knowledge organiser

• What are polar cells in atmospheric circulation?

  Cells where cold dense air descends into desert regions
• What happens to cold dense air in polar cells?


  It descends into desert regions
• What is the characteristic of destructive plate boundaries?

  Plates push together and one is subducted below the other
• Why does the oceanic plate sink beneath the continental plate?

  Because oceanic plates are denser
• What geological features form as plates press together at destructive boundaries?

  Mountains and volcanoes
• What occurs at conservative plate boundaries?

  Plates slide past one another
• What happens when pressure builds up at conservative boundaries?

  It is released when the plates suddenly slip past each other
• Do volcanoes occur at conservative plate boundaries?

  No, volcanoes do not occur at conservative plate boundaries
• What are the types of global circulation cells?

  Hadley cell, Ferrel cell, and Polar cell
• Which global circulation cell is the longest?

  Hadley cell
• Which global circulation cell is the shortest?

  Polar cell
• What is El Niño?

  A puller current of warm water
• What happens to rainfall during El Niño?

  More rainfall occurs in South America and less in Indonesia
• How are volcanoes related to plate tectonic boundaries?

  Volcanoes are often associated with plate tectonic boundaries
• Where does magma rise from in relation to plate tectonics?

  Magma rises from the atmosphere
• What is a subduction zone?

  A region where one plate is forced below another
• What geological features can form due to subduction?

  Trenches and mountains
• What is the focus of an earthquake?

  The point where the event happens underground
• What is the epicenter of an earthquake?

  The point on the earth's surface above where an earthquake occurs
• What is an example of a volcanic eruption?

  The Icelandic eruption in 2010
• What is an example of an earthquake?

  The Nepal Earthquake in 2015