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Geography Chp 2
Vocabulary for test
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| crust | thin layer of rock making up the earth's surface |
| hydrosphere | the water part of the earth including rivers, lakes, and oceans |
| lithosphere | the solid rock portion of the earth's surface |
| atmosphere | the layer of gases immediately surrounding the earth; the air we breathe |
| biosphere | where plants and animals live; it includes all the other spheres |
| inner core | solid iron and nickel, 800 miles thick, can be up to 12,000 degrees |
| mantle | a thick layer of rock between the crust and the core |
| Alfred Wegener | presented the idea of the Continental Drift theory that says earth used to be one big continent before drifting apart |
| outer core | liquid iron and nickel; 1,410 miles thick, can be up to 7,200 degrees |
| current | water circulating like a river in the ocean |
| wave | water in the ocean like a swell or ridge made by the wind |
| tide | the rise and fall of the ocean created by the gravitational pull of the moon or sun |
| evaporation | the process of turning water into vapor or a gas |
| condensation | water changing from a vapor or gas to a liquid |
| precipitation | rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground |
| hydrologic cycle | the continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the earth |
| ground water | the water held in the pores of rocks |
| canyon | a deep valley with steep sides |
| delta | forms at the mouth of a river from the sediment that is carried by the river |
| glacier | large mass of ice that moves slowly |
| plain | area of land that does not vary in elevation |
| island | piece of land completely surrounded by water |
| mountain | high elevation of the earth's surface |
| peninsula | land that has water on 3 sides |
| plateau | an area of flat land that is higher than the surrounding area |
| relief | the difference in elevation of a landform from the lowest point to the highest |
| topography | combined characteristics of landforms and their distribution in a region |
| Sally Ride | America's first female astronaut who became an instant believer in plate tectonics when she was in space |
| convection currents | a current that results when lighter (less dense) warm material rises while heavier (more dense) cool material sinks |
| tectonic plates | large moving pieces of the earth's lithosphere |
| fault | a fracture in the earth's crust |
| earthquake | occurs when tectonic plates grind or slip past each other at a fault causing a violent, shaking movement of the earth |
| focus | where an earthquake begins |
| epicenter | the point directly above the focus of an earthquake |
| Richter Scale | uses information from a seismograph to determine the relative strength of an earthquake |
| tsunami | a very large wave in the ocean caused by an earthquake which can travel very far and cause damage |
| volcano | formed when magma, gases, and water from the lower part of the crust or mantle erupt and pour out of cracks in the earth's surface |
| magma | molten rock material formed when solid rock in the earth's crust or mantle melts |
| lava | magma that has reached the earth's surface (flows out of a volcano) |
| Ring of Fire | an area around the rim of the Pacific Ocean with a lot of active volcanoes |
Created by:
carolsawyer
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