Chapter 6 Terms Flashcards
Aurora
Light emitted by atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere and is a result of magnetic disturbance caused by solar wind
Convection
Rising and sinking motions in a liquid or gas that carry heat upward through the material
Coriolis Effect
Makes storms on Earth spin, generates large-scale wind systems, and creates cloud belts on many of the planets
Crust
The rigid surface of a planet, moon, or other solid body
Daughter Atoms
The atoms produced by the decay of a radioactive element
Density
The mass of a body or region divided by its volume
Differentiation
Separation of previously mixed materials inside a planet or other object
Global Warming
Earth temperature has been increasing in a substantial amount
Greenhouse Effect
Trapping of heat by a planet’s atmosphere, which makes the planets warmer that what it would be
Jet Streams
A narrow stream of hight speed wind that blows in the atmosphere of a planet
Liquid or outer core
The molten interior of a planet
Magnetic lines of force
Fictitious lines used to visualize the oritentation and strength of a magnetic field
Mantle
The solid outer part of a planet
Ozone
A form of oxygen, which absorbs and shields us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation
Plate Tectonics
The idea that the crust of earth is divided into larger regions (plates) that move slowly over the planet’s surface
