Chapter 3 Key Terms

Question 1

Geosphere

Answer 1

The solid part of Earth that consists of all rock, as well as the soils and loose rocks on Earth’s surface

Question 2

Hydrosphere

Answer 2

makes up all of the water on or near Earth’s surface

Question 3

Crust

Answer 3

is composed almost entirely of light elements. The crust makes up less than 1 percent of Earth’s mass.

Question 4

Mantle

Answer 4

is the layer beneath the crust, makes up 68 percent of the mass of Earth. The mantle is approximately 2,900 km thick and is made of rocks of medium density.

Question 5

Lithosphere

Answer 5

Earth’s outer layer is the lithosphere. It is a cool, rigid layer, 15 km to 300 km thick, that includes the crust and uppermost part of the mantle. It is divided into huge pieces called tectonic plates.

Question 6

Asthenosphere

Answer 6

is the layer beneath the lithosphere. The astheno sphere is a pliable, solid layer of the mantle made of rock that flows very slowly and allows tectonic plates to move on top of it.

Question 7

Tectonic Plates

Answer 7

glide across the underlying asthenosphere in much the same way a chunk of ice drifts across a pond.

Question 8

Chemical Weathering

Answer 8

wears down rocks, making them smoother as time passes

Question 9

Erosion

Answer 9

transports the materials elsewhere

Question 10

Atmosphere

Answer 10

Earth is surrounded by a mixture of gases known as the

Question 11

Troposphere

Answer 11

The atmospheric layer nearest Earth’s surface

Question 12

Stratosphere

Answer 12

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 13

Ozone

Answer 13

a layer in the earth’s stratosphere at an altitude of about 6.2 miles (10 km) containing a high concentration of ozone, which absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun.

Question 14

Radiation

Answer 14

is the transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves.

Question 15

Conduction

Answer 15

is the transfer of energy in the form of heat from a warmer object to a colder object when the objects are placed indirect physical contact.

Question 16

Convection

Answer 16

is the transfer of energy that takes place when variations in temperature move the matter making up air.

Question 17

Greenhouse effect

Answer 17

The process in which greenhouse gases absorb and reradiate infrared radiation near the Earth

Question 18

Water Cycle

Answer 18

The continuous movement of water betwween the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans

Question 19

Evaporation

Answer 19

The change of state from a liquid to a gas

Question 20

Condensation

Answer 20

The change of state from a gas to a liquid

Question 21

Precipitation

Answer 21

any form of water that falls to earth’s surface from the clouds

Question 22

Salinity

Answer 22

A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

Question 23

Fresh water

Answer 23

Water that contains insignificant amounts of salts, as in rivers and lakes

Question 24

Biosphere

Answer 24

The part of earth where life exist

Question 25

Core

Answer 25

The center part of the earth below the mantle