WG-Chapters 2-3

The part of the earth where life exists

• biosphere

• lithosphere

• hydrosphere

The resulting deflection of prevailing winds caused by the Earth's rotation

• Doldrums

• Rain Shadow

• Coriolis Effect

Permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground

• tundra

• permafrost

• oasis

A thin layer of gases that surround the Earth:

• atmosphere

• lithosphere

• hydrosphere

The theory that the continents were once joined and then slowly drifted apart:

• continental drift

• plate tectonics

• continental shelf

Process by which oceanic plates dive beneath continental plates, often causing mountains to form on land:

• accretion

• subduction

• faulting

Slow process in which an oceanic plate slides under a continental plate, creating debris that can cause continents to grow outward:

• accretion

• subduction

• faulting

The movement of weathered rock and material by wind, glaciers and moving water:

• glacier

• weathering

• erosion

Chemical or physical processes that break down rocks into smaller pieces:

• glacier

• weathering

• erosion

Underground water-bearing layers of porous rock, sand or gravel

• evaporation

• aquifer

• condensation