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Fletch7EarthChange
Fletcher 7th grade Changes of Earth
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Divide | The boundary that separates one watershed from another |
Fresh water | Any water not found in oceans or seas |
groundwater | the water stored in the ground |
reservoir | a large natural or human-made lake used to supply water |
river system | a river and all its tributaries |
runoff | the water that flows over the ground surface |
Water table | the top of the saturated zone |
artesian well | a well in which water reaches the surface due to natural pressure of an aquifer |
Impermeable | not allowing fluid to pass through |
well | a shaft dug into the ground to bring water from an aquifer to the surface |
geyser | a hot spring in which water intermittenly boils, sending a tall column of water and steam into the air |
spring | natural flow of water from the ground or from rocks |
unsaturated zone | the area of permeable ground above the water table that is filled with a combination of water and air |
saturated zone | the area of permeable ground filled with groundwater |
aquifer | a layer of permeable rock underground that can contain or transmit groundwater |
permeable | allowing liquids or gases to pass through |
abrasion | the process of rocks and particles scraping against one another wearing away their surfaces |
bedrock | a layer of solid rock found beneath soil |
chemical weathering | the breakdown of rocks that also changes their mineral composition |
erosion | the process by which fragments of rock are loosened and carried away |
fertility | the ability of soil to support agricultural plant growth |
creep | the extremely slow downhill movement of soil and rocks |
deposition | the geologic process by which sediment is added to a location |
landslide | the rapid downhill movement of a mass of rock, soil and debris |
mass movement | the movement of soil and rock debris down a slope |
mudflow | the rapid downhill flow of a mixture of rock, soil, and water |
slump | the downward slide of a mass of rock or soil in one piece |
stalactite | an icicle-shaped formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave |
glacier | a large, slowly moving body of ice and snow |
runoff | the water that flows over the ground surface |
stalagmite | a mound of mineral deposits shaped like a cone on a cave floor |
surface water | any water found on Earth's surface |
Karst topography | an area of land characterized by barren, rocky ground; caves; sinkholes; underground rivers; and the absence of surface streams and lakes |
deflation | the process by which wind moves loose sediment |
groundwater | the water that is stored in the ground |
plucking | the process by which a glacier picks up larger rocks and deposits them in a new area |
ice age | a period when continental glaciers covered much of Earth's surface |
speciation | the evolutionary process through which new species emerge |
Solar energy | energy given off by the Sun |
La Nina | an irregular climate event in the eastern Pacific Ocean during which surface waters become colder than usual |
tectonic plate | a puzzle piece-like section of the Earth's surface that slowly moves due to convection in the mantle |
global warming | a gradual increase in the temperature of Earth's atmosphere |
tsunami | a large ocean wave usually caused by an undersea earthquake |
density | the amount of mass in a given volume |
atmosphere | the blanket of gasses that surrounds the surface of a planet |
ozone | a form of oxygen that absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun |
altitude | a measure of how high above sea level an area is |
pressure | the force pushing on an area or a surface |
air pressure | the force of a column of air pushing on a given area |
mass | the amount of matter in an object |
Crust | the outermost solid layer of the Earth's surface |
Mantle | the outermost layers of the Earth's surface consisting of the crust/Lithosphere, the thick syrupy Asthenosphere, and the solid lower mantle |
Core | Center of the Earth consisting of the molten liquid outer core, and the solid inner core |
Infrared light | a form of invisible electromagnetic energy that has a longer wavelength than visible light |
radiation | the transfer of energy through space |
conduction | the direct transfer of thermal energy from one substance to another through touching |
thermal energy | the energy an object has because of the movement of its particles |
Electromagnetic waves | a wave that can transfer electric and magnetic energy through space |
wavelength | the distance from the crest of one wave to the crest of the next wave |
convection | the transfer of thermal energy through a liquid or gas rising |
temperature | a measure of how hot or cold something is |
ultraviolet radiation | a form of invisible electromagnetic energy that has a shorter wavelength than visible light |
greenhouse effect | the process by which Earth's surface radiates heat into the atmosphere, which radiates some of the heat back to Earth |