Ch. 3 Vocab Flashcards
Geosphere
solid part of earth that consists of all rock, as well as the soils & loose rocks on Earths surface
Hydrosphere
makes up all of the water on or near earths surface
Crust
composed almost entirely of light elements
Mantle
the layer beneath the crust, makes up 68% of the mass of earth
Core
earth’s inner most layer
Lithosphere
earths’ outer layer
Asthenosphere
layer beneath the lithosphere
Tectonic Plate
lithosphere is divided into pieces c
Chemical Weathering
wears down rocks, making them smoother as time pases
Erosion
transports the material elsewhere
Atmosphere
mixture of gasses (nitrogen, co2 & other gasses)
Troposphere
nearest to earths surface, extends about 18 km about the surface
Stratosphere
above troposphere, extends from about 18 km to an altitude of 50 km
ozone
a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms
radiation
transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves
conduction
transfer of energy in the form of heat from a warmer object to a colder object when objects are placed in direct contact
convection
transfer of energy that takes place when variations in temp. move the matter making up air
greenhouse effect
process in which greenhouse gases absorb & reradiate infrared radiation near the earth
water cycle
continues movement of water into the air, onto land, & then back to water sources
evaporation
process by which liquid water is heated by the sun & the rises into the atmosphere as water vapor
condensation
water vapor fires water droplets in dust particle
precipitation
larges droplets that fall from cloud as. rain
salinity
ocean water is the concentration of all the dissolved salts it contains
fresh water
a little more that 3% of all the water on earth
