chapter 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

the outermost layer of rock of which a planet consists, especially the part of the earth above the mantle

Question 4

mantle

Answer 4

the region of the earth’s interior between the crust and the core, believed to consist of hot, dense silicate rocks

Question 5

core

Answer 5

the dense central region of a planet

Question 6

lithosphere

Answer 6

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

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

pieces of Earth’s crust and uppermost mantle, together referred to as the lithosphere

Question 9

chemical

Answer 9

a compound or substance that has been purified or prepared, especially artificially

Question 10

weathering

Answer 10

wear away or change the appearance or texture of (something) by long exposure to the air.

Question 11

erosion

Answer 11

the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

Question 12

atmosphere

Answer 12

the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Question 13

ozone

Answer 13

a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (

Question 14

radiation

Answer 14

is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma radiation

Question 15

conduction

Answer 15

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 16

convection

Answer 16

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 17

greenhouse effect

Answer 17

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

Question 18

water cycle

Answer 18

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 19

evaportation

Answer 19

the process of turning from liquid into vapor.

Question 20

condensation

Answer 20

the conversion of a vapor or gas to a liquid.

Question 21

precipitation

Answer 21

any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the Earth.

Question 22

salinity

Answer 22

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

Question 23

fresh water

Answer 23

is any naturally occurring water except seawater and brackish water.

Question 24

biosphere

Answer 24

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