Earth and environmental science review day one (1)

The document discusses various concepts related to plate tectonics and volcanic landforms. It describes plate tectonics theory including evidence for seafloor spreading and subduction. It also discusses plate boundaries, mechanisms of volcanism, types of volcanic landforms such as shield volcanoes and calderas, and volcanic hazards.

This document introduces the topic of soil creep. It defines soil creep as the slowest type of mass movement, occurring at a rate of 1-3 mm per year in temperate areas and 10 mm per year in tropical forests. Soil creep is the continuous, imperceptible downhill movement of soil on gentle to moderately steep slopes due to factors such as gravity, moisture, weathering, and slope angle. Evidence of soil creep includes accumulated soil behind fences and walls, and tilted or bent trees and fences on affected slopes. Though slow, soil creep can eventually damage structures and remove layers of topsoil. The document provides examples and explanations to help the reader understand soil creep and differentiate it from other types of mass wasting and soil erosion

Volcanology is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geological phenomena. A volcano forms when magma rises from deep in the Earth's mantle and erupts on the surface. As more magma rises, it forms a magma chamber and conduit leading to a vent. Eruptions through the vent build the volcano over time. There are four main types of volcanism related to mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, hotspots, and flood volcanism. Heat sources for volcanism include radioactive decay, accretion during planetary formation, tidal effects, and core formation deep within the Earth.

The document provides an overview of Big Bend National Park in Texas, describing key landforms and geological features along a proposed virtual field trip route. It begins with background on the park's tectonic history and formation. Stops covered include the Panther Junction Visitor Center, Cattail Falls, The Window, Blue Creek Canyon, Burro Mesa Pour-off, Santa Elena Canyon, and Boquillas Canyon. For each stop, it highlights prominent geological features and processes like waterfalls, faults, river terraces, and cave formation through limestone dissolution. Diagrams and photos illustrate concepts like hydraulic jumps, exfoliation, and fluvial landforms like meanders and point bars shaped by the Rio Grande

The document summarizes how the internal structure of the Earth, including its core, mantle, and crust, drives forces like volcanoes and earthquakes. It then discusses how the movement of tectonic plates over millions of years has shaped the Earth's surface features, splitting supercontinents like Pangaea and forming mountain ranges. External forces like weathering, wind erosion, water erosion, and glacial activity also slowly change the Earth's landscape over long periods of time.

Landslides are the downslope movement of material under the influence of gravity. They are caused by factors such as water, steep slopes, weak rock types, structural features in rock, and human disturbance. The main types of landslides are rotational, translational, block, fall, earthflow, debris flow, mudflow, lateral spread, and creep. Landslide prevention methods include reducing slopes, diverting surface water, improving drainage, using retaining walls, soil grouting, and freezing unstable ground. Landslide remediation techniques involve removing unstable material, installing drainage systems, using retaining structures, and adding soil reinforcements.

This document summarizes a chapter about impacts and extinctions from an earth science textbook. It discusses different types of objects in space like asteroids, meteoroids and comets. It explains how impacts can create airbursts or impact craters on Earth and the evidence these provide. A major focus is on the mass extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period, proposing that it was caused by the impact of an asteroid approximately 180km wide that formed the Chicxulub crater. The sequence of events from impact to aftermath and extinction of dinosaurs is described. Risks of impacts are assessed and methods to minimize the hazard by tracking nearby objects are outlined.

The document summarizes key aspects of the hydrologic cycle and Earth's water systems. It describes the hydrologic cycle as a series of interconnected water storage areas and transfer processes. It discusses the oceans, which contain over 97% of Earth's water, and how ocean waters vary in salinity, temperature, and density around the world. It also outlines various freshwater storage areas like lakes, rivers, groundwater, and glaciers, and how humans have impacted some of these systems through activities like irrigation and groundwater extraction.

The document discusses several destructive forces that can cause changes to the Earth's surface: weathering and erosion break down and move rocks and sediment through various means like water, ice, and plant growth; landslides are the mass movement of land down slopes due to gravity; volcanic eruptions expel lava and ash from openings in the Earth's crust and can destroy landscapes; earthquakes are caused by vibrations from sudden movements within the Earth along faults and can trigger landslides and tsunamis; floods occur when large amounts of water cover dry land, causing erosion and depositing new sediments.