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The Rock Cycle
Rocks
Term | Definition |
---|---|
The Rock Cycle | an idealized cycle of processes undergone by rocks in the earth's crust |
Weathering | wear away or change the appearance or texture of (something) by long exposure to the air |
Erosion | the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents |
Sediments | Rock that has formed through the deposition and solidification |
Deposits | sum of money placed or kept in a bank account, usually to gain interest. |
organic | of, relating to, or derived from living matter |
Fossils | the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock |
Fossils in sedimentary rock | Sedimentary rocks are often deposited in layers, and frequently contain fossils |
Fossils in Igneous rocks | fossils found in igneous rocks |
Law of Superposition | the nature and behavior of matter and forces at the sub-atomic level. |
Theory Of Plate Tectonics | outer rigid layer of the earth (the lithosphere) is divided into a couple of dozen "plates" that move around across the earth's surface relative to each other, like slabs of ice on a lake |
Theory of Continental Drift | stating that the Earth's continents have been joined together and have moved away from each other at different times in the Earth's history |
Alfred Wegener | the scientist who proposed the Continental Drift Theory |
Uniformitarianism | the theory that changes in the earth's crust during geological history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform processes. |
Sea Floor Spreading | the formation of new areas of oceanic crust, which occurs through the upwelling of magma at midocean ridges and its subsequent outward movement on either side. |
What causes plate tectonic movement | plates at our planet’s surface move because of the intense heat in the Earth’s core that causes molten rock in the mantle layer to move |
Types of heat | conduction, convection, and radiation. |
Conduction | he process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential between adjoining regions, without movement of the materia |
Convection | the movement caused within a fluid by the tendency of hotter and therefore less dense material to rise, and colder, denser material to sink under the influence of gravity, which consequently results in transfer of heat |
Radiation | the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles that cause ionization. |
Structure of the Earth | is divided into layers. These layers are both physically and chemically different. The Earth has an outer solid crust, a highly viscous mantle, a liquid outer core, and a solid inner core. |
Lithosphere | the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle |
Plate Bounderies | divergent, convergent, and transform |
Divergent Boundary | is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. |
Convergent Boundary | two (or more) tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere move toward one another and collide. |
Transform Boundary | is a type of fault whose relative motion is predominantly horizontal in either sinistral or dextral direction. |
Subduction | the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth's crust into the mantle beneath another plate. |
Ring Of Fire | an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. |
Hot Spots | a small area or region with a relatively hot temperature in comparison to its surroundings |