Ch 2 Flashcards
Contains most of Earth’s mass
Mantle
Center of Earth made up of iron and nickel
Core
Thin rocky layer
Crust
Layer of gases surrounding the earth
Atmosphere
Crust and upper mantle
Lithosphere
All water bodies on earth
Hydrosphere
All living things on earth
Biosphere
States that at one point all continents were attached
Continental drift
Circulation of water between atmosphere and earth
Hydrologic cycle
Water contained in the ground
Ground water
An opening in Earth’s crust, usually raised, where lava can escape
Volcano
Narrow passage connecting two larger bodies of water
Strait
Body of land surrounded by water
Island
Land extending into a lake or ocean- covered on three sides by water
Peninsula
Part of an ocean or lake partially enclosed
Bay or gulf
Sheltered area of water deep enough to dock ships
Harbor
Where a river flows into a lake or ocean
River mouth
Transition between a body of water and land
Marsh
Wide flat topped mountain with steep sides
Mesa
A shorter Mesa
Butte
Fertile area within a non-fertile region
Oasis
Natural elevation of earths surface
Mountain
Low land between hills or mountains
Valley
Large ice mass that moves slowly across land
Glacier
Narrow and deep valley with steep edges
Canyon
Steep almost vertical edge of another landform
Cliff
Enormous pieces of earths lithosphere
Tectonic plates
Plates move apart, spreading horizontally
Divergent
Plates collide, causing either one to dive under the other plate
Convergent
Plates slide past each other
Transform
As plates grind or slip past each other at a fault, the earth may violently tremble
-name of tremble
Earthquake
Location where an earthquake occurs
Focus
Location above focus directly on the earth’s crust
Epicenter
Smaller earthquakes which occur in the periods after a major earthquake
Aftershock
Uses information collected by seismographs to determine the relative strength of an earthquake
Richter scale
Giant ocean wave
Tsunami
The most dramatic type of volcanic release
Eruption
Physical and chemical Processes that change the characteristics of earth’s surface
Weathering
Doesn’t change the composition of the rock
Changes size
Mechanical weathering
Occurs when weathered material is moved by the action of wind, water, ice, or gravity
Erosion
Water flowing downstream picks up loose material and transports it downstream
Water erosion
Particles picked up by the water work like sandpaper on surrounding areas
Abrasion
Collects particles and deposits them in different areas
Wind erosion
Glaciers slowly move across land due to gravity
Rocks under glaciers cut the ground
Glacial erosion
Changing of landforms by the slow movement of glaciers
Glaciation
Loose mixture or weathered rock, organic matter, air, and water that supports plant growth
Soil
Amount of organic material in soil
Humus
Chemical composition of the original rock base
Parent material
How flat or steep is the area?
Relief
_______ Like Plants and worms can help loosen the soil
Organism
What is the water content of the soil?
Climate
2.5 cm³ of soil will take about a century to create
Time
