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Catastrophic Geological events - Coggle Diagram
Catastrophic Geological events
Earth
Earth is a small planet in the vastness of space. It is one of several planets that travel through space around the Sun.
The Sun is a star, one of
hundreds of billions of stars
that
make up a galaxy
called the
Milky Way
.
The
Milky Way and billions of other galaxies make up the universe.
Geology
The study of Earth is called geology, and scientists who study Earth are geologists.
Geologists study different physical features of Earth to understand how they were formed and how they may have changed over time.
Much of Earth cannot be studied directly therefore geologists must often study samples of rock and use indirect methods to learn about the planet.
Cycle on and in Earth
Atmospheric circulation
Air warmed by the sun near the equator rises
and
flows toward Earth’s poles
,
returning to the surface and flowing back to the equator
.
This motion
,
combined with the rotation of Earth
,
moves heat and moisture around the planet
creating winds and weather patterns.
Ocean currents
Ocean currents are driven by the winds
and follow the same general pattern.
The
continents block the flow of water around the globe
, so
ocean currents flow west near the equator
, then
turn toward the poles
when they strike a continent,
turn east
, then
flow back to the equator on the other side
.
In all the oceans, the
ocean currents form great loops
that
flow clockwise north
of the equator and
counterclockwise south
of it.
Global heat conveyor
The global heat conveyor is a vast cycle of ocean water that distributes the oceans’ heat around Earth.
Water in the Polar Regions
is very
cold, salty, and dense
.
It sinks and flows along the sea floor toward the equator
.
Eventually, the
water rises along the margins of the continents and merges with the surface water flow
.
When it
reaches the Polar Regions, it sinks again
. This three–dimensional movement of water mixes heat throughout the oceans,
warming polar waters.
It also
brings nutrients up from the deep ocean to the surface
,
where they are available for marine plants and animals.