Geoscience Vocab 1

Asthenosphere

The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats.

Convection

Process by which, in a fluid being heated, the warmer part of the mass will rise and the cooler portions will sink.

Seismic Wave

a wave of energy that travels through the Earth, away from an earthquake in all directions

Shadow Zone

An area on Earth's surface where no direct seismic waves from a particular earthquake can be detected.

Lithosphere

the solid, outer layer of the earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle

S-wave

A type of seismic wave in which the shaking is perpendicular to the direction of the wave

Mesosphere

The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core

P-wave

A type of seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground. (Compression wave)

Conglomerate rock

a sedimentary rock made from smalled rounded stones that have been cemented together

Limestone

a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium that was deposited by the remains of marine animals

Granite

A usually light colored igneous rock that is found in continental crust, Felsic and Plutonic

Obsidian

A usually black or banded, hard volcanic glass that displays shiny, curved surfaces when fractured and is formed by rapid cooling of lava

Peridotite

A coarse-grained ultramafic rock.

Slab

Flat piece of clay

Igneous

a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface

Metamorphic

A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.

Sedimentary

A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together or from sediments that are eroded and weathered rocks

Mineral

a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition

Atmosphere

A thin layer of gases surrounding Earth

System

A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements or parts that function together as a whole to accomplish a goal.

Geosphere

The mostly solid, rocky part of the Earth; extends from the center of the core to the surface of the crust.

Hydrosphere

All the water on earth

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Feedback loop

Occurs when an output of matter, energy, or information is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system.

Geoscience

Study of the earth

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Ockham's Razor

states "when given two equally valid explanations for a phenomenon, one should embrace the less complicated formulation"

Spatial thinking

a way of thinking about space on Earth's surface, including where places are located and why they are there

Theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

Uniformitarianism

A principle that geologic processes that occurred in the past can be explained by current geologic processes

Epoch

period of time

Eon

the largest division of geologic time

Era

a particular period in history

Geologic timescale

History of the Earth based on the fossil record and divided into eras, periods, and epochs

Stromatolite

a layered sedimentary structure formed by precipitation of minerals by prokaryotes in microbial mats

Period

Time on Earth