| A | B |
|---|
| Geology | study of the Earth's rocks, minerals, soil, etc. |
| Continental Drift | Wegner's hypothesis that the continents were one and drifed apart |
| Plate Tectonics | theory that pieces of the Earth's crust are in slow constant motion due to convection currents in the mantle |
| Mineral | naturally occuring inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and crystal shape |
| streak | color of a mineral's powder |
| luster | used to describe how light is reflected off a mineral's surface |
| hardness | resistance of a mineral to being scratched |
| Moh's Hardness Scale | ranks minerals from softest to hardest |
| Cleavage | mineral splits easily along flat surfaces |
| Fracture | mineral breaks along irregular, jagged edges |
| Convection | transfer of heat by movement of fluid |
| Ore | mineral containing metals |
| Igneous Rock | rock formed from direct heating and cooling of magma |
| Extrusive Rock | igneous rock fromed near Earth's surface |
| Intrusive Rock | igneous rock formed deep within Earth's crust |
| Sediment | small solid pieces of material that come from rocks or organisms |
| Sedimentary Rock | rock formed when particles of rocks, plants or animals are cemented together |
| Erosion | water or wind loosens and carries away fragments of a rock |
| Deposition | process by which sediment settles out of water or wind |
| Clastic Rock | sedimentary rock that forms when rock fragments are squeezed together under high pressure |
| Organic Rock | sedimentary rock that forms from remains of organisms deposited in thick layers |
| Chemical Rock | sedimentary rock that forms when minerals crystalize from a solution |
| Metamorphic Rock | rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat pressure or chemicals |
| Rock Cycle | series of processes that slowly changes rocks from one kind to another |
| crust | outermost layer of solid rock -includes dry land and ocean floor |
| mantle | layer beneath the crust |
| outer core | liquid core layer |
| inner core | solid core at the center of the Earth |
| basalt | rock that makes up oceanic cruat |
| granite | rock that makes up the continental crust |
| Pangaea | Supercontinent |
| Mid-ocean ridge | mountain range in the middle of the ocean where sea floor spreading occurs |
