Hialeah Gardens High School  2021-2022

2.1 Tectonic processes
The movement of tectonic plates is responsible for the formation of many different features of the ocean floor, including hydrothermal vents and ocean trenches, and phenomena such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

Learning outcomes
Candidates should be able to:
2.1.1 describe the structure of the Earth, limited to crust (oceanic and continental), mantle and core

2.1.2 describe and apply the theory of plate tectonics, and the evidence supporting the theory, limited to the geological matching of rock formations, distribution of fossils and living organisms, paleomagnetic stripes on the ocean floor and the jigsaw fit of the continents

2.1.3 identify and describe the three types of plate boundary as convergent, divergent and transform

2.1.4 explain how tectonic processes produce ocean trenches, mid-ocean ridges, hydrothermal vents, abyssal plains, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis

2.1.5 state that the water coming from hydrothermal vents is under pressure, hot and rich in dissolved nutrients and that this forms the hydrothermal vent plume

2.1.6 understand that the effects of the hydrothermal vent plume can be detected some distance from the hydrothermal vent site

2.1.7 explain how the chimneys form at hydrothermal vents, including reference to temperature and solubility of salts

2.2 Weathering, erosion and sedimentation
Weathering of rocks results in the production of small fragments, which may be eroded (carried away) and deposited elsewhere as sediment. The balance between the rate at which sediments are eroded and deposited in the littoral zone determines the type of shore that forms.

Learning outcomes
Candidates should be able to:
2.2.1 distinguish between weathering and erosion

2.2.2 describe the three main types of weathering: chemical, physical and organic, and be able to describe an example of each type

2.2.3 describe the four main types of erosion: by ice, water, wind and gravity

2.2.4 describe sedimentation as the deposition of suspended particles

2.2.5 understand how the speed of water flow and particle size affect the removal, transport and deposition of particles

2.2.6 define the littoral zone as the intertidal region on a shoreline, between the highest and lowest spring tide marks

2.2.7 state examples of the littoral zone, including rocky shores, sandy shores, muddy shores, estuaries and deltas

2.2.8 describe how weathering, erosion and sedimentation give rise to the morphology of rocky shores, sandy shores, muddy shores, estuaries and deltas

2.3 Tides and ocean currents
Twice each day, the level of the seas and oceans rises and falls, in a pattern determined by the alignment of Earth, Moon and Sun. The magnitude of these changes in level, known as tides, is also affected by environmental factors such as winds. Winds and temperature, along with other factors, also give rise to ocean currents. These currents ensure that the water in all the world’s oceans is able to mix, via the global ocean conveyor belt.

Learning outcomes
Candidates should be able to:
2.3.1 explain how tides are produced, and how the alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun, coastal geomorphology, wind, air pressure and size of water body affect the tidal range

2.3.2 explain the formation of spring and neap tides

2.3.3 interpret tide tables and graphs in terms of tidal height, tidal range, spring and neap tides

2.3.4 describe how wind, temperature, density, the Coriolis effect (limited to the deflection of currents clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the southern hemisphere) and the shape of the sea bed produce ocean currents and upwelling

2.3.5 explain the formation of the global ocean conveyor belt and its importance in moving sea water around the Earth

2.3.6 discuss the causes and effects of El Niño and La Niña events during the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle in the Pacific Ocean