Ch. 3 Key Terms Flashcards
geosphere
the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle
hydrosphere
all of the water, in the form of liquid, ice, or vapor, above and below earth’s surface and in the atmosphere
crust
Earth’s thin outer layer
mantle
layer of the earth below the crust
core
Earth’s innermost layer
lithosphere
Earth’s outer layer
asthenosphere
Layer beneath the lithosphere
tectonic plate
pieces of the lithosphere that move around on top of the asthenosphere
chemical weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils, and minerals
erosion
removal and transport of surface material
atmosphere
mixture of gases that surrounds earth
troposphere
atmospheric layer nearest to the Earth’s surface, all weather occurs here
stratosphere
above the troposphere, temperatures increase
ozone
molecule made up of three nitrogen atoms
radiation
transfer of energy across space and in the atmosphere
conduction
flow of heat from a warmer object to a colder object when the object are placed under physical contact
convection
transfer of heat by air currents
greenhouse effect
the process in which gases trap heat near the Earth
water cycle
continuous movement of water into the air, onto land, and then back to water sources
evaporation
process by which liquid water is heated by the sun and then rises into the atmosphere as water vapor
condesation
water vapor forms water droplets on dust particles, which form clouds, the droplets collide and create heavier, larger droplets
percipitation
larger droplets fall from clouds as rain in this process
salinity
concentration of all the dissolved salts it contains
fresh water
locked up in icecaps and glaciers
biosphere
narrow layer around Earth’s surface in which life can exist
