Term | Definition |
folded mountain, | formed when layers are squeezed together and pushed upwards |
fault-block mountain, | formed when tension of tectonic plates causes large blocks of the Earth's crust to drop down relative to other blocks |
deposition, | The process in which material is laid down |
transform boundary, | A fault that lies directly along the boundary line |
convergent boundary, | When two plates smash into each other causing earthquake |
divergent boundary, | When two plates drift away from each other causing magma to rise |
faults, | A break in a body of rock along which one block slides relative to another |
seismic waves, | Waves of energy above Earths surface that go in different directions during an earthquake |
epicenter, | A spot above the focus on Earth's surface |
volcano, | A vent in Earths surface through which magma and gases are expelled |
lava, | magma that comes above the surface through faults and volcanoes |
magma, | melting rock underneath the surface |
earthquakes, | a violent shaking of the Earth's crust when tectonic plates move |
focus point, | the point under the surface of the Earth that is where the earthquake starts |
stress, | Pressure or tension put on a material object |
primary waves, | A seismic wave that causes particles of rock to move in a back- and- forth direction |
secondary waves, | A seismic wave that causes particals of rock to move in side-to-side directions |
surface waves, | a seismic wave that causes rock to move in side to side direction |
seismograph, | A tool that records vibrations in the ground and determines the location and strength of an earthquake |
aftershock, | weaker earthquakes that follow stronger earthquakes |
tsunami, | large waves that come on to shore when a earthquake happens in the sea; the earthquake shakes the sea violently |
pyroclastic flow, | when enormus amounts of hot ash, dust, and gases are released from a volconoe |
continental drift, | the theory that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations |
tectonic plate, | the plates on Earth's surface that hold life on land they are constantly moving |
Pangaea, | when all of the tectonic plates were together in one big plate it was called this |
theory of plate tectonics, | that the tectonic plates are moving on top of the asthenoshpere |
subduction, | when one plate sinks or is pusshed under another |
asthenospere, | the second layer of the Earth; 250 km (not commonly used) |
lithosphere, | the top layer of the Earth; 15-300 km (not commonly used) |
mantle, | (the most commonly used layers) the third layer of the Earth; 2,900 km |
crust, | (the most commonly used layers) the top most layer of the Earth; 5-100 km |
core, | (the most commonly used layers) the center layer of the Earth; 3,430 km |
inner core, | the inner most layer; 1,230 km (not commonly used) |
outer core | the outer layer of the core; 2,200 km (not commonly used) |
mineral, | a naturally formed, inorganic solid that has definite chemical structure |
rock, | A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter |
element, | A substance that cant be broken down into simpler pieces by chemical means |
streak, | The color of a powder of a rock |
luster, | The way a rock reflects light |
cleavage, | Splitting of a mineral along a smooth, flat surface |
fracture, | When a mineral breaks along either curved, or irregular surfaces |
density, | The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance |
hardness, | A measure of the ability of a mineral to resist scratching |
ore, | a natural material whose concentration of economically valuable minerals is high enough for the material to be mined profitably |
color, | different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light |
infiltration, | Entry of water into Earth's surface |
soil horizon, | A layer of soil that lies approximately parallel to the lands surface. |
particle size, | a introduced comparing dimensions of solid particles, liquid particles, and gaseous particles |
soil profile, | The diagram of a verticle section of soil depicting the horizons |
pH, | the amount of acidity that is in the soil you are testing |
fertility, | how much the soil is able to grow plants or the amount of nutriance |
weathering, | the wearing away of rocks by chemical or mechanical means |
exfoliation, | To seperate into rudely concentric layers or sheets, as certain rocks during weathering |
abrasion, | the grinding and wearing away of rock surfaces through the mechanical action of other rock or sand particles |
chemical weathering, | the process by which rocks break down as a result of chemical reactions |
mechanical weathering, | the breakdown of rock into smaller pieces by physical means |
humus, | dark, organic material formed in soil from the decayed remains of plants and animals |
deposition, | the process in which material is laid down |
erosion, | the process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another |
desertification, | The proccess by which an area becomes a desert |
rock cycle, | the series of processes in which a rock forms, changes from one type to another, is destroyed, and forms again by geological processes |
remote sensing | The use of a camera, or a radar, to scan the Earth or another planet in space in order to collect data |
Day & Night, | the time required for Earth to rotate once on its axis |
Seasons, | A period of the year characterized by particular conditions of weather, and tempature |
Rotation, | the spin of a body on its axis |
Revolution, | the motion of a body that travels around another body in space; one complete trip along an orbit |
Orbit, | the path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space |
ellipse, | A plane curve that the sums of the distances of each point in its periphery from two fixed points are equal |
