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Earth Sci Ch 2 terms
vocabulary from Ch 2 Gilmore
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| an imaginary line that divides the earth into the Northern & Southern Hemispheres | equator |
| an imaginary straight line running through the earth from the North Pole to the South Pole; spinning of earth on this causes polar regions to flatten & equatorial zone to bulge | Earth's axis |
| a slightly flattened sphere; a more accurate description for the shape of the earth | oblate spheroid |
| made up of ALL the earth's water; 71% of earth is covered by water (97% salt water in oceans, 3% fresh water in lakes, rivers, streams, frozen in glaciers & polar ice sheets | hydrosphere |
| blanket of gases that surrounds the earth; provides the air we breathe; shields the earth from the sun's harmful radiation; made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon, carbon dioxide, helium | atmosphere |
| vibrations that travel through the earth; caused by earthquakes and explosions on or near the earth's surface; scientists study these to learn about the earth's zones | seismic waves |
| thin, solid outermost zone of the earth; makes up 1% of the earth's mass | crust |
| zone of rock that lies beneath the earth's crust; nearly 2,900 km thick; makes up two-thirds of the earth's mass; divided into 2 regions (upper = lithosphere / lower = asthenosphere) | mantle |
| the amount of matter in an object; does NOT change with location of an object | mass |
| the center of the earth; mostly made of iron; located beneath the earth's mantle; OUTER = dense liquid layer (2,250 km thick) / INNER = dense, solid sphere with radius of 1,228 km; inner and outer combined = one-third of the earth's mass | core |
| the part of the earth's crust that lies beneath the oceans (5 to 10 km thick) | oceanic crust |
| the part of the earth's crust that makes up the continents; varies in thickness from 15 to 80 km; thickest beneath high mountain ranges | continental crust |
| the uppermost part of the earth's mantle; cool & brittle; rigid layer 15 to 300 km thick | lithosphere |
| the part of the earth's mantle located just below the lithosphere; 200 km thick; this layer of solid rock is under enormous pressure & heat; thus, the solid rock has the ability to flow (plasticity) | asthenosphere |
| the force of attraction that exists between all matter in the universe; 17th century British scientist Sir Isaac Newton's LAW OF this states that the force of attraction between any two objects depends on their masses and the distance between them | gravity |
| measure of the strength of the pull of gravity on an object; measured in newtons (N); 1 kg of mass = 10 N; changes based on object's location from earth's center | weight |
| movement of the earth around the sun; takes 365.24 days (1 year); causes the earth's seasons | revolution |
| the earth's spinning on its axis; takes 24 hours (1 day) to complete one; causes day and night | rotation |
| around June 21 or 22, sun's rays strike earth at 90 degree angle along Tropic of Cancer; marks beginning of summer in Northern Hemisphere (most hours of daylight) | summer solstice |
| December 21 or 22, sun's rays strike earth at 90 degree angle along Tropic of Capricorn; beginning of winter in Northern Hemisphere (fewest daylight hours) | winter solstice |
| September 22 or 23, sun's rays strike earth at 90 degree angle along equator; beginning of fall in Northern Hemisphere (equal hours of day and night) | autumnal equinox |
| March 21 or 22, sun's rays strike earth at 90 degree angle along equator; beginning of spring in Northern Hemisphere (equal hours of day and night) | vernal equinox |
Created by:
BayHighScience
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