Chapter 6 Changes to the Earth's Surface Flashcards

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1
Q

This is Earth’s thinnest layer, thin outer layer or skin

A

crust

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2
Q

The thick layer under Earth’s thin crust. Some of the __ is melted and the rest is solid.

A

mantle

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3
Q

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.

A

core

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4
Q

The process of being broken down into smaller pieces

A

weathering

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5
Q

The removal and transportation of weathered material, the pieces of rock are carried away.

A

erosion

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6
Q

The small pieces of rock that are weathered and eroded and carried by wind and water

A

sediment

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7
Q

Sediment that has dropped out of the air or water; the dropping or settling of eroded material

A

deposition

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8
Q

Huge sheets of ice that stay frozen all year-round

A

glacier

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9
Q

Rocks from space that have collided with the Earth (or moon, etc)

A

meteorites

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10
Q

Theory that the lithosphere is divided into plates that are always moving

A

plate tectonics

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11
Q

This word comes from Greek and means “to build”

Moving plates build landforms

A

tectonics

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12
Q

Chain of mountains that runs through the world’s oceans

A

mid-ocean ridge

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13
Q

A deep valley along the highest part of the mid-ocean ridge where plates move apart

A

rift

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14
Q

As plates separate hot rock moves up and forms new crust, or new lithosphere.

A

sea-floor spreading

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15
Q

Theory that all the continents once formed a single supercontinent

A

Pangea

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16
Q

A break in the Earth’s crust where rocks can slide past each other

A

fault

17
Q

The result of rocks stretching too far, snapping and breaking. Energy is released suddenly as they slide past each other.

A

earthquake

18
Q

Point inside the Earth where an earthquake begins

A

focus

19
Q

The point on Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake

A

epicenter

20
Q

Instrument used to electronically measure and record the motion caused by earthquake’s energy waves

A

seismograph

21
Q

Scale used to estimate the amount of energy released by an earthquake

A

Richter scale

22
Q

Instrument that calculates the energy released during an earthquake by calculating the distance rock moves along the fault; more accurate than the Richter scale

A

moment magnitude scale

23
Q

Scale that measures the strength of an earthquake according to the amount of damage caused; uses Roman Numerals

A

Mercalli intensity scale

24
Q

Earthquake beneath the ocean that causes the ocean floor to rise and fall; moves a huge wave or wall of water

A

tsunami

25
Q

Mountain that forms when molten rock, or magma is pushed to the surface and builds up

A

volcano

26
Q

Motlen, or melted rock inside the Earth

A

magma

27
Q

Magma that reaches the Earth’s surface; magma outside the Earth

A

lava

28
Q

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

A

hot spot