Science Vocabulary Flashcards
Symbol
Small pictures, letters, lines or colors that appear on a map and have a meaning
Legend
A key that tells what map symbols stand for
Compass rose
A four pointed symbol that shows which directions are North, East, South and West on the map
Feature
A characteristic or part of something (Mr. Johnson)
Structures or forms that are easy to recognize (text book)
Physical map
A map that shows land and ocean features such as mountains, rivers and lakes
Topographical map
A map that shows accurate elevation using contour lines
Political map
A map that shows political borders such as states and countries and and man made features such as cities and roads
Street map
A map that shows streets, roads and highways
Satellite map
A picture of the surface of the earth taken by satellite or aircraft
Local attractions map
A map of interesting attractions for tourists
Canyon
Found in mountain ranges, and are deep, narrow areas surrounded by a mountain’s deep sides
Butte (pronounced “bee-yute”)
A single hill that has deep sides and a flat top
Patterns
Something that appears or occurs again and again in the same way
Fault
Cracks in earth’s crust
Trench
Long, narrow, sunken areas in the ocean floor
Rock cycle
The recycling of old rock into new, and is an ongoing process
Igneous rock
Rocks formed from molten rock or magma
Sedimentary rocks
Rocks formed from particles in the environment that settle to form layers
Metamorphic rock
Rock changed by heat, pressure, or both
Characteristic
Features that rocks are sorted by
Fault
A crack in the crust where 2 sides slide past each other
Earthquake
When stressed is released, a shift within the earth
Hazard
A danger to humans from an event
Tsunami
A massive wave that can cause damage when it reaches land
Volcano
An opening in earth’s crust that allows super heated materials from beneath the crust to reach the surface
Eruption
A release of volcanic material that can take minutes, hours or even longer
Flood
The flow of water over land that is not normally covered by water
Drought
A long period of very dry weather
Avalanche
The sudden sliding of snow, ice and rock down a slope
Landslide
What happens when heavy rains and flooding push soil and rocks down a hill
Outcome
The result of somethin
Fossil
The mineralized remains or evidence of plants or animals that lived long ago
Mold fossil
A space in a rock in the shape of a living thing
Cast fossil
Minerals from the surrounding rock fill in a mold fossil that harden into the fossil’s shape
Trace fossil
Give clues about a living thing’s activities such as footprints, tracks, burrows and nests
Stratus (plural form is strata)
Layers of rock that are different ages and may contain fossils
Horizontal
Rock patterns that are parallel to earth’s surface
Key bed
A layer of rock that scientists can clearly identify
Sample
A small piece from the key bed layers all over earth
Geologic time scale
A timeline of the history of earth made from information about the ages of fossils and rocks
Index fossil
A common and widespread fossil that can be used to identify the age of the rock it is found in
Weathering
The process where particles are slowly moved off of a solid
Erosion
The slow process where particles are removed from solids by wind or water
Evidence
Something easily observed that can be used to confirm or deny an idea
Wildfire
An out of control, destructive fire
Potential
Possible