Solstice, | the point at which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible |
Vernal Equinox | It occurs in March, and marks the beginning of Spring |
Autumnal Equinox | It occurs in September, and marks the beginning of fall |
solar eclipse, | Occurs when the Moon gets between the Sun and Earth,and the moon casts a shadow over Earth |
Lunar eclipse | When the Earth falls between Sun, and Moon, the shadow of Earth casts on the Moon |
Crescent Moon | When 1- 49% of the Moon is seen of the part of the Moon unseen |
Quarter Moon | The first or second half of the Moon |
Gibbous Moon | When more than half of the Moon is seen, not a Full Moon |
Full Moon | When you see the Moon with none hidden |
Waxing Moon | When the Moon appears to get bigger |
Waning Moon | When the Moon appears to get smaller |
High Tide | The state of a tide when at its highest level |
Low Tide | The state of a tide when at its lowest level |
Spring Tide | the tide of increased range that occurs two times a month, at new and full moons |
Neap Tide | a tide of minimum range that occurs during the first and third quarters of the moon |
gravitational pull, | The attraction one has for another due to an invisible force of gravity |
alignment, | Arrangement in a straight line, or in correct relative positions |
axis, | An imaginary line about which a body rotates |
tilt, | A sloping position or movement |
hemispheres, | Half of the Earth in different sections like North, South, East, and West |
solar system, | A collection of planets and their moons in orbit around the sun, together with smaler bodies of comets, and asteriods |
surface, | The part of the Earth in which we live |
atmosphere, | The air in any particular place |
composition, | the chemical makeup of a rock; describes either the minerals or other materials in the rock |
gravity, | The force of attraction by which terrestrial bodies tend to fall toward the center of the earth |
satellites, | a natural or artificial body that revolves around a planet |
sun, | The star in which Earth orbits |
planets, | A celestical body moving in an ellipitial orbit around a star |
moons, | The natural satelite of the Eart, visible by reflected light from the sun |
asteroids, | a small, rocky object that orbits the sun, usually in a band between the orbits of mars and Jupiter |
meteors, | a bright streak of light that results when a meteoroid burns up in the earths atmosphere |
comets, | a small of ice, rock, and cosmic dust that follows an elliptical orbit around the sun and and that gives off gas and dust in the form of a tail as it passes close to the sun |
dust, | Tiny particles of Earth laying on the ground |
gases, | One of three staes of matter, composed with molcules with no fixed position |
exploration, | The action of traveling in or through an unfimiliar area in order to learn about it |
astronaut, | A person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft |
solar radiation, | A radiant energy emitted by the sun due to nuclear fusion reactions |
probes, | An exploratory action or expidition |
International Space Station, | A place where scientists can study and cunduct about space |
Hubble Telescope, | A telescope used to take pictures of space, which helps scientists learn about space |
lander, | A space vihicle used to land on the moon or another planet |
probe, | a vehicle that carries scientific instruments into space to collect scientific information |
flybys, | A flight of a spacecraft past a celestial body close enough to obtain scientific info |
galaxies, | a collection of stars, dust, and gas bound together by gravity |
universe, | The world of human experience |
Milky Way, | A broad band of light that stretches across the sky and is caused by the liight of a very great number of faint stars |
light-year, | the distance that light travels in one year; about 9.46 trillion kilometers |
black holes | An invisible region believed to exist in space having a very strong gravitational field and thought to be caused by a fallen star |
Atoms, | The smallest particle of an element that has the properties of the element and can exist either alone or in combo |
elements, | a substance that cannot be separated or broken down into simpler substances by chemical means |
matter, | A substance of which a physical object is composed |
particles, | very tiny things that make up everything that interact with on another |
pure substances, | a chemical substance with a specific chemical composition |
mass, | a measure of the amount of matter in an object |
weight, | the amount of force you must use to lift an object |
thermal energy, | the kinetic energy of a substances atoms |
solids, | particals that move very little are aranged in a tight, regular pattern |
liquids, | particals that move past one another easily are fairly close but not in a certian pattern |
gases, | particals that move rapidly in no absolute pattern |
volume vs. shape, | Volume is the amount of space that an object takes up and shape is the form of an object. |
density, | the ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance |
boiling point, | the temperature where a liquid boils |
freezing point, | the temperature where a liquid frezzes |
melting point, | the temperature where a liquid melts |
solubility, | the maximum amount of a substance that can be dissolved in a liquid at a specific temperature |
solute, | the substance being dissolved |
solvent, | the liquid substance the solute is dissolved into |
independent, | not depending on another |
dependent, | one thing that relies in another |
physical properties vs. chemical properties | Physical properties are things that make up something that moves and chemical properties tell about an experiment or some that would not be a living thing. |
