Podcast
Questions and Answers
Approximately how long ago was the last glacial maximum?
Approximately how long ago was the last glacial maximum?
- 200 million years ago
- 18,000 years ago (correct)
- 2 million years ago
- 20,000 years ago
Why did the coastline of North America look different 18,000 years ago compared to now?
Why did the coastline of North America look different 18,000 years ago compared to now?
- There was a transverse motion
- There was a continental shelf
- There was a huge trench (correct)
- Subduction was taking place
What is the continental shelf?
What is the continental shelf?
- The subduction zone
- The transverse motion of the fault
- The flooded part of the continent (correct)
- The outer extent of the ice sheet
What is the significance of the continental shelf in relation to the supercontinent Pangea?
What is the significance of the continental shelf in relation to the supercontinent Pangea?
How did glaciers modify the landscape?
How did glaciers modify the landscape?
During which epoch did the last glacial maximum occur?
During which epoch did the last glacial maximum occur?
What is the age of the ice ages?
What is the age of the ice ages?
Approximately when did the Pleistocene epoch occur?
Approximately when did the Pleistocene epoch occur?
What percentage of Earth's land area was covered in ice during the Pleistocene epoch?
What percentage of Earth's land area was covered in ice during the Pleistocene epoch?
Which hemisphere had more ice coverage during the Pleistocene epoch?
Which hemisphere had more ice coverage during the Pleistocene epoch?
What is the reason for the extensive ice coverage in the northern hemisphere during the Pleistocene epoch?
What is the reason for the extensive ice coverage in the northern hemisphere during the Pleistocene epoch?
How does sea ice form?
How does sea ice form?
Why was Alaska partially unglaciated during the Pleistocene epoch?
Why was Alaska partially unglaciated during the Pleistocene epoch?
What is the average global temperature decrease during ice ages?
What is the average global temperature decrease during ice ages?
What are positive feedback effects during ice ages?
What are positive feedback effects during ice ages?
Which mathematical model proposed the idea of ice ages based on variations in the Earth's orbit?
Which mathematical model proposed the idea of ice ages based on variations in the Earth's orbit?
What is the principal control of climate?
What is the principal control of climate?
What causes the change in seasons?
What causes the change in seasons?
Which of the following is NOT one of the orbital effects that contribute to ice ages?
Which of the following is NOT one of the orbital effects that contribute to ice ages?
What is the approximate duration of the cycle for eccentricity?
What is the approximate duration of the cycle for eccentricity?
Which latitude is thought to be critical for the formation of ice sheets during ice ages?
Which latitude is thought to be critical for the formation of ice sheets during ice ages?
Which region in California experiences some of the highest average annual precipitation?
Which region in California experiences some of the highest average annual precipitation?
What is the principal agent of erosion in deserts?
What is the principal agent of erosion in deserts?
How is a desert defined?
How is a desert defined?
During which time frame do we go through one cycle of the Milankovitch cycles?
During which time frame do we go through one cycle of the Milankovitch cycles?
What is the modern definition of a desert?
What is the modern definition of a desert?
What percentage of Earth's land surfaces are deserts?
What percentage of Earth's land surfaces are deserts?
What is the main cause of the distribution of deserts on Earth?
What is the main cause of the distribution of deserts on Earth?
What is the effect of the Himalayas on the global wind pattern?
What is the effect of the Himalayas on the global wind pattern?
Why is the Great Basin desert located at a higher latitude than expected?
Why is the Great Basin desert located at a higher latitude than expected?
Which of the following features is an erosional feature in the basin and range region?
Which of the following features is an erosional feature in the basin and range region?
What causes wind erosion in deserts?
What causes wind erosion in deserts?
What is the term for a large hole in the desert caused by wind blowing away loose material?
What is the term for a large hole in the desert caused by wind blowing away loose material?
Which direction does the wind blow in the Sahara Desert?
Which direction does the wind blow in the Sahara Desert?
What is the term for the sand that is carried by a stream in the bed load?
What is the term for the sand that is carried by a stream in the bed load?
What is the principal agent of erosion in deserts?
What is the principal agent of erosion in deserts?
What is the term for the process of sand grains being blasted against rocks by the wind?
What is the term for the process of sand grains being blasted against rocks by the wind?
Which term describes the hard covering of sand in a desert environment that prevents deflation?
Which term describes the hard covering of sand in a desert environment that prevents deflation?
What was the main cause of the dust bowl in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s?
What was the main cause of the dust bowl in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s?
Which depositional feature is associated with sand dunes?
Which depositional feature is associated with sand dunes?
What do cross beds indicate in a sand dune environment?
What do cross beds indicate in a sand dune environment?
What is the purpose of determining wind direction and sand concentration in sand dunes?
What is the purpose of determining wind direction and sand concentration in sand dunes?
What is the term for wind-blown silts that caused the dust bowl in the United States?
What is the term for wind-blown silts that caused the dust bowl in the United States?
What is the term for the areas where sand is sliding down in a sand dune?
What is the term for the areas where sand is sliding down in a sand dune?
What is the term for the patterns formed by sand dunes?
What is the term for the patterns formed by sand dunes?
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Study Notes
Understanding Ice Ages and Climate Change
- The Pleistocene epoch occurred approximately 3 million years ago.
- The Pleistocene epoch is part of geologic time, specifically the division after which we are currently in, the Holocene.
- During the Pleistocene epoch, 30% of Earth's land area was covered in ice, with the northern hemisphere having twice as much ice as the southern hemisphere.
- The extensive ice coverage in the northern hemisphere is due to the presence of more land in that region, which is necessary for the formation of continental ice sheets.
- Sea ice forms when seawater freezes, leaving behind the salt, resulting in relatively fresh water on the surface.
- Alaska was partially unglaciated during the Pleistocene epoch due to the circulation of warm water currents that moderated the climate in that region.
- Ice ages occur due to a cycle of global cooling, which can bring average global temperatures down by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius.
- Ice ages are characterized by positive feedback effects, where the presence of ice leads to further cooling and expansion of ice coverage.
- Positive feedback effects during ice ages include increased reflectivity of ice, which reflects more sunlight and lowers temperatures further, and the depression of continents, which also contributes to cooling.
- The presence of ice sheets during ice ages significantly alters the Earth's albedo, or reflectivity, which affects the amount of solar radiation absorbed or reflected back into space.
- Ice ages are part of large-scale climatic cycles that have occurred throughout Earth's history, with periods of both colder and warmer climates.
- Plate tectonics, such as the separation of continents like South America and Antarctica, can influence ocean currents and contribute to climate patterns, further affecting ice ages.
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