Earths Systems Flashcards
The layer of gases that surround earth
Atmosphere
Earths water whether found on continents or in oceans including freshwater in glacier lakes rivers and underground
Hydrosphere
The part of the earth in which living things exist and interact
Biosphere
The layer of rock dirt and soil on earth including the mantle core and crust
Geosphere
Earths solid rocky surface
Crust
The layer of earth beneath the crust
Mantle
The central part of earth
Core
The slow movement of the continents over many years
Continental drift
Scientific theory that earths crust is made of moving plates
Tectonic plates
A pattern or crack in the rocks of earths crust where movement can take place
Fault
The atmosphere contains ——————— which plants need it to make food
Carbon dioxide
The —————— protects living things in biosphere
Ozone layer
The ——————- influence weather patterns
Geosphere
A——————-scientist who examines rocks to find out about earths history and structure
Geologist
—————————- thought earths continents were a giant jigsaw puzzle
Alfred wegener
—————————theory describes the lithosphere as being made of huge plates of solid rock
Plate tectonics
———————— is squeezing or a pushing together of the crust
Compression
When a plate is compressed the crust is forced upward producing
Folded mountains
Rocks break down and become
Sediment
Soil forms in layers called
Horizons
—————— is a thin layer of topsoil with little humus
Forest soil
——————— is sandy and does not have much humus
Desert soil
———————————————————————————— in rich in humus which provides nutrients for crops and holds water so minerals are not washed into the ground
Grassland and prairie soil
