Chapter 6 Changes to the Earth's Surface Flashcards
This is Earth’s thinnest layer, thin outer layer or skin
crust
The thick layer under Earth’s thin crust. Some of the __ is melted and the rest is solid.
mantle
Beneath the mantle, this is the last major layer. There are two parts to the __, the liquid outer __ and a solid inner __. This layer extends from the bottom of the mantle to the Earth’s center.
core
The process of being broken down into smaller pieces
weathering
The removal and transportation of weathered material, the pieces of rock are carried away.
erosion
The small pieces of rock that are weathered and eroded and carried by wind and water
sediment
Sediment that has dropped out of the air or water; the dropping or settling of eroded material
deposition
Huge sheets of ice that stay frozen all year-round
glacier
Rocks from space that have collided with the Earth (or moon, etc)
meteorites
Theory that the lithosphere is divided into plates that are always moving
plate tectonics
This word comes from Greek and means “to build”
Moving plates build landforms
tectonics
Chain of mountains that runs through the world’s oceans
mid-ocean ridge
A deep valley along the highest part of the mid-ocean ridge where plates move apart
rift
As plates separate hot rock moves up and forms new crust, or new lithosphere.
sea-floor spreading
Theory that all the continents once formed a single supercontinent
Pangea
A break in the Earth’s crust where rocks can slide past each other
fault
The result of rocks stretching too far, snapping and breaking. Energy is released suddenly as they slide past each other.
earthquake
Point inside the Earth where an earthquake begins
focus
The point on Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake
epicenter
Instrument used to electronically measure and record the motion caused by earthquake’s energy waves
seismograph
Scale used to estimate the amount of energy released by an earthquake
Richter scale
Instrument that calculates the energy released during an earthquake by calculating the distance rock moves along the fault; more accurate than the Richter scale
moment magnitude scale
Scale that measures the strength of an earthquake according to the amount of damage caused; uses Roman Numerals
Mercalli intensity scale
Earthquake beneath the ocean that causes the ocean floor to rise and fall; moves a huge wave or wall of water
tsunami
Mountain that forms when molten rock, or magma is pushed to the surface and builds up
volcano
Motlen, or melted rock inside the Earth
magma
Magma that reaches the Earth’s surface; magma outside the Earth
lava
Place where magma occurs under a plate and pushes up towards the surface; Hawaiian Islands were formed by a hot spot under the Pacific Plate
hot spot
