Geophysics & Environmental Physics
3 terms
Chandler Wobble
Geophysics & Environmental Physics
Arcseconds or Meters at Surface
A small periodic nutation wobble of Earth's rotational axis relative to its solid crust with a period of ~433 days.
Period T ≈ 433 days, Amplitude ~ 3–15 meters
Continental Drift
Geophysics & Environmental Physics
Geologic Time Scale (Millions of Years)
The historical hypothesis proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912 stating that Earth's continents were once joined in a single supercontinent (Pangea) before drifting apart.
Historical Wegener Hypothesis (Pangea Supercontinent)
Cryosphere
Geophysics & Environmental Physics
km² (Spatial Extent) or Gt (Mass)
The collective portion of Earth's surface where water exists in solid frozen form.
Components: Sea Ice, Glaciers, Ice Sheets, Permafrost, Snow Cover