Ch. 3 Key Terms

Question 1

Geosphere

Answer 1

any of the almost spherical concentric regions of matter that make up the earth and its atmosphere, as the lithosphere and hydrosphere.

Question 2

Hydrosphere

Answer 2

all the waters on the earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds.

Question 3

Crust

Answer 3

the outermost layer of rock of which a planet consists, especially the part of the earth above the mantle.

Question 4

Mantle

Answer 4

the region of the earth’s interior between the crust and the core, believed to consist of hot, dense silicate rocks (mainly peridotite).

Question 5

Core

Answer 5

the dense central region of a planet, especially the nickel–iron inner part of the earth.

Question 6

Lithosphere

Answer 6

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Question 7

Asthenosphere

Answer 7

the upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.

Question 8

Tectonic plate

Answer 8

A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere.

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

the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

Question 12

Atmosphere

Answer 12

the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Question 13

Troposphere

Answer 13

the lowest region of the atmosphere, extending from the earth’s surface to a height of about 3.7–6.2 miles (6–10 km), which is the lower boundary of the stratosphere.

Question 14

Stratosphere

Answer 14

the layer of the earth’s atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth’s surface (the lower boundary of the mesosphere).

Question 15

Ozone

Answer 15

a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light.

Question 16

Radiation

Answer 16

the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles which cause ionization.

Question 17

Conduction

Answer 17

the process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential between adjoining regions, without movement of the material.

Question 18

Convection

Answer 18

the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat.

Question 19

Greenhouse effect

Answer 19

the trapping of the sun’s warmth in a planet’s lower atmosphere, due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet’s surface.

Question 20

Water Cycle

Answer 20

the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.

Question 21

Evaporation

Answer 21

the process of turning from liquid into vapor.

Question 22

Condensation

Answer 22

the conversion of a vapor or gas to a liquid.

Question 23

Precipitation

Answer 23

the action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution.

Question 24

Salinity

Answer 24

The term salinity refers to the amount of dissolved salts that are present in water.

Question 25

Fresh Water

Answer 25

Freshwater is water that contains only minimal quantities of dissolved salts, thus distinguishing it from sea water or brackish water.

Question 26

Biosphere

Answer 26

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.