Ch 3 key term

Question 1

geosphere

Answer 1

There are several conflicting definitions for geosphere. The geosphere may be taken as the collective name for the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, and the atmosphere. The different collectives of the geosphere are able to exchange different mass and/or energy fluxes.

Question 2

hydrosphere

Answer 2

The hydrosphere is the combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet, minor planet or natural satellite. Although Earth’s hydrosphere has been around for about 4 billion years, it continues to change in shape.

Question 3

crust

Answer 3

In geology, a crust is the outermost layer of a planet. The crust of the Earth is composed of a great variety of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. The upper part of the mantle is composed mostly of peridotite, a rock denser then rocks common in the overlying crust.

Question 4

mantle

Answer 4

The mantle is the mostly-solid bulk of Earth’s interior. The mantle lies between Earth’s dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer.

Question 5

core

Answer 5

Earth’s inner core is the innermost geologic layer of the Earth. It is primarily a solid ball with a radius of about 1,220 kilometres, which is about 20% of the Earth’s radius or 70% of the Moon’s radius. There are no samples of the Earth’s core available for direct measurement, as there are for the Earth’s mantle.

Question 6

lithosphere

Answer 6

A lithosphere is the rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-type planet, or natural satellite, that is defined by its rigid mechanical properties. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater.

Question 7

asthenosphere

Answer 7

The asthenosphere is the highly viscous, mechanically weak and ductile region of the upper mantle of the Earth. It lies below the lithosphere, at depths between approximately 80 and 200 km below the surface. The lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary is usually referred to as LAB.

Question 8

tectonic plate

Answer 8

Plate tectonics is a scientific theory describing the large-scale motion of seven large plates and the movements of a larger number of smaller plates of Earth’s lithosphere, since tectonic processes began on Earth between 3.3 and 3.5 billion years ago.

Question 9

chemical

Answer 9

A compound or substance that has been purified or prepared, especially artificially.

Question 10

weathering

Answer 10

Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils, and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with the Earth’s atmosphere, water, and biological organisms.

Question 11

erosion

Answer 11

Erosion is the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water.

Question 12

atmosphere

Answer 12

An atmosphere is the layers of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body. … These gases are found in layers (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere) defined by unique features such as temperature and pressure.

Question 13

troposphere

Answer 13

The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, and is also where nearly all weather conditions take place. It contains 75% of the atmosphere’s mass and 99% of the total mass of water vapor and aerosols.

Question 14

stratosphere

Answer 14

The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth’s atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere.

Question 15

ozone

Answer 15

The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth’s stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in relation to other gases in the stratosphere.

Question 16

radiation

Answer 16

In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium.

Question 17

conduction

Answer 17

Conduction is the process by which heat energy is transmitted through collisions between neighboring atoms or molecules. Conduction occurs more readily in solids and liquids, where the particles are closer to together, than in gases, where particles are further apart.

Question 18

convection

Answer 18

Convection is the transfer of heat due to the bulk movement of molecules within fluids, including molten rock. Convection includes sub-mechanisms of advection, and diffusion. Convection cannot take place in most solids because neither bulk current flows nor significant diffusion of matter can take place.

Question 19

greenhouse effect

Answer 19

The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet’s atmosphere warms the planet’s surface to a temperature above what it would be without this atmosphere. Radiatively active gases in a planet’s atmosphere radiate energy in all directions.

Question 20

water cycle

Answer 20

The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or the hydrological cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth

Question 21

evaporation

Answer 21

Evaporation is a type of vaporization that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase. The surrounding gas must not be saturated with the evaporating substance. When the molecules of the liquid collide, they transfer energy to each other based on how they collide with each other.

Question 22

condensation

Answer 22

Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle.

Question 23

precipitation

Answer 23

In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets and hail.

Question 24

salinity

Answer 24

Salinity is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water. This is usually measured in.

Question 25

fresh water

Answer 25

Fresh water is any naturally occurring water except seawater and brackish water. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids.

Question 26

biosphere

Answer 26

Fresh water is any naturally occurring water except seawater and brackish water. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids.