Chapter 2.1 Flashcards
hydrosphere
all of the earth’s water
atmosphere
gases that surround the earth.
seismic waves
vibrations that travel through the earth
earth’s crust
thin, solid outermost zone of the earth.
mass
the amount of matter in an object
oceanic crust
crust below the oceans
continental crust
crust that makes up the continents
mantle
zone of rock below the crust, divided into two regions and makes up 2/3 of the earth’s mass.
lithosphere
uppermost part of the mantle and the crust above it; cool and brittle
asthenosphere
lowermost part of mantle
because of heat and pressure, solid rock can flow here: plasticity
axis
imaginary straight line running through the earth.
plasticity
ability of a solid to flow
outer core
dense liquid layer, mostly made of iron
inner core
dense, solid sphere : part of the core
primary or P waves
seismic wave that travels through solids, liquids and gases. travels faster than S waves. both travel faster through more rigid materials.
secondary or S waves
seismic wave that travels through solids. slower than P waves.
Mohorovičić discontinuity, or The Moho
boundary between crust and mantle. increase of speed in seismic waves through the Moho indicates that the earth’s mantle is denser than its crust.
shadow zones
regions on the earth’s surface that neither P nor S waves are detected.
OR
only P waves are detected.
magnetosphere
region of space affected by the earth’s magnetic field.
Gravity
force of attraction between all matter in the universe.
law of gravitation
force of attraction between any two objects depends upon the earth’s masses and the distance between them.
weight
measure of the strength of the pull of gravity on an object.
newtons
unit that measures weight.
