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 crust is the outermost solid shell of a rocky planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite

Question 4

Mantle

Answer 4

is a layer inside a planetary body bounded below by a core and above by a crust.

Question 5

Core

Answer 5

the very center of an object

Question 6

Lithosphere

Answer 6

is the rigid, outermost shell

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

scientific theory describing the large-scale motion of seven large plates

Question 9

Chemical Weathering

Answer 9

the breaking down of rocks, soils, and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials

Question 10

Erosin

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Atmosphere

Answer 11

the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Question 12

Troposphere

Answer 12

is the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, and is also where nearly all weather conditions take place.

Question 13

Stratosphere

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Ozone

Answer 14

a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties

Question 15

Radiation

Answer 15

radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves

Question 16

Conduction

Answer 16

the process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential

Question 17

Convection

Answer 17

movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise

Question 18

Greenhouse Effect

Answer 18

radiation from a planet’s atmosphere warms the planet’s surface to a temperature above what it would be without this atmosphere.

Question 19

Water cycle

Answer 19

describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth

Question 20

Evaporation

Answer 20

occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase.

Question 21

Condensation

Answer 21

water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

Question 22

Precipitation

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Salinity

Answer 23

the quality or degree of being saline

Question 24

Fresh Water

Answer 24

of or found in fresh water; not of the sea.

Question 25

Biosphere

Answer 25

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth