PS Module 6 Flashcards
Earth’s crust
Earth’s outermost layer of rock
Sediment
Small, solid fragments of rock and other materials that are carried and deposited by wind, water, or ice. Examples would be sand, mud, or gravel.
Sedimentary rock
Rock formed when chemical reactions cement sediments together, hardening them
Igneous rock
Rock that forms from molten rock
Metamorphic rock
Igneous or sedimentary rock that has been changed into a new kind of rock as a result of great pressure and temperature
Plastic rock
Rock that behaves like something between a liquid and a solid
Earthquake
Vibration of the earth that results either from volcanic activity or rock masses suddenly moving along a fault
Fault
The boundary between two sections of rock that can move relative to one another
Focus
The point where an earthquake begins
Epicenter
The point on the surface of the earth directly above an earthquake’s focus
Mantle
The layer of the earth between the crust and the core.
Core
The very hot center of our planet.
Core (Inner)
The deepest layer of the Earth, beneath the outer core.
Core (Outer)
The layer of the Earth between the mantle and the inner core.
Soil
The top layer of the earth’s surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter.
Magma
Hot, liquid rock underneath the earth’s crust.
Lava
Molten rock, or magma, that erupts from volcanoes or fissures in the Earth’s surface.
Seismic waves
An earth vibration generated by an earthquake or explosion.
Seismographs
Vibration detectors used to analyze the vibrations at different oints of the earth. Scientists can determine the speed at which the seismic waves travel, how much energy they lose as they travel and how their courses are changed in different parts of the earth.
Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho)
Discovered by a Croatian scientist, Andrija Mohorovicic, this is the boundary between the earth’s crust and the beginning of the earth’s mantle.
Lithosphere
The outer, solid portion of the Earth which includes the upper part of the mantle and the crust above it.
Asthenosphere
Located below the lithosphere, this is part of the mantle. The rock is not completely solid.
Gutenberg discontinuity
Discovered by the seismic studies of German geologist Beno Gutenberg,it is the boundary between mantle and core.