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Geology Vocabulary
5th Period Science flashcards on geology.
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Atmosphere | A mixture of gases that surrounds Earth: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases, including carbon dioxide and water vapor. |
Biosphere | The whole area of Earth where life exists; made up of land (lithosphere), water(hydrosphere), and air (atmosphere). |
Lithosphere | The hard, outer most layer of Earth; made up of the crust and the hard, upper part of the mantle. |
Hydrosphere | The surface waters of Earth and the water vapor in the atmosphere. |
Tectonic Plates | Large slabs of lithosphere that move around on the asthenosphere (upper mantle). |
Stress | Amount of force per unit area that is put on a given material. |
Compression | The type of stress in which an object is squeezed, as when tectonic plates collide. |
Tension | The type of stress in which forces act to stretch an object, as when tectonic plates pull away from each other. |
Folding | The bending of rock layers due to stress in Earth’s crust (3 types: anticline, syncline, monocline). |
Faulting | When Earth’s crust breaks and the blocks of crust slide past each other (3 types: normal, reverse, strike-slip). |
Uplift | The process by which regions of Earth’s crust are raised to a higher elevation. |
Volcanism (Volcanic Mountains) | Mountains form when molten rock erupts onto Earth’s surface, adding material to Earth’s surface. |
Rock Cycle | The continual process by which new rock is formed rorm old rock material. |
Weathering | The process by which water, ice, heat, and wind act to break down rocks. |
Erosion | The process by which particles of rock are removed from their source; the removal and transport of rock and soil by the flow of water and by the actions of gravity, wind and ice. |
Deposition | The process in which water, ice, wind and gravity drop newly formed sediments. |
Rock | A solid mixture of crystals of one or more minerals. |
Mineral | A naturally formed solid material with a crystal structure; has unique physical properties such as color, hardness, luster, and streak. |
Igneous Rocks | Forms when hot liquid rock cools and hardens. |
Sedimentary Rocks | Forms when rocks are broken down into smaller pieces (sediment) harden into new rock. |
Metamorphic Rocks | Forms when rock is heated and /or squeezed. |