Ch. 3 Key Terms.

Question 1

geosphere

Answer 1

The solid part of Earth that consists of all rock, as well as the soil sand loose rocks on Earth’s surface, makes up the geosphere.

Question 2

hydrosphere

Answer 2

makes up all of the water on or near Earth’s surface

Question 3

crust

Answer 3

is composed almost entirely of light elements. The crust makes up less than 1 percent of Earth’s mass.The crust is Earth’s thinnest layer.

Question 4

mantle

Answer 4

which is the layer beneath the crust, makes up 68 percent of the mass of Earth.

Question 5

core

Answer 5

is composed of the elements having the greatest density

Question 6

lithosphere.

Answer 6

Earth’s outer layer

Question 7

asthenosphere

Answer 7

is the layer beneath the lithosphere

Question 8

tectonic plates

Answer 8

glide across the underlying asthenosphere in much the same way a chunk of ice drifts across a pond

Question 9

Chemical

weathering

Answer 9

wears down rocks, making them smoother as time passes

Question 10

erosion

Answer 10

transports the materials elsewhere

Question 11

atmosphere

Answer 11

Earth is surrounded by a mixture of gases

Question 12

troposphere

Answer 12

The atmospheric layer nearest Earth’s surface is the troposphere.

Question 13

stratosphere

Answer 13

Above the troposphere is the stratosphere.

Question 14

Ozone

Answer 14

is a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms.

Question 15

Radiation

Answer 15

is the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves.

Question 16

Conduction

Answer 16

is the transfer of energy in the form of heat from a warmer object to a colder object when the objects are placed indirect physical contact

Question 17

Convection

Answer 17

is the transfer of energy that takes place when variations in temperature move the matter making up air.

Question 18

greenhouse effect.

Answer 18

The process in which green house gases absorb and reradiate infrared radiation near the Earth is known as the greenhouse effect.

Question 19

water cycle

Answer 19

The continuous movement of water into the air, onto land, and then back to water sources is known as the water cycle,

Question 20

Evaporation

Answer 20

is the process by which liquid water is heated by the sun and then rises into the atmosphere as water vapor.

Question 21

condensation

Answer 21

water vapor forms water droplets on dust particles

Question 22

precipitation

Answer 22

These larger droplets fall from clouds as rain in a process called precipitation

Question 23

salinity

Answer 23

The salinity of ocean water is the concentration of all the dissolved salts it contains

Question 24

fresh water.

Answer 24

Most of the water on Earth is salt water in the ocean. A little more than3 percent of all the water on Earth is fresh water.

Question 25

biosphere

Answer 25

The biosphere is the narrow layer around Earth’s surface in which life can exist