Chapter 3 Key Terms Flashcards
Geosphere
The solid part of Earth that consists of all rock, as well as the soils and loose rocks on Earth’s surface.
Hydrosphere
Makes up all of the water on or near Earth’s surface.
Crust
Composed of almost entirely of light elements and the crust makes up less than 1 percent of earth’s mass
Mantle
The layer beneath the crust, makes up of 68 percent of the mass of Earth. Ab 2,900 km thick made up of rock and medium density.
Core
Earth’s innermost layer. Composed of the elments having the greatest density.
Lithosphere
The outer layer of Earth. It includes the crust and upper most part of the mantle snd divided into huge pieces called tectonic plates.
Asthenosphere
Layer beneath the lithosphere made up of rock that flows very slowly and allows tectonic plates to move on top of it.
Tectonic Plates
Glide across the underlying asthenosphere in much the same way a chunk of ice drifts across a pond.
Chemical Weathering
Wears down rocks causing them to be smoother as time passes and erosion transports the materials elsewhere.
Erosion
Global process where Earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind and water.
Atmosphere
Gasses that surround Earth. (Nitrogen-Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide)
Troposhphere
Extends out about 18 km above the Earth’s surface and is the atmospheric layer nearest to Earth’s surface.
Stratosphere
Above the troposphere. Extends about 18 km to an altitude of about 50 km.
Ozone
(O3) A molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. Almost all the ozone in the atmosphere is concentrated in the ozone layer in the stratosphere.
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 physical contact.
Convection
Transfer of energy that take place when variation in temperature move the matter making up the air.
Greenhouse Effect
Process in which greenhouse gasses absorb and reradiate infrared radiation near the Earth.
Water Cycle
Continuous movement of water into the air, onto land, and then back.
Evaporation
When liquid water is heated by the sun and then rises into the atmosphere as water vapor.
Condensation
When water vapor forms water droplets on dust particles.
Precipitation
Water droplets that fall from the sky, also can be sleet, snow, or hail.
Salinity
Concentration of all the dissolved salts it contains.
Fresh Water
More than 3% of the water on Earth is fresh water. Most of it is locked up in icecaps and glaciers.
