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Geography Chapter 11
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Geomorphology | The science that analyzes and describes the origin, evolution, form, classification, and spatial distribution of landforms |
| Geologic Time Scale | A depiction of the eras, periods, and epochs that span Earth's history; shows both the sequence of rock strata and their absolute dates, as determined by methods such as radioactive isotopic dating |
| Uniformitarianism | An assumption that the physical processes active in the environment today are operating at the same pace and intensity that has characterized them throughout geologic time |
| Seismic Wave | The shock wave sent through the planet by an earthquake |
| Core | The deepest inner portion of Earth, representing one-third of its entire mass; differentiated into two zones |
| Crust | Earth's outer shell of surface rock, ranging from 5 to 60 km in thickness from oceanic crust to mountain ridges |
| Mantle | An area within the planet with densities increasing with depth; occurs between the core and the crust; is rich in iron and magnesium oxides and silicates |
| Lithosphere | Earth's crust and that portion of the uppermost mantle directly below the crust, extending down about 70 km |
| Asthenosphere | Region of the upper mantle just below the lithosphere; the least rigid portion of Earth's interior and known as the plastic layer, flowing very slowly under extreme heat and pressure |
| Geomagnetic Reversal | A polarity change in Earth's magnetic field. With uneven regularity, the magnetic field fades to zero and then returns to full strength, but with the magnetic poles reversed |
| Rock | An assemblage of minerals bound together, or sometimes a mass of a single mineral |
| Magma | Molten rock from beneath Earth's surface |
| Lava | Magma that issues from volcanic activity onto the surface; the extrusive rock that results when magma solidifies |
| Igneous Intrusive Rock | Forms when magma hardens beneath the surface, cooling very slowly. Large crystals can form |
| Igneous Extrusive Rock | Lava extrudes onto Earth's surface, cooling and hardening very quickly. Can be light, airy and vesicular, or glassy. Small or no crystals form |
| Granite | A coarse-grained igneous intrusive rock of 25% quartz and more than 50% potassium and sodium feldspars |
| Basalt | A common fine-grained, extrusive igneous rock comprising the bulk of the ocean-floor crust, lava flows, and volcanic forms |
| Pluton | A mass of intrusive igneous rock that has cooled slowly in the crust; forms in any size or shape |
| Batholith | A large intrusive igneous body made up of multiple plutons that converge to form an expansive mass |
| Felsic | A type of rock high in feldspar and silica. Low melting points, lighter in colour, and generally less dense |
| Isostacy | A state of equilibrium in Earth's crust formed by the interplay between portions of the less-dense lithosphere and the more-dense asthenosphere and the principal of buoyancy |
| Laccolith | Lens-shaped body of igneous rock formed as magma intruded between rock layers and forced the overlaying strata upward in the shape of a dome |
| Sills | Parallel to layers of rock they intrude into |
| Dikes | Cross the layers of rock they intrude into |
| Sedimentary Rock | Rock formed from the compaction, cementation, and hardening of sediments derived from other rocks |
| Lithification | The compaction, cementation, and hardening of sediments into sedimentary rock |
| Sediment | Rock particles of varying sizes eroded and deposited by gravity, water, wind, or ice |
| Limestone | Lithified calcium carbonate; the most common chemical sedimentary rock |
| Metamorphic Rock | Existing igneous and sedimentary rock that has undergone profound physical and chemical changes under increased temperature and pressure |
| The Rock Cycle | A model representing the interrelationships among the three rock-forming processes; shows how each can be transformed into another rock type |
| Pangaea | The supercontinent formed by the collision of all continental masses 225 million years ago |
| Plate Tectonics | The conceptual model and theory that encompass continental drift, sea-floor spreading, and related aspects of crustal movement |
| Mid-Ocean Ridge | A submarine mountain range; centred along seafloor spreading centres |
| Seafloor Spreading | The mechanism driving the movement of the continents; associated with upwelling flows of magma along the worldwide system of mid-ocean ridges |
| Subduction Zone | An area where two plates of crust collide and the denser oceanic crust dives beneath the less dense continental plate, forming deep oceanic trenches and seismically active regions |
| Convergent Boundary | Occur in areas of crustal collision and subduction. Crust is compressed and lost through subduction as it moves downward into the mantle |
| Divergent Boundary | Occur in areas of seafloor spreading. Lithospheric plates spread apart and upwelling material from the mantle forms new seafloor |
| Transform Boundary | Occur where plates slide past each other. Fractures stretching across the mid-ocean ridge system worldwide, forming a transform fault in the Earth's crust |
| Pacific Ring of Fire | A tectonically and volcanically active region encircling the Pacific Ocean |
| Hot Spot | An individual point of upwelling material originating in the asthenosphere, or deeper in the mantle |
| Geothermal Energy | The energy in steam and hot water heated by subsurface magma near groundwater |
Created by:
TheresaH