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Sekas Chapter 2
The Geosphere
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Crust | the brittle, rocky, least dense, outermost solid layer of Earth |
| Oceanic Crust | the crust under oceans, and is made of dense rocks that contain iron and magnesium |
| Continental Crust | the crust on land, and is less dense and about four times thicker than oceanic crust |
| Mantle | the thick middle layer in the solid part of Earth |
| Lithosphere | the rigid outermost layer of Earth that includes the uppermost mantle and crust |
| Asthenosphere | the plastic layer within the mantle |
| Convection Currents | the cycle of heating, rising, cooling, and sinking |
| Core | the dense metallic center of Earth |
| Rock | a naturally occurring solid composed of minerals, rock fragments, and sometimes other materials such as organic matter |
| Grains | the individual particles in a rock |
| Magma | molten rock beneath the surface of Earth |
| Lava | molten rock that erupts on Earth's surface |
| Texture | grain size and how the grains are arranged, for rocks |
| Sediment | material that forms when rocks are broken down into smaller pieces or dissolved in water |
| Lithification | the process through which sediment turns into rock |
| Rock Cycle | a series of processes that change one type of rock into another type of rock |
| Extrusive Rock | the igneous rock that forms when lava cools and crystallizes on Earth's surface |
| Intrusive Rock | igneous rock that forms as magma cools underground |
| Uplift | the rising of regions of the crust to higher elevations. It increases the rate of erosion of rocks. |
| Deposition | the laying down or settling of eroded material |
| Compaction | the weight of overlying layers of sediment pushes the grains of the bottom layers closer together |
| Cementation | when minerals crystallize, they hold the grains together |
| Igneous Rock | a type of rock that forms when magma or lava cools and hardens to become solid |
| Sedimentary Rock | a type of rock that forms when small particles of rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together |
| Metamorphic Rock | a type of rock that forms when an existing rock is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions |