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Earth Science
Earth Science Vocabulary S1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | The relatively thin layer of gases that form Earth's outermost layer. |
| Geosphere | The densest parts of Earth that include the crust, mantle, and core. |
| Hydrosphere | The portion of Earth that consists of water in any of its forms, including oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes, groundwater and water vapor. |
| Cryosphere | The portion of the hydrosphere that is frozen, including all the ice and snow on land, plus sea and lake ice. |
| Biosphere | The parts of Earth that contain living organisms. |
| Energy | The ability to do work or cause change. |
| Topography | The shape of the land determined by elevation, relief, and landforms. |
| Landform | A feature on the surface of Earth, such as a coastline, dune, or mountain. |
| Mountain | A landform with high elevation and high relief. |
| Coastline | A line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. |
| Dune | A hill of sand piled up by the wind. |
| River | A natural stream of water that flows into another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. |
| Delta | A landform made of sediment that is deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake. |
| Surveying | A process in which mapmakers determine distances and elevations using instruments and the principles of geometry. |
| Water Cycle | The continual movement of water among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surface through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. |
| Evaporation | The process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change into a gas. |
| Transpiration | The process by which water is lost through a plant's leaves. |
| Condensation | The change in state from a gas to a liquid. |
| Precipitation | Any form of water that falls from the clouds and reaches Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. |
| Watershed | The land area that supplies water to a river system. |
| Aquifer | An underground layer of rock or sediment that holds water. |
| Well | A hole sunk into the ground to reach a supply of water. |
| Air Pressure | The pressure caused by the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area. |
| Altitude | Elevation above sea level. |
| Wind | The horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure. |
| Dew Point | The temperature at which condensation begins |
| Humidity | The amount of water vapor in a given volume of air. |
| Relative Humidity | The percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can contain at a particular temperature. |
| Air mass | A huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height. |
| Jet stream | Band of high-speed winds about 10 kilometers above Earth's surface. |
| Front | The boundary where unlike air masses meet but do not mix. |
| Cyclone | A swirling center of low air pressure. |
| Anticyclone | A high-pressure center of dry air. |
| Meteorologist | A scientist who studies the causes of weather and tries to predict it. |
| Storm | A violent disturbance in the atmosphere. |
| Thunderstorm | A small storm often accompanied by heavy precipitation and frequent thunder and lightning. |
| Hurricane | A tropical storm that has winds of about 119 kilometers per hour or higher. |
| Tornado | A rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down to touch Earth's surface. |
| Storm surge | A "dome" of water that sweeps across the coast where a hurricane lands. |
| Flood | An overflowing of water in a normally dry area. |
| Drought | A long period of low precipitation. |
| Seismic wave | Vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake |
| Crust | The layer of rock that forms Earth's outer surface. |
| Mantle | The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core. |
| Outer Core | A layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth. |
| Inner Core | A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth |
| Mineral | A naturally occurring solid that can form by inorganic processes and that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition |
| Crystal | A solid in which the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats again and again |
| Crystallization | The process by which atoms are arranged to form a material with a crystal structure |
| Igneous Rock | A type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface |
| Sedimentary rock | A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together. |
| Sediment | Small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks or the remains of organisms; earth materials deposited by erosion |
| Metamorphic rock | A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions |
| Rock cycle | A series of processes on the surface and inside Earth that slowly changes rocks from one kind to another. |
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