earth layers Flashcards

1
Q

Lithosphere

A

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

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2
Q

Asthenosphere

A

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.

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3
Q

Mesosphere

A

directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere

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4
Q

Inner Core

A

a hot, dense ball of (mostly) iron

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5
Q

Outer Core

A

composed of liquid iron and nickel

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6
Q

Seismic Waves

A

an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.

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7
Q

Oceanic Crust

A

the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere that is found under the oceans

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8
Q

Continental Crust

A

the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere that makes up the planet’s continents and continental shelves

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9
Q

Density

A

substance’s mass per unit of volume

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10
Q

Alfred Wegener

A

German climatologist, geologist, geophysicist, meteorologist, and polar researcher

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11
Q

Continental Drift

A

hypothesis that the Earth’s continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other

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12
Q

Convergent Boundary

A

is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide

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13
Q

Divergent Boundary

A

linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other

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14
Q

Transform Boundary

A

places where plates slide sideways past each other

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15
Q

Sea-floor Spreading

A

a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth’s lithosphere—split apart from each other

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16
Q

Pangaea

A

gigantic continent

17
Q

Laurasia

A

one of the two ancient supercontinents produced by the first split of the even larger supercontinent Pangaea about 200 million years ago

18
Q

Gondwana

A

one of the two ancient supercontinents produced by the first split of the even larger supercontinent Pangaea about 200 million years ago

19
Q

Mesosaurus

A

extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America

20
Q

Glossopteris

A

largest and best-known genus of the extinct Permian order of seed ferns known as Glossopteridales