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

a crust is the outermost layer of a planet.

Question 4

mantle

Answer 4

The mantle is the mostly-solid bulk of Earth’s interior.

Question 5

core

Answer 5

Earth’s inner core is the innermost geologic layer of the Earth.

Question 6

lithosphere

Answer 6

A lithosphere is the rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-type planet, or natural satellite, that is defined by its rigid mechanical properties.

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

Plate tectonics is a scientific theory describing the large-scale motion of seven large plates and the movements of a larger number of smaller plates of Earth’s lithosphere.

Question 9

chemical weathering

Answer 9

the erosion or disintegration of rocks, building materials, etc., caused by chemical reactions (chiefly with water and substances dissolved in it) rather than by mechanical processes.

Question 10

erosion

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

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 13

stratosphere

Answer 13

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 14

ozone

Answer 14

The ozone layer is a thin part of the Earth’s atmosphere that absorbs almost all of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet light.

Question 15

radiation

Answer 15

radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium.

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 between adjoining regions, without movement of the material.

Question 17

convection

Answer 17

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 18

greenhouse effect

Answer 18

The greenhouse effect is the way in which heat is trapped close to the surface of the Earth by “greenhouse gases”.

Question 19

water cycle

Answer 19

The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the surface of the earth, rises into the atmosphere, cools and condenses into rain or snow in clouds, and falls again to the surface as precipitation.

Question 20

evaporation

Answer 20

the process of turning from liquid into vapor.

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

rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground.

Question 23

salinity

Answer 23

Salinity is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water.

Question 24

fresh water

Answer 24

Fresh water (or freshwater) is any naturally occurring water except seawater and brackish water.

Question 25

biosphere

Answer 25

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