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Lithosphere Vocab.
Unit 3 Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Aftershock | a small earthquake that follows the main earthquake |
| Asthenosphere | a weak plastic layer of the mantle situated below the lithosphere; the rock within this zone is easity deformed |
| Caldera | a large depression typically caused by collapse or ejection of the summit area of a volcano |
| Chemical Weathering | the process by which the internal structure of a mineral is altered by the removal and/or addition of elements |
| Continental Drift | a hypothesis that originally proposed that the continents had once been joined to form a single supercontinent; the supercontinent broke into pieces, which drifted into their present day positions |
| Convergent Boundary | a boundary in which two plates move together |
| Crater | the depression at the summit of a volcano or that which is produced by a meteorite impact |
| Crust | the thin, rocky outher layer of Earth |
| Deformation | general term for the processes of folding, faulting, shearing, compression, or extension of rocks as the result of various natural forces |
| Deposition | the process by which an agent of erosion loses energy and drops the sediment it is carrying |
| Divergent Boundary | a region where the rigid plates are moving apart, typified by the oceanic ridges |
| Earthquake | the vibration of Earth produced by the rapid release of energy |
| Epicenter | the location on Earth's surface directly above the focus, or origin, of an earthquake |
| Erosion | the incorporation and transportation of materal by a mobile agent, such as water, wind, or ice |
| Fault | a fracture in Earth along which movement has occured |
| Focus | the point within Earth where an earthquake originates |
| Frost Wedging | the mechanical breakup of rock caused by the expansion of freezing water in cracks and crevices |
| Geology | the science that examines Earth, its form and composition, and the changes it has undergone and is undergoing |
| Geothermal Energy | energy that can be extracted from Earth's internal heat, for example, natural steam used for power generation |
| Hot Spot | a concentration of heat in the mantle capable or producing magma, which rises to Earth's surface; The Pacific plate moves over a hot spot, producing the Hawaiian Islands |
| Igneous Rock | a rock formed by the crystallization of molten magma |
| Laurasia | the continental mass that formed the northern portion of Pangaea, consisting of present day North America and Eurasia |
| Lava | magma that reaches Earth's suface |
| Lithosphere | the rigid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and upper mantle |
| Magma | a body of molten rock fount at depth, including any dissolved gases and crystals |
| Mantle | the 2890 km thick later of Earth located below the crust |
| Mechanical Weathering | the physical disintegration of rock, resulting in smaller fragments |
| Metamorphic Rock | rock formed by the alteration of preexisting rock deep within Earth (but still in the solid state) by heat, pressure, and/or chemically active fluids |
| Mineral | a naturally occuring, inorganic crystalline materal with a unique chemical composition |
| Mudflow | quickly moving downhill flow of soil and rock fragments containing a large amount of water (lahar) |
| Ocean Ridge | a continuous elevated zone on the floor of all the major ocean basins and varying in width from 1000-4000 km; the rifts at the crest of ridges represent divergent plate boundaries |
| P Wave | earthquake wave that pushes and pulls rocks in the direction of the wave; also known as a compression wave |
| Paleomagnetism | the natural remnant magnetisim in rock bodies: the permanent magnetization acquired by rock that can be sued to determine the location of the magnetic poles at the time it became magnetized |
| Pangaea | the proposed supercontinent that 200 million years ago began to break apart and form the present landmasses |
| Plate | one of the numerous ridgid sections of the lithosphere that moves as a unit over the material of the asthenosphere |
| Regolith | the layer of rock and mineral fragments that nearly everywhere covers the Earth's surface |
| Rockslide | occurs when a mass of rock slides rapidly downslope along planes of weakness |
| Rock Cycle | a model that illustrates the origin of the three basic rock types and the interrelatedness of Earth materials and processes |
| Rift Valley | deep faulted structure found along the axes of divergen plate boundaries; rift valleys can develop on the seafloor or on land |
| Runoff | water that flows over the land surface rather than seeping into the ground |
| Seafloor Spreading | the process by which plate tectonics produces new oceanic lithosphere at ocean ridges |
| S Wave | a seismic wave that shakes particles perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling |
| Sediment | loose particles created by the weathering and erosion of rock, by chemical precipitation from solution in water, or from the secretions of organisms and transported by water, wind, or glaciers |
| Sedimentary Rock | rock formed from the weathered products of preexisting rocks that have been transported, deposited, compacted, and cemented |
| Seismograph | an instrument that records earthquake waves |
| Soil | a combination of mineral and organic matter, water, and air; that portion of the regolith that supports plant growth |
| Soil Profile | a vertical section through a soil showing its succession of horizons and the underlying parent material |
| Soil Horizon | a layer of soil that has identifiable characteristics produced by chemical weathering and other soil-forming processes |
| Stalactite | an icicle-like structure that hands from the ceiling of a cavern |
| Stalagmite | a columnlike form that grows upward from the floor of a cavern |
| Strike Slip Fault | a fault along which the movement is horizontal and parallel to the trend of the fault |
| Subduction Zone | a destructive plate margin where oceanic crust is being pushed down into the mantle beneath a second plate |
| Surface Wave | a seismic wave that travels along the surface of Earth |
| Transform Fault Boundary | a boundary in which two plates slide past each other without creating or destroying lithosphere |
| Trench | a surface feature in the seafloor produced by the descending plate during subduction |
| Vent | an opening in the surface of Earth through which molten rock and gases are released |
| Volcano | a mountain formed of lava and/or pyroclastic material |
| Weathering | the disintegration and decomposition of rock at or near Earth's surface |
Created by:
sydneybyerly
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