Social Studies unit one vocab

Landforms

The natural features that make up Earth’s surface

Earthquake

release of energy through Earth’s crust due to tectonic plate movement.

Shield

the base rock of an ancient mountain region that has been worn away, leaving a flat, rocky landform area

Plateau

a high, flat region that has been lifted up by movement of the Earth’s surface

Plain

a large, flat to gently rolling region

Volcano

an opening in Earth’s crust from which molten rock or magma escapes to reach the surface

Magma

extremely hot fluid or semi-fluid material under earths crust

Lava

molten rock flowing from a volcano

Plate tectonics

the theory that Earth’s surface is made up of rigid plates that are pushed by forces inside the planet

Lithosphere

the outer, solid layer of Earth made up of moving plates

Convection Flow

a circular motion created when warmer material rises and draws down cooler material, which replaces it

Asthenosphere

soft weak layer under the lithosphere on which the tectonic plates move

Divergent Boundaries

a place where two plates of the lithosphere move away from each other

Transform boundaries

a place where side-by-side plates grind past each other

Convergent Boundaries

a place where 2 plates of the lithosphere come together

Weathering

the breaking down of rocks by physical or chemical process

Erosion

the wearing away of Earth’s surface by wind, water, or glacial action

Epicenter

the point on Earth’s surface directly above the location of the earthquake

Seismograph

a tool that measures and records the magnitude and direction of a disturbance of the ground, especially earthquakes