| A | B |
|---|
| hydrosphere | bodies of water |
| lithosphere | land |
| atmosphere | air |
| biosphere | people, animals, and plants |
| continental shelf | part of the continent that is under water |
| mantle | thick layer of hot, dense rock |
| continental drift | theory that the continents were once joined and then drifted apart |
| magma | molten rock |
| plate tectonics | activities that create the earth's physical features |
| subduction | when sea plates collide and mountains are formed |
| accretion | sea plate slides under continental plate |
| spreading | when sea plates pull apart |
| fold | bends in layers of rock |
| fault | cracks in the earth's crust |
| weathering | process that breaks rocks into smaller pieces |
| erosion | wearing away earth's surface by wind, glaciers, and water |
| loess | yellow-gray soil |
| glacier | frozen rivers |
| moraine | large piles of rock and debris |
| water cycle | regular movement of water |
| evaporation | changing of liquid water to gas |
| condensation | changing of water vapor to liquid |
| precipitation | rain, snow, or sleet |
| desalination | removing salt from water |
| groundwater | freshwater beneath the earth's surface |
| aquifer | rock layer with water |
