| A | B |
|---|
| atmosphere | the layer of gases that surrounds the earth and contains the clouds |
| hydrosphere | the water part of the earth's surface |
| lithosphere | the rigid out shell of the earth |
| crust | the top layer of the earth, above the mantle |
| core | the center part of the earth, beneath the mantle |
| plate tectonics | a theory stating that the earth's surface is broken into plates that move |
| plate | a large section of the earth's surface made of the crust and the rigid top part of the mantle |
| weathering | the process that breaks down and changes rock |
| erosion | the moving of weathered rock and soil |
| deposition | the dropping of materials moved by erosion |
| rock cycle | the ways that rocks change from one form to another |
| igneous rock | rock formed from melted rock that comes from deep within the earth |
| sedimentary rock | rock formed when sediments are pressed or cemented together |
| metamorphic rock | rock formed when igneous or sedimentary rock is changed by heat or pressure |
| mineral | a natural, nonliving solid with a definite chemical structure |
| mantle | middle layer of the earth, between the crust and core |
