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Inside Earth 1-1
Chapter 1 section 1 Earths interior
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| geologist | A scientist who studies the forces that make and shape planet Earth. |
| rock | The material that forms Earths hard surface. |
| geology | The study of planet Earth. |
| constructive force | Shapes Earths surface by building up mountains and land masses. |
| destructive force | Destroys and wears away land masses through a process called erosion and weathering. |
| continent | One of Earth's seven large land areas. |
| seismic wave | a ground vibration produced by an earthquake. |
| pressure | The force pushing on a surface or area |
| crust | The outermost layer of solid rock that includes both dry land and the ocean floor. The thinnest layer of the Earth. |
| basalt | A dark, dense, igneous rock, found in oceanic crust. |
| granite | the most abundant rock in the continental crust. |
| mantle | The thick layer of hot, rock between Earth's crust and core that has convection currents. |
| Lithosphere | The crust and upper mantle of the Earth that is solid and rigid. |
| asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats. |
| outer core | a layer of molten (melted) metal, mainly nickel and iron, that surrounds Earth’s inner core. |
| inner core | A solid sphere of iron and nickel at the center of the earth. |