| A | B |
|---|
| atmosphere | Layer of gases that surround the earth; this protects the earth from radiation and space debris |
| biosphere | The part of the earth where plants and animals live. Made up of three parts. |
| chemical weathering | Process in which rock is changed into a new substance as a result of an interaction between elements in the air or water and minerals in the rock |
| core | Solid metallic center of the earth; made up of iron and nickel |
| crust | Thin layer of rock at the earth's surface; this touches the mantle |
| hydrosphere | Made up of the water elements on the earth including the oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, etc. |
| Lithosphere | Solid rock portion of the earth's surface; some is below water forming the ocean floor |
| Magma | Molton rock; created when the mantle melts the underside of the crust |
| Mantle | Soft layer of molten rock below the crust |
| Mechanical Weathering | Process that does not change the composition of the rock, just the size of the rock |
| Pagaea | Subcontinent- 225 million years ago |
| Pluto | No longer considered a planet |
| Comet, Asteroids | Found in our solar system |
| Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide | Gases found in the atmosphere |
| Alfred Wegener | Introduced the theory of continental drift |
| Chicxulub | asteroid that is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs |
| Tides | Regular rises and falls of the ocean created by the gravitational pull of the moon or sun |
| Lakes | more than 95% of world's freshwater supply |
| Ground Water | Water held in the pores of rocks |
| Relief | The difference in elevation of a landform from its lowest to highest point |
| Ridges, Valleys, Canyons | Landforms found on the ocean floor |
| Tectonic Plate Movement | 1. Spread apart 2. Collide into one another 3. Slide past each other |
| Divergent Boundary | Saudi Arabia and Egypt are moving away from each other. This is an example of... |
| Transform Boundary | Example: San Andreas Fault |
| Richter Scale | Measures the relative strength of an earth quake |
| Japan's earthquake 3/11/11 | 9.0 |
| Ring of Fire | Vulnerable location where earthquakes often occur- 8 major tectonic plates meet in this zone. |
| Geyser | Example: "Old Faithful" in Yellowstone National Park |
| Road Construction, Glaciers | Agents that cause mechanical weathering |
| Erosion | Caused by Wind, waves, glaciers |
| tectonic plates | enormous moving pieces that form the earth's crust |
| earthquake | plates slip past each other and the earth shakes |
| volcano | magma, gases and water erupt out of a crack in the earth's surface |
| tsunami | a giant wave in the ocean |
| lava | magma reaches the earth's surface |
| focus | location in the earth where earthquakes begin |
| landforms | naturally formed features on the earth's surface |
| seismograph | device that detects earthquakes; it measures the size of the waves |
| glacier | large, long-lasting mass of ice that moves because of gravity |
| erosion | material is moved by the action of wind, water, icea, gravity |
| butte | a raised flat area of land with steep cliffs |
| canyon | a narrow, deep valley with steep sides; created by erosion |
| cape | a point of land extending into an ocean or lake |
| cataract | a step-like series of waterfalls |
| delta | a triangular area of land formed from deposits at the mouth of a river |
| harbor | a sheltered area of water deep enough for docking ships |
| marsh | soft, wet, low-lying grassy land that serves as a transition between water and land |
| plateau | A broad, flat area of land higher than the surrounding land |
| prairie | A large, level area of grassland with few or no trees |
| Strait | A narrow channel connecting two larger bodies of water |
| Swamp | A lowland region that is saturated (full of) by water |
| Valley | Low land between hills or mountains; naturally low-lying |
| Seven Continents | North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, Antarctica |
| Four Oceans | Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic |
