EARTHS CRUSTS vocab Flashcards
Mantle
- A layer inside a planetary body bounded below a core and above a crust. Made of rocks and Ices
Magma
Hot fluid or semifluid within or below the Earth’s crust
Fossils
The remains of a prehistoric organism in a petrified form
Lava
Hot molten or semifluid that erupts from a volcanoe.
Humus
the organic component of soil, formed by the decomposition
Compost
decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer.
Loam
a fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus.
Soil
the upper layer of earth in which plants grow, consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.
Ore
a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be extracted.
Sedimentary
that has formed from sediment deposited by water or air.
Metamorphic
A rock that arises from other rocks usually because of heat and/or pressure
Erosion
the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.
Lithospere
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Asthenosphere
the upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance
Convection currents
Convection currents transfer heat from one place to another by mass motion of a fluid such as water, air or molten rock.
Outer core
a fluid layer about 2,260 km (1,400 mi) thick, composed of mostly iron and nickel that lies above Earth’s solid inner core
Inner core
the innermost geologic layer of the planet Earth. primarily a solid ball with a radius of 1,220 km,
Discontinuities
structural breaks in geologic terials which usually are unhealed and have zero or low tensile strength.
Igneous rocks
A rock made out of magma or lava
Intrusive: Made inside the Earth’s crust
Extrusive: Made outside of the Earth’s crust
Oceanic Crust
the part of the Earth’s crust that makes up the seafloor
Continental Crust
The crust the forms continents
Weathering (physical and chemical)
Physical: When a rock is effected by forces of nature (wind,rain)
Chemical: When a rock changes due to mineral solutions (chemicals)
Continental drift theory
Earth’s continents move or drift relative to each other over geologic time
Tectonic plate theory
the scientific theory that Earth’s lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates,
