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Tropical air masses have lower pressure because hot air rises and cold air sinks. Those that develop over land (continental) are drier and hotter than those that develop over oceans, and travel poleward on the southern periphery of the subtropical ridge. [5] Maritime tropical air masses are sometimes referred to as trade air masses.
For purposes of this list, a minor plate is any plate with an area less than 20 million km 2 (7.7 million sq mi) but greater than 1 million km 2 (0.39 million sq mi). Amurian microplate – A minor tectonic plate in eastern Asia; Arabian plate – Minor tectonic plate – 5,000,000 km 2 (1,900,000 sq mi)
The atmosphere of Earth is composed of a layer of gas mixture that surrounds the Earth's planetary surface (both lands and oceans), known collectively as air, with variable quantities of suspended aerosols and particulates (which create weather features such as clouds and hazes), all retained by Earth's gravity.
A similar air mass rising on the other side of the equator forces those rising air masses to move poleward. The rising air creates a low pressure zone near the equator. As the air moves poleward, it cools, becomes denser, and descends at about the 30th parallel, creating a high-pressure area. The descended air then travels toward the equator ...
Scientists studying the zone between Earth’s atmosphere and space have spotted unusual X- and C-shaped features that could thwart signals that keep our planet running smoothly.
Earth's lithosphere, the rigid outer shell of the planet including the crust and upper mantle, is fractured into seven or eight major plates (depending on how they are defined) and many minor plates or "platelets". Where the plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of plate boundary (or fault): convergent, divergent, or transform ...
Plate tectonics (from Latin tectonicus, from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós) 'pertaining to building') [1] is the scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago.
The fastest-moving plates are the oceanic plates, with the Cocos Plate advancing at a rate of 75 mm/a (3.0 in/year) [127] and the Pacific Plate moving 52–69 mm/a (2.0–2.7 in/year). At the other extreme, the slowest-moving plate is the South American Plate, progressing at a typical rate of 10.6 mm/a (0.42 in/year).