| A | B |
|---|
| atmosphere | extends 1000 miles above Earth's surface |
| biosphere | part of Earth where life is found |
| hydrosphere | all water on Earth |
| lithosphere | all land on Earth |
| earthquakes | shaking movement of the earth's plates |
| erosion | wearing away of earth's surface |
| faults | breaks in the earth's crust |
| folds | bends in layers of rock |
| glaciers | large bodies of ice moving over earth's surface |
| volcanoes | mountains formed when lava rises through earth's crust |
| weathering | process that breaks down rocks (chemical & physical) |
| hills | land above the rest that is rounded with little relief |
| island | land completely surrounded by water |
| isthmus | a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses |
| strait | narrow strip of water connecting two larger bodies of water |
| mountains | land above surrounding land with a peak or summit |
| plains | flat or gently rolling land |
| plateau | flat land higher than surrounding land |
| continental shelf | shallow area near the coast of a continent |
| evaporation | changing of water into vapor or gas |
| groundwater | water beneath the surface of the earth |
| lake | water completely surrounded by land |
| river | water of considerable volume flowing throught the land |
| water cycle | movement of water from the ocean to the air to the ground to the ocean |
| fossil fuels | formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago |
| minerals | substances from the earth that are not living or made from living things |
| Pangaea | when all landmasses were together as one supercontinent |
| N. Pole | 90˚ N |
| S. Pole | 90˚ S |
| equator | 0˚ latitude |
| Tropic of Cancer | 23 1/2 ˚ N. |
| Tropic of Capricorn | 23 1/2 ˚ S |
| Internatinal Dateline | 180 ˚ longitude |
| Prime Meridian | 0 ˚ longitude |
| equinox | twice a year the Earlth's poles are not pointed toward or away from the sun |
| revolution | the Earth's elliptical orbit which takes 365 1/4 days |
| tributary | a smaller river that flows into a larger river |
| archipelago | a group of islands ex. Japan, Hawaii, the Bahamas |
| basin | land area drained by a river and its tributaries |
| bay | a body of water along the coast; usaually smaller than a gulf ex. Mobile and Biloxi |
| cape | a point of land reaching out into a body of water ( Martha's Vineyard is on __ Cod) |
| coastline | land next to the ocean |
| continent | large body of land ( there are only 7 of them) |
| delta | soil deposited at the mouth of a river ( usually in the shape of a triangle) |
| sea | body of water that is smaller than an ocean but larger than a gulf |
| harbor | deep water ports, usually next to a big city ( New York, Boston, ) |
| range | line of mountains ( Rocky moutains, Appalacian Highlands, Sierra Nevada |
| peak | highest mountain |
| peninsula | land almost completely surrounded by water ( Florida, Yucatan) |
| river mouth | where a river flows into a body of water |
| river source | where a river begins ( usually in mountains or higher elevation) |
| rift valley | place where Earth's surface where the crust stretches until it breaks ( the Great one is in Africa) |
| rotation | a complete turn of the Earth on its axis- 24 hours |
| 66 1/2˚ N | Arctic Circle |
| 66 1/2˚ S | Antarctic Circle |
| solstice | when the sun is directly above 23˚ S one of the Tropic |
| subduction | when one continental plate shifts under another plate. Volcanoes are often formed by this movement |
| convergent | when two plates collide, usually creating steep mountains |
| divergent | when two plates move away from each other, allowing magma to push up and expanding ocean floor |
| transform | when two plates slide past each other causing a crack or fault . The energy releaased often causes an earthquake |
