Question | Answer |
Principle of Catastrophism | All of Earth's major features have been produced by a few great catastrophic events; popular in the 17th and 18th centuries |
Principle of Uniformitarianism | Same physical processes active in today's environment have bee operational throughout geologic time. |
Tectonic Cycle | creation, movement and destruction of tectonic plates |
Rock Cycle | largest, linked to all others; creates three different types of rock (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) |
Hydrologic Cycle | driven by solar energy; works by way of evaporation, precipitation, surface runoff and subsurface flow |
Biogeochemical Cycle | transfer of cycling of a chemical element(s) through the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere |
Convergent Plate Boundaries | Greatest Earthquakes; Subduction Zones |
Subduction Zone | Denser oceanic crust will go under lighter continental; Oceanic = 2.9 g/cm^3, Continental = 2.8 g/cm^3 |
Risk | product of probability of the event occurring times the consequences should it occur |
Risk Analysis | situation dependent |
Prediction | advance determination of the date, time and size of the event |
Forecast | announcement that states that a particular event is likely to occur during a specific time interval |
Flooding | provides nutrients to floodplain; fertile soils |
Landslides | debris forms dams, creates lakes |
Volcanic Ash | nutrient-rich soil |
Natural Hazard | natural source of danger to life, property and the environment |
Natural Disaster | natural event or process that destroys life and/or property; sudden event that causes great damage or loss |
Catastrophe | massive disaster with lots of damage and recovery is long and complex |