Chapter 2 A Living Planet Flashcards
Consists of the sun and nine known planets, as well as other celestial bodies that orbit the sun
Solar System
A landmass above water on the earth
Continent
The layers of gases immediately surrounding the earth
Atmosphere
The solid rock portion of the earth’ surface
Lithosphere
The waters compromising the earth’s surface, including oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and vapor in the atmosphere
Hydrosphere
All the parts of the earth where plants and animals live, including the atmosphere, the lithosphere, and the hydrosphere
Biosphere
The earth’s center, made up of iron and nickel; the inner core is solid and the outer core is liquid
Core
A rock layer about 1,800 miles thick that is between the earth’s crust and the earth’s core
Mantle
The thin rock layer making up the earth’s core
Crust
The hypothesis that all continents were once joined into a supercontinent that split apart over millions of years
Continental Drift
The continuous circulations of water among the atmosphere, the oceans, and the earth
Hydrological Cycle
The water held underwater the earth’s surface,often in and around pores of rock
Ground Water
The level at which rock is saturated
Water Table
A naturally formed feature on the surface of the earth
Landform
The earth’s surface from the edge of a continent to the deep part of the ocean
Continental Shelf
The difference in elevation of a landform from the lowest point to the highest point
Relief
The combined characteristics of landforms and their distribution in a region
Topography
An enormous moving shelf that forms the earth’s crust
Tectonic Plates
A fault in the earth’s crust
Fault
The point on the earth’s surface that corresponds to the location in the earth where an earthquake begins
Epicenter
A giant ocean wave, caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption, with great destructive power
Tsunami
A natural event, formed when magma, gases, and water from the lower part of the crust or mantle collect in underground chambers and eventually erupt and pour out of cracks in the earth’s surface
Volcano
The chain of volcanoes that lines the Pacific Rim
Ring of Fire
Natural processes that a break rock into smaller pieces
Mechanical Weathering
A process that changes rocks into a new substance through interactions among elements in the air or water and the minerals in the rocks
Chemical Weathering
The result of weathering on matter created by the action of wind, water, ice, or gravity
Erosion
