GEOLOGY 105 Quiz: exam 4

• School: UMASS-Amherst
• Department: Geology
• Course: GEOLOGY 105
• Professor: Stephen Burns

Document Summary

Ex: east coast of the u. s: active continental margin: ocean to continent transition is a plate boundary; typically a narrow continental shelf; sediment usually sparse & thin; seismically active. Ex: west coast of south america: deep-sea trenches that occur along convergent boundaries (ie. subduction zones) are another plate tectonic feature of bathymetry, ex: puerto rico trench. Atlantic plate is being subducted beneath caribbean plate. Coriolis effect influences ocean currents: water deflected to the right in n hemisphere, left in s hemisphere, deep ocean circulation: driven by differences in density. Interacts with the atmosphere, exchanges kinetic energy (wind, friction) and heat, typically well mixed: bottom water formation: begins with production of dense (cold and/or salty) water at high latitudes. Upwelling brings cold water to surface, eventually returning to n. Interior deserts: air loses moisture as it crosses continents, land far from ocean moisture can be very dry, ex.