Unit 1 Flashcards
centrifugal force
the energy that pushes a body away from the center while spinning
continental drift
the theory that all the land on Earth was once a single land mass
continental shelf
the border between the crust that makes up the land and the crust that makes up the ocean floor
crust
the outer layer of the earth
eustatic change
a measurable change in the level of the world’s oceans
freshwater
water without salt
groundwater
water found under the surface of the earth
hot spots
places where the magma beneath the surface is hotter than the other magma in the area
hypothesis
a speculation that can be proven or disproven
law
a theory that has demonstrated consistent results over without significant differences
lithosphere
the solid portion of the earth
magma
the molten liquid of the mantle
mantle
the soft layer beneath the earth’s crust that is divided into the upper and lower mantle
marine science
the study of the ocean, the life within it, and the surfaces that border it and the ocean floor
ocean
a vast body of salt water that fills a large depression in the earth’s surface
plates
uneven pieces that comprise the earth’s crust
plate tectonics
the examination of the plates of the earth and how they move, collide, slide under, or move past other plates
science
the study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world using observation and experiment
scientific method
the process used in science that includes questioning, creating a hypothesis, and conducting experiments to prove the hypothesis
seafloor spreading
the process in which magma fills in the space between the plates and pushes them farther apart
seismic sea wave
a tsunami, or giant wave
theory
a hypothesis that can consistently be proven true can become an explanation for observations
