| |
Asthenosphere
The layer of Earth below
the lithosphere; the upper part of the mantle. this area flows
slowly due to convection currents. |
| |
Basalt (buhsawlt)
A dark, dense igneous rock with a fine
texture, found in oceanic crust. |
| |
Conduction (kuhnduhkshuhn) noun
The transfer of thermal energy by direct contact between
objects. |
| |
Constructive forces
These are forces that help
to build up things in nature, such as mountains or rivers |
| |
Continent (kontuhnuhnt) noun,adjective
One of the major land areas of the earth; Europe, Asia, Africa,
Australia, North America, South America, or Antarctica. they are
surrounded by ocean. |
| |
Continental drift
a theory proposed by Alfred
Wegener that postulated that the Earth was once one big
continent |
| |
Convection (kuhnvEHkshuhn) noun
The movement of thermal energy through liquids and gases. the
process that circulates mantle material and causes hear transfer
deep within the Earth. |
| |
Convection currents
Extreme heat and pressure
within the mantle allow the hot material of the mantle to form a
molten layer. This is why the plates on the earth float. |
| |
Convergent boundaries
places where the earth's
plates come together |
| |
Core (kawr) noun,verb
the layer of Earth below the mantle that has two parts: the
inner and outer core and makes up about 1/3 of the earth's mass,
but only 15% of its volume. it consists mostly of iron and
nickel. |
| |
Crust (kruhst) noun,verb
the solid, outermost layer of Earth.the crust beneath the ocean
is the oceanic crust. the crust that forms the continents is
called the continental crust. the earth's crust is between 5km.
and 40km. thick. |
| |
Deep-ocean trenches
deep underwater canyons
where the ocean floor plunges |
| |
Density (dEHnsuhtee) noun
measurement of how much mass is contained in a given volume of
an object |
| |
Destructive forces
are those that slowly wear
away mountains and,eventually,every other feature on the surface |
| |
Divergent boundaries
boundaries that are created
when plates move away from each other |
| |
Faults (fawlts) verb
A break of the earth's crust, with the mass of rock on one side
of the break pushed up, down, or sideways. |
| |
Fossil (fosuhl) noun
The remains of a plant or an animal that died a long time ago
and has become part of a rock. |
| |
Geologist (jeeoluhjuhst) noun
a specialist in the science of the history, origin, and
structure of the earth. |
| |
Granite (granuht) noun
An igneous rock, made of different minerals, that has a visible
crystalline texture; it is what continental crust is mostly made
of. |
| |
Heat transfer
The movement of energy from
a warmer object to a cooler object. there are three types:
radiation, conduction and convection |
| |
Inner core
The Earth's layer at the
very center of the Earth, about 800 miles thick, and is made of
the metals iron and nickle. |
| |
Lithosphere noun
the outermost rigid layer of the Earth that consists of the
crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle |
| |
Mantle (mantuhl) noun,verb
The mantle is the layer of the Earth between the crust and the
core. This layer is the thickest layer.it is nearly 3,000 km
thick |
| |
Mid-ocean ridge
The world's largest
mountain chain. It is on the ocean floor where magma pushes the
earth's plates apart. |
| |
Outer core
The outer core surrounds
the inner core of the Earth's crust and is a hot liquid metal of
about 4,000 to 9,000 degrees F. |
| |
Pangaea noun
The large landmass or the one "super-continent" that
is believed to have connected all of the continents on earth
about 225 million years ago. |
| |
Plate tectonics
A theory that explains the
movement of the Earth's continents. Also called continental
drift. |
| |
Plates (playts) verb
Big pieces of the earth's crust and uppermost rigid mantle that
floats on the molten mantle |
| |
Pressure (prEHshur) noun,verb
The measure of a force pushing on an area. |
| |
Radiation (raydeeayshuhn) noun
Thermal energy that travels in waves and can pass through empty
space as well as some objects. there is no direct contact |
| |
Rift valley
deep valley that forms
where 2 plates move apart |
| |
Rock (rok) noun,verb
hard material that composes the earth's crust |
| |
Scientific theory
A well-tested concept that
explains a wide range of observations. |
| |
Sea floor spreading
process that forms new
seafloor as hot material is forced upward |
| |
Seismic waves
When the stress in the rock
builds up enough, the rock breaks or changes shape, releasing
energy in the form of waves and vibrations. (ex. earthquakes) |
| |
Sonar (sohnor) noun
A measuring instrument that sends out an acoustic pulse in water
and measures distances in terms of the time for the echo of the
pulse to return (sonar is Sound Navigation Ranging; acidic is
Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee). |
| |
Subduction
a process whereby one plate
slides beneath another plate, pushes into the hot mantle, heats
up and melts |
| |
Theory of plate tectonics
The theory that links
together the ideas of continental drift and ocean-floor
spreading and explains how the Earth has changed over time. |
| |
Transform boundaries
a plate boundary where two
plates move past each other in opposite directions |
|