The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats.
New cards
2
Convection
Process by which, in a fluid being heated, the warmer part of the mass will rise and the cooler portions will sink.
New cards
3
Seismic Wave
a wave of energy that travels through the Earth, away from an earthquake in all directions
New cards
4
Shadow Zone
An area on Earth's surface where no direct seismic waves from a particular earthquake can be detected.
New cards
5
Lithosphere
the solid, outer layer of the earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle
New cards
6
S-wave
A type of seismic wave in which the shaking is perpendicular to the direction of the wave
New cards
7
Mesosphere
The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core
New cards
8
P-wave
A type of seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground. (Compression wave)
New cards
9
Conglomerate rock
a sedimentary rock made from smalled rounded stones that have been cemented together
New cards
10
Limestone
a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium that was deposited by the remains of marine animals
New cards
11
Granite
A usually light colored igneous rock that is found in continental crust, Felsic and Plutonic
New cards
12
Obsidian
A usually black or banded, hard volcanic glass that displays shiny, curved surfaces when fractured and is formed by rapid cooling of lava
New cards
13
Peridotite
A coarse-grained ultramafic rock.
New cards
14
Slab
Flat piece of clay
New cards
15
Igneous
a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface
New cards
16
Metamorphic
A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.
New cards
17
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
New cards
18
Mineral
a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition
New cards
19
Atmosphere
A thin layer of gases surrounding Earth
New cards
20
System
A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements or parts that function together as a whole to accomplish a goal.
New cards
21
Geosphere
The mostly solid, rocky part of the Earth; extends from the center of the core to the surface of the crust.
New cards
22
Hydrosphere
All the water on earth
New cards
23
Biosphere
Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.
New cards
24
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.
New cards
25
Geoscience
Study of the earth
New cards
26
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
New cards
27
Ockham's Razor
states "when given two equally valid explanations for a phenomenon, one should embrace the less complicated formulation"
New cards
28
Spatial thinking
a way of thinking about space on Earth's surface, including where places are located and why they are there
New cards
29
Theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events
New cards
30
Uniformitarianism
A principle that geologic processes that occurred in the past can be explained by current geologic processes
New cards
31
Epoch
period of time
New cards
32
Eon
the largest division of geologic time
New cards
33
Era
a particular period in history
New cards
34
Geologic timescale
History of the Earth based on the fossil record and divided into eras, periods, and epochs
New cards
35
Stromatolite
a layered sedimentary structure formed by precipitation of minerals by prokaryotes in microbial mats
Studied by 2 people
