammals (humans develop) |
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Sedimentary Rock |
- Particles of sand, shells, and pebbles (sediments) - These sediments form layers - Fairly soft and may break apart - Only type of rock that contains fossils Ex. Limestone, Conglomerate |
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Metamorphic Rock |
- Formed under the surface of the Earth - Ribbonlike layers - Shiny crystals - Forms due to heat and pressure Ex. Marble |
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Igneous Rock |
Cools quickly: - Looks shiny and glasslike - No crystals Ex: Obsidian Cools slowly: - Gas bubbles are trapped - Tiny holes and spaces Ex. Basalt |
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Magma |
Molten underground rock |
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Lava |
Molten surface rock |
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Weathering |
Climatic processes that help in breaking down large rocks |
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Erosion |
The force of wind, rain, and sun that wear away rocks |
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Sediments |
Solid matter that is moved and changed due to erosion |
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Rock Cycle |
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Plate Tectonics |
The theory of the formation and movement of the plates that cover the Earth's surface |
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Continental Drift |
The theory that all continents are fragments of Pangaea now drifting apart |
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Tectonic Plate |
A rigid but moving piece beneath the Earth's surface We know tectonic plates are moving because: - Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Tsunamis |
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Alfred Wegener |
Discovered existence of Pangaea and Continental Drift |
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Wilson's Theory |
- Came up with Plate Tectonics - Heat from the Earth's core causes convection currents which slowly move the crust around |
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Cause of an Earthquake |
When 2 tectonic plates slide past each other (called a Transform) (same with tsunamis underwater) |
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Epicenter |
The point directly above the Earth's surface where the earthquake occurs |
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Focus |
The point beneath the Earth's surface where the rocks break and move |
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Richter Scale |
- Used to measure earthquakes - when a whole number increases, the earthquake has released 30x more energy |
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Cause of a Volcano |
Subduction: one plate goes beneath a heavier one Divergent: 2 tectonic plates move apart, allowing magma to escape |
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Divergent - definition and effects |
- 2 plates move apart It causes: - volcanic activity |
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Convergent/Subduction |
- 2 plates collide and go upwards It causes: - forms mountains - volcanic activity |
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Transform Plates |
- 2 tectonic plates slide past each other It causes: - faults - cracks - earthquakes |
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Landforms (groupings) |
A natural feature of the Earth's surface Groupings: - Shields - Lowlands - Highlands |
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Pangaea |
Single landmass of all the Earth's continents Supercontinent |
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Continental Glacier |
- like ice sheets - the formation/flow doesn't have a big impact Ex: Antarctica |
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Alpine Glacier |
Forms on mountains and flows down them Ex. within mountains |
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Advance |
- Precipitation adds more mass to the glacier, total volume increases. - the glacier moves farther down the valley |
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Retreat |
- When glaciers melt, total volume decreases. - the glacier appears to move up the valley - in actuality, it just doesn't extend as far down the valley as it did previously |
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Formation of the Great Lakes |
- caused by the Ice Age - glaciers broke up rocks, then melted and formed the Great Lakes - melted 1000 years ago |
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Weather |
Refers to short term events, such as temperature, precipitation, etc. |
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Climate |
The long term pattern in the Earth's weather, such as wet, dry, hot, cold, etc. |
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Average Annual Temperature |
Add all 12 months' temperature and divide by 12 |
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Total Precipitation |
Add all 12 months' precipitation |
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Temperature Range |
Highest temp. - Lowest. temp. |
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Relief/Orographic Precipitation |
- clouds are forced over mountains - clouds must get rid of moisture to climb over - Canada's West Coast or Ontario's Snow Belt |
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Frontal/Cyclonic Precipitation |
- warm/moist air mass forced to rise when it replaces cold, dry air - Maritimes, Ontario |
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Convectional Precipitation |
- causes thunder, hail, lightning, and sometimes tornadoes mostly in summer: Ontario, Quebec, Prairies |
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Seafloor Spreading |
States that youngest rocks of the ocean floor are at diverging boundaries, moving outward |
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Canadian Shield Era formed, Land Uses & Activities, Physical Description |
- Precambrian - mining, tourism, hydroelectricity - mostly flat, rounded hills, rivers & lakes |
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Interior Plains Era formed, Land Uses & Activities, Physical Description |
- Paleozoic, Mesozoic - main rock: sedimentary - oil, coal, mining, wheat farming - gently rolling hills, deep wide river valleys |
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Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands Era formed, Land Uses & Activities, Physical Description |
- Palaeozoic - main rock: sedimentary - agriculture, transportation, manufacturing - escarpment, glacial hills, deep river valleys |
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Hudson Bay Arctic Lowlands Era formed, Land Uses & Activities, Physical Description |
- Palaeozoic - main rock: sedimentary - mining, hydroelectricity - flat & low, swampy forests, gently rolling islands |
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Appalachians Era formed, Land Uses & Activities, Physical Description |
- Palaeozoic - main rock: sedimentary - mining, fishing - plateaus, rolling mountains, wide glacial valleys |
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Innuitian Mountains Era formed, Land Uses & Activities, Physical Description |
- Mesozoic - main rock: sedimentary, some igneous & metamorphic - mining - icy mountains, barren jagged peaks |
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Western Cordillera Era formed, Land Uses & Activities, Physical Description |
- Mesozoic, Cenozoic - main rock: sedimentary, some igneous & metamorphic - farming, mining, tourism - jagged mountains, plateaus, deep valleys |
