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Earth Sci - unit 2
Earth's Interior and Plate Tectonics - grade 6
Question | Answer |
---|---|
seismic wave | waves produced by an earthquake |
pressure | amount of force on an area |
crust | the layer of rock that forms Earth's outer skin |
basalt | a dark rock with a fine texture that makes up the majority of the oceanic crust |
granite | a light rock with a coarse texture that makes up the majority of the continental crust |
mantle | the second and thickest layer of the earth made up of very hot, but solid rock |
lithosphere | the part of the earth made up of the crust and upper part of the mantle |
asthenosphere | the layer below the lithosphere, consists of a layer of hot rock that can bend like a plastic. |
outer core | layer of molten metal that surrounds the inner core |
inner core | a dense ball of solid metal at the center of the earth |
radiation | the transfer of energy through empty space (ex: the sum, heat from a fire, etc.) |
conduction | heat transfer by direct contact (ex: pot of water on a stovetop) |
convections | the transfer of heat by movement within a fluid (liquid & gas), (example: boiling water) |
density | a measure of how much mass there is in a volume of a substance |
convection current | the flow that transfers heat within a fluid; caused by the heating and cooling, changes in the fluid's density, and the force of gravity combine to set convection currents in motion. |
continental drift | The idea that the continents slowly moved over Earth's surface. |
Pangaea | The name given to the "supercontinent" (when all the landmasses were connected together). |
fossil | Any trace of an ancient organisms preserved in rock. |
Glossopteris | Fossil of a tropical fern-like plant found on different continents. |
Mesosaurus | Fossil of a freshwater reptile found on different continents. |
Alfred Wegener | German scientist who proposed the theory of continental drift. |
mid-ocean ridge | chain of mountains under the ocean formed by sea-floor spreading |
sonar | a device that bounces sound waves off of underwater objects and records the echoes |
sea-floor spreading | process that continually adds new material to the ocean floor |
deep-ocean trench | deep canyons under the water where subduction occurs |
subduction | the process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle |
plates | sections of the earth's lithosphere |
plate tectonics | the geological theory that states pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant, slow motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle |
scientific theory | a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations |
faults | breaks in Earth's crust where rocks have slipped past each other |
transform boundary | a place where two plates slip past each other, moving in opposite directions |
divergent boundary | a place where two plates move away from each other |
rift valley | a deep valley that forms along a divergent boundary |
convergent boundary | the place where two plates come together |