All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Which landform is most directly created by deposition at a river mouth?
Answer: A delta. Rivers deposit sediment where they meet the ocean, forming triangular landforms.
Flashcard 2: What is deposition in Earth system interactions?
Answer: Dropping and building up sediments in a new location. Sediments settle when water or wind slows down.
Flashcard 3: What process forms clouds when water vapor cools into liquid droplets?
Answer: Condensation. Water vapor loses heat and changes back to tiny liquid droplets.
Flashcard 4: What process returns water from clouds to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail?
Answer: Precipitation. Gravity pulls water droplets down when they become too heavy to float.
Flashcard 5: What is runoff in the water cycle, and which Earth systems does it connect?
Answer: Water flows over land; connects hydrosphere and geosphere. Surface water movement links water and land systems.
Flashcard 6: What is infiltration, and why does it matter for groundwater?
Answer: Water soaks into soil/rock; it recharges groundwater. Downward water movement replenishes underground water supplies.
Flashcard 7: Which Earth system interaction best explains how plant roots can break rock apart?
Answer: Biosphere acting on the geosphere (biological weathering). Living things physically break rock as roots grow and expand.
Flashcard 8: Which Earth system interaction explains how forests can reduce erosion during heavy rain?
Answer: Biosphere stabilizes geosphere, reducing hydrosphere-driven erosion. Plant roots hold soil in place, preventing water from washing it away.
Flashcard 9: Which Earth system interaction can create U-shaped valleys and moraines?
Answer: Hydrosphere (ice) acting on the geosphere (glacial erosion). Glaciers carve distinctive valleys as they slowly move downhill.
Flashcard 10: Which Earth system interaction forms sand dunes in dry regions?
Answer: Atmosphere acting on the geosphere (wind erosion/deposition). Wind picks up and piles sand particles into hill-shaped formations.
Flashcard 11: Which Earth system interaction causes rivers to carve valleys and canyons?
Answer: Hydrosphere acting on the geosphere (water erosion). Flowing water cuts through rock over thousands of years.
Flashcard 12: What is erosion in terms of how Earth systems change land?
Answer: Moving weathered material by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Natural forces transport weathered particles to new locations.
Flashcard 13: What process moves water from oceans and lakes into the air as water vapor?
Answer: Evaporation. Heat energy transforms liquid water into invisible water vapor.
Flashcard 14: What is weathering in terms of how Earth systems change land?
Answer: Breaking down rock into smaller pieces. Physical or chemical processes weaken rock without moving it.
Flashcard 15: Identify the Earth system interaction that produces acid rain that can wear away rock.
Answer: Atmosphere interacting with the geosphere (chemical weathering). Pollutants in air combine with water to create acidic precipitation.
Flashcard 16: What is the water cycle process called when liquid water becomes water vapor?
Answer: Evaporation. Heat energy transforms liquid water into invisible gas.
Flashcard 17: What are the four main Earth systems that interact to affect land, water, and life?
Answer: Geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere. These four systems interact to shape Earth's surface and support life.
Flashcard 18: What is the geosphere in Earth system interactions?
Answer: Solid Earth: rocks, soil, landforms, and Earth interior. Includes all solid materials that make up Earth's structure.
Flashcard 19: What is the hydrosphere in Earth system interactions?
Answer: All Earth water: oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater, ice. Encompasses water in all its forms across the planet.
Flashcard 20: What is the atmosphere in Earth system interactions?
Answer: The layer of gases surrounding Earth. This protective layer contains the air we breathe.
Flashcard 21: What is the biosphere in Earth system interactions?
Answer: All living things and the places they live. Includes all ecosystems and organisms on Earth.
Flashcard 22: What is weathering in the geosphere, and what does it do to rocks?
Answer: Breaking rocks into smaller pieces by water, wind, ice, or plants. Physical and chemical processes break down rocks without moving them.
Flashcard 23: What is erosion, and what is being moved during erosion?
Answer: Movement of weathered rock and soil (sediment). Transports broken rock pieces from one location to another.
Flashcard 24: Which Earth system mainly causes erosion by wind: geosphere, hydrosphere, or atmosphere?
Answer: Atmosphere. Wind is part of the atmosphere and carries particles away.
Flashcard 25: Which Earth system mainly causes erosion by flowing water: hydrosphere, geosphere, or biosphere?
Answer: Hydrosphere. Rivers and streams are part of the hydrosphere that transport sediment.
Flashcard 26: What is deposition, and what happens to sediment during deposition?
Answer: Sediment is dropped and settles in a new place. Occurs when moving water or wind slows and releases carried particles.
Flashcard 27: Which interaction best explains a river delta forming where a river meets an ocean?
Answer: Hydrosphere deposits geosphere sediment. River water slows at the ocean, dropping sediment to form the delta.
Flashcard 28: What is the water cycle process called when water vapor cools into liquid droplets?
Answer: Condensation. Cooling causes water vapor to form tiny droplets in clouds.
Flashcard 29: What is the water cycle process called when water falls from clouds to Earth?
Answer: Precipitation. Gravity pulls water droplets or ice crystals from clouds.
Flashcard 30: What is runoff, and which two Earth systems does it directly connect?
Answer: Water flows over land; connects geosphere and hydrosphere. Surface water movement links Earth's solid surface with water systems.