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Earth Science
FINAL REVIEW - Space, Earth's Layers, and Plate Tectonics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Equator | An imaginary line drawn around the Earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres. |
| Hemisphere | A half of a sphere or half of the earth usually divided into northern and southern halves by the equator. |
| North Pole | The northernmost part of the Earth. This location is the northern end of the axis of rotation. |
| South Pole | The southernmost part of the Earth. This location is the southern end of the axis of rotation. |
| Axis | An imaginary line about which a body rotates. |
| Rotation of Earth | The spinning (turning) of Earth on its axis. It takes 24 hours, and provides Earth with a day-and-night cycle. |
| Revolution of Earth | The movement of the Earth around the Sun. It takes about 365.25 days to complete, and provides us with seasons (changes in amount and intensity of sunlight). |
| Revolution of Moon | The movement of the Moon around the Earth. It takes about 28 days to complete, and causes the phases of the moon to occur. |
| Phases of the Moon | The moon appears different each day over the course of the month. It can appear as a full moon, a gibbous, a crescent, or a new moon. |
| Tilt of the Earth | This is the main reason why we have four different seasons. |
| Earth’s Ocean Tides | This phenomenon is caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon. |
| Lunar Eclipse | Earth blocks the sunlight from hitting the moon. The sunlight bends around Earth’s atmosphere, allowing red wavelengths of light to reach the moon, causing it to appear red. |
| Solar Eclipse | The moon blocks sunlight from hitting the Earth, casting a shadow and could cause the Earth to appear dark during the day time. |
| Breathable Atmosphere | An atmosphere that contains a mixture of gases including oxygen, allowing organisms to intake the oxygen to carry out life processes. |
| Fertile Soil | Soil that is capable of growing plants. |
| Liquid Water | This state of matter for water is the best for supporting life. |
| Adequate Sunlight | The perfect amount of sunlight needed to sustain life on a planet. |
| Space Exploration | The process in which humans create technologies that help us understand things outside of Earth. |
| Probe | A robotic spacecraft that explores outer space to collect information on planets and nearby celestial objects. Example: Rover, Venera, Curiosity. |
| International Space Station | A habitable artificial satellite that is in low Earth orbit and is used for scientific research in space. |
| Space Telescope | An instrument located in outer space that is used to observe distant planets, galaxies and other astronomical objects. Example: Hubble, Chandra, Fermi, Spitzer Telescopes. |
| NASA | An independent agency that is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. |
| Galaxy | A collection of million to billions of stars and planets that are held together by gravity and are typically orbiting a black hole. Example: The Milky Way (our galaxy), Andromeda (neighbor) |
| Solar System | The collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the Sun, together with smaller bodies in the form of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets. |
| Sun | The massive, bright star that the Earth orbits. |
| Planet | A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star. Example: Earth |
| Moon | A natural satellite that orbits a planet. Example: Titan, Phobos, Ceres, Luna |
| Crust | The thinnest and outermost layer of the Earth. It consists of an oceanic part, and a continental part. |
| Mantle | The thickest layer of the Earth that contains semiliquid molten rock. This convective layer is responsible for the movement of the lithosphere (tectonic plates). |
| Outer Core | The liquid part of the nickel and iron core. |
| Inner Core | The solid part of the nickel and iron core. It is solid due to high pressure. |
| Lithosphere | This part of the Earth consists of the crust and the uppermost part of the Mantle. This part moves due to the convection in the mantle. |
| Tectonic Plates | Pieces of the lithosphere that move a few centimeters per year due to convection in the mantle. |
| Convergent Boundary | This boundary is formed when tectonic plates collide into one another. |
| Divergent Boundary | This boundary is formed when tectonic plates separate from one another. |
| Transform Boundary | This boundary is formed when tectonic plates slide passed each other in opposite directions. |
| Rift Valley | An opening in the Earth’s crust that forms when tectonic plates diverge. (divide) |
| Mountain Building | This occurs when two continental plates converge. (collide) |
| Volcanic Eruption | This occurs when magma from the mantle comes up to the Earth’s surface. |
| Earthquake | This occurs due to a release in built up stress at a plate boundary or fault. |
| P-Wave | The fastest seismic wave that travels as a longitudinal wave through the Earth. |
| S-Wave | The slower seismic wave that travels as a transverse wave through the Earth. |
| Surface Wave | A combination of transverse and longitudinal wave motions that occur on the surface of the Earth. These are the most destructive of the seismic waves. (Love and Rayleigh waves.) |
| Weathering | The breakdown of rock by physical or chemical means, such as rain, wind, tumbling, into small tiny pieces. |
| Erosion | The transport of rock sediments or soil. |
| Parent Rock | The rock in which a soil is created from. This is the largest component of soil. |
| Soil Properties | A soils texture, particle size, pH, fertility, and ability to hold moisture. |
| Rock Cycle | A process or cycle in which rocks become different types of rocks and are recycled through the Earth. |
| Sedimentary Rock | This rock type is produced when broken down pieces of rock are collected and cemented together. |
| Igneous Rock | This rock type is produced when magma from the mantle cools and solidifies. |
| Metamorphic Rock | This rock type is produced when rocks and minerals fuse together underground due to high heats and pressure. |
| Pedosphere | The layer of soil on the surface of the Earth. |
| Soil Conservation | The process in which humans carry out different methods and techniques to preserve soil and ensure that it is not destroyed by erosion. |
| Waxing | The process in which amount of illuminated surface of the Moon increases. |
| Waning | The process in which the amount of illuminated surface of the Moon decreases. |
Created by:
codymcmaster
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