Thermal energy, | the kinetic energy of a substances atoms |
Conduction, | The process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance |
radiation, | the tranfer of energy as electromagnetic waves |
convection, | the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas |
convection current, | Convection is the movement of molecules within fluids |
conservation, | Preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation and wildlife |
transfer, | All waves tranfer energy by repeated vibrations |
conductors, | A material or an object that conducts heat, electricity, light, or sound |
insulators, | A substance that does not readily allow the passage of heat or sound. |
temperature, | a measure of how hot (or cold) something is; specifically, a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in an object |
thermometer, | An instrument for measuring and indicating temperature |
equilibrium, | A state of physical balance |
thermal expansion, | an increase in the size of a substance in response to an increase in the tempature of the substance |
contraction, | the proccess of becoming smaller |
electromagnetic wave, | a wave that consists of eletric and magnetic feilds that vibrate at right angles to eachother |
absorption, | in optics ,the transfer to light energy to particles in matter |
refraction, | the bending of a wave as the wave passes between two substances in which the speedof the way differs |
scattering, | an interaction of light with matter that causes light to change it's energy ,direction of motion or both |
transmission, | the passing of light or other form of energy through matter |
visible spectrum, | the distribution of colors when light is dispersed by a prism |
infrared light, | wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than radio waves |
ultraviolet light, | radiation lying in the ultraviolet range; wave lengths shorter than light but longer than X-rays |
x-rays, | electromagneti radiation of short wavelength produced when high-speed electrons stike a solid target |
gamma rays, | penatrating electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength of X-rays |
electromagnetic spectrum, | the range of wavelengths or frequency over which electromagnetic radiation extends |
electrical currents | a rate or flow of an eletric charge |
Waves, | a periodic disturbance in a solid,liquid, or gas as enrgy is transmitted through a medium |
wavelengths, | the distance from any point on a wave to an identical point on the next wave |
Sound | vibrations that travel through the air or through another medium and can be haerd when they reach a person's or animal's ear |
longitudinal waves | a wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate parellel to the direction of wave motion |
amplitude | the maximum distance that the particles of a waves medium vibrate from their rest position |
rarefaction | a decrease in density and pressure in a medium |
compression | stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an object |
vibration, | to move back and fourth especialy rhythmacly and rapidly |
medium, | a physical environment in which phenomea occur |
vacuum, | a space entirely devoid to matter |
pitch, | a measure of how high or how low a sound is perceived to be, depending on the frequency of the sound wave |
hertz, | the SI unit of frequency equal to one cycle per minute |
intensity, | The quality of being intense: "the pain grew in intensity" |
decibel, | the most common unit used to measure loudness |
amplification, | addition of extra material or clarifying detail |
acoustics, | the proporties of a building that determine how sound is transmitted in it |
echolocation, | the process of using reflected sound waves to find objects; used by animals such as bats |
sonar, | the system of the detection of objects underwater and measuring waters depth |
ultrasound, | cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing |
LIGHT | the natural agent that stimulates sights and makes things visable |
transverse waves | a wave in which the particles of the medium move perpendicuarly to the direction the wave is traveling |
trough | the part of the wave withe the least magnitude; the smallest part of the wave |
crest | the part of the wave with the greatest maltitde ;the highest part of the wave |
amplitude | the maximum distance that the particles of a waves medium vibrate from the rest possition |
frequency | the number of waves produced in a given amount of time |
prism, | a solid geometric figures whose two end faces are simular |
reflection, | the bouncing back of a ray of light ,sound, and heat we the wave hots the surface that it dosn't go through |
refraction, | the bendingof a wave as the wave passes between two substancess in which the speed of the wave differs |
optics, | the scientific study of sight and the behavior of light |
convex, | Having an outline or surface curved like the exterior of a circle or sphere |
concave, | having a surface that curves inward |
structures of the eye | the multiple parts of the eye |
cornea | the transparent layer forming the front of the eye |
iris | a flat, colored membrain behind the cornea of the eye |
lens | transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; its role is to focuses light on the retina |
pupil | The dark circular opening in the center of the iris of the eye |
retina | a layer on the back of the eye that is sensative to light and can triggers nerve impulses |
optical nerve | something that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain |
cones | a solid or hollow object that that has a roughly circular base to a point |
rods | a thin streight bar |
seismic waves | a wave of energy that travels through the earth and away from an earthquake in all directions |