Earth Systems Flashcards
Continental Crust
crust found under continents; made of mostly silicon, oxygen, and aluminum
Outer Core
the heated, liquified rock layer under the mantle.
Very hot liquid iron and nickel
1. Crust
2. Mantle
3. Outer Core
4. Inner Core
Jet Streams
strong eastward winds in the stratosphere which blow horizontally around the earth
Exosphere
A layer in the atmosphere that separates the thermosphere from outer space.
Geyser
A hot spring of water that shoots water and steam into the air. This happens when magma heats the groundwater.
Thermosphere
A very thin layer of high-temperature atmosphere that includes the ionosphere and exosphere.
Plastic
a state in which a material is solid but can flow (generally slowly)
Weathering
a destructive process in which rock is gradually worn away and broken into smaller sediments and/or dirt
Asthenosphere
part of the upper mantle just below the lithosphere that is solid rock in a flexible state
Organic Material
dead plant and animal material in the soil
Erosion
The slow wearing away the surface of the land by wind or water
Tectonic Plates
Plates or parts of Earth’s crust and upper mantle that move across the asthenosphere
Nutrients
nutrient-rich foods and drinks. They support growth, energy production, and organism maintenance.
Continental Arctic Air Mass (cA)
A mass of cold, dry air that formed over land in the Arctic.
Maritime Tropical Air Mass (mT)
A warm, moist air mass that formed over tropical oceans
Aquifer
a body of water-soaked rock that is deep underground
Sedimentary Rock
When sands build up and stick together, they turn into rock.
Water Table
the level below which the soil and rock remain saturated with water`
Lithosphere
The crust and the top mantle make up the rigid outermost layer of the earth.
Includes crust and upper mantle. Solid rock.
Maritime Polar Air Mass (mP)
A mass of cold, wet air that grew over the polar seas.
Chemical Weathering
the process of breaking down rocks by chemical means
Ex: acid rain
Continental Tropical (cT)
A warm, dry air mass that formed over tropical landmasses
Plate Tectonics
parts of the Earth’s crust moving in big ways over long periods of time.
Convection Currents
the movement of fluid which transfers heat from one place to another
Air Masses
Regions of warm or cold, wet or dry air that tend to move together across Earth’s surface, taking their temperature and humidity with them.
Mesosphere
the coldest layer in the atmosphere; protects the earth from meteoroids
Convergent Boundary / Destructive Boundary
A place where two tectonic plates move toward each other. This makes mountains and valleys.
Meteoroids
Small pieces of debris from space that fall into the Earth’s atmosphere and can then become meteors
Hot Spring
a geological feature that happens when geothermal action heats water and pushes it to the surface of the Earth.
Cleavage
the pattern along which the mineral breaks
Coriolis Effect
Due to the Earth’s spin and unequal heating, things in the northern hemisphere move right and items in the southern move left.
Constructive Processes
processes that add new landforms to the surface of the earth
hot spots causing volcanoes
Surface Water
water held on the surface of the earth
lake
Specific Gravity
the ratio of how heavy the mineral is to how heavy water is
Streak
The mineral’s powder color. Moving a mineral across unglazed porcelain gives this color.
Continental Polar Air Mass (cP)
A cold, dry air mass that formed over polar landmasses
Crystalline Structure
the degree to which a mineral has a crystal lattice structure. The more crystalline a mineral is, the harder it is to see the crystal lattice structure with the naked eye.
Troposphere
the layer of gases closest to the earth where weather occurs
Air Pressure / Atmospheric Pressure
the force put on an area by the weight of the air in the atmosphere above.
Hot Spot
A place far from the edges of tectonic plates where upwelling magma makes a hole in the Earth’s rock and lava comes out of it.
Galapagos Islands
Rock
an accumulation of one or more minerals
Mechanical Weathering
the process of breaking down rocks by physical means
water freezes in a crack in the rock and breaks it apart
Ultraviolet Radiation
This type of energy can heat up the world and hurt the cells of living things.
Oceanic Crust
crust found under oceans; made of mostly silicon, oxygen, and magnesium
Igneous Rock
When molten rock or lava cools, it forms rock with air spaces or crystals.
Atmosphere
the gases surrounding the surface of the earth
Destructive Processes
processes that break down or destroy landforms
water running across a rock causes the rock to wear down
Ocean Basin
When oceanic crust sinks, it makes depressions on the earth’s surface that become oceans.
Ionosphere
a layer of ions and free electrons in the atmosphere that can bounce and direct radio waves
Tenacity
the mineral’s power to stay together or not break when put under pressure
Southern Hemisphere
The half of the earth south of the equator
Soil
the top layer of the earth’s surface. It is made from rocks that have broken down over time.
Transform Boundary
A place where two tectonic plates slide past each other. The earth around the border is folded.
Feedback Loop (in Systems)
the part of a system where some (or all) of the output is used as input for other tasks
Mineral
a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with an orderly, network structure and definite chemical composition
Nuclear Fission
a process in which the nuclei of an atom is split, releasing a massive amount of energy.
Diaphaneity
the transparency of the mineral or ability of light to pass through it
Divergent Boundary / Constructive Boundary
a boundary between tectonic plates where the two plates move away from one another; creates new crust
Ozone Layer
a layer of ozone in the stratosphere that blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth’s surface
Crust
the outermost and coolest layer of the earth
Thin solid outer layer we see
Metamorphic Rock
form when rock is subjected to great heat and pressure; banding or stripes
Marble
Inner Core
the extremely hot innermost layer of the earth; composed of mostly solid iron and nickel
Very hot solid, mostly iron
Groundwater
water below the earth’s surface held in the spaces between rock and soil particles
Surface Current
a river-like flow of water of different temperature within Earth’s oceans
Mantle
the layer of the earth just beneath the crust; composed of very hot rock
Rock that behaves similarly to modeling clay
Stratosphere
the layer above the troposphere; contains jet streams and the ozone layer
Magma
underground molten rock that is there before and during an earthquake.
