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Unit 6 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| mineral | A natural, usually inorganic solid that has a characteristic chemical composition and an orderly internal structure. |
| element | A substance that cannot be separated or broken down into simpler substances by chemical means; all atoms of an element have the same atomic number. |
| atom | The smallest unit of an element that maintains the properties of that element. |
| compound | A substance made up of atoms or ions of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds |
| matter | Anything that has mass and takes up space |
| crystal | Natural solid substance that has a definite geometric shape. |
| streak | A color of a mineral in powered form. |
| luster | The way in which a mineral reflects light |
| cleavage | In geology, the tendency of a mineral to split along specific planes of weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces |
| Weathering | The natural process by which atmospheric and environmental agents, such as wind, rain, and temperature changes, disintegrate and decompose rocks. |
| erosion | The process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediments from, one location to another. |
| deposition | The process in which material is laid down. |
| igneous rock | Rock that forms when magma cools and solidifies |
| sedimentary rock | A rock that forms from compresses or cemented later of sediment |
| metamorphic rock | A rock that forms from other rocks as a result of intense heat, pressure, or chemical processes |
| rock cycle | The series of processes in which rock forms, changes from one type to another, is destroyed, and forms again by geologic processes |
| uplift | The rising of regions of the Earth's crust to higher elevations. |
| subsidence | The sinking of regions of the Earth's crust to lower elevations |
| rift zone | An area of deep cracks that forms between two tectonic plates that are pulling away from each other. |
| crust | The thin and solid outermost later of Earth above the mantle. |
| mantle | The layer of rock between the Earth's crust and core. |
| convection | The movement of matter due to differences in density; the transform of energy due to the movement of matter. |
| core | The central part of Earth below the mantle |
| lithosphere | The solid, outer most layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle. |
| asthenosphere | The soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move. |
| mesosphere | The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and outer core, 2. The layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere and which temperature |
| Pangaea | The super continent that formed 300 million years ago and that began to break up 200 million years ago. |
| Sea-floor spreading | The process by which new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms when magma rises to Earth's surface at mid-ocean ridges and solidifies, as older, existing sea floor moves away from the ridge |
| Plate tectonics | The theory that explains how large pieces of lithosphere, called plates, move and change shape. |
| tectonic plates | A block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle. |
| convergent boundary | The boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding. |
| divergent boundary | The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. |
| transform boundary | The boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally. |
| deformation | The bending, tilting, and breaking of Earth's crust; the change in shape of rock in response to stress. |
| folding | The bending of rock layers due to stress. |
| fault | A break in a body of rock along which one block moves relative to another |
| shear stress | Stress that occurs when forces act in parallel but opposite directions. |
| tension | Stress that occurs when forces act to stretch an object |
| compression | Stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an object. |
| earthquake | A movement or trembling of the ground that is caused by a sudden release of energy when rocks along a fault move. |
| focus | The location within Earth along a fault at which the first motion of an earthquake occurs. |
| epicenter | The point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's starting point, or focus. |
| tectonic plates boundary | The edge between two or more plates classified as divergent, convergent, or transform by the movement taking place between the plates. |
| elastic rebound | The sudden return of elastically deformed rock to its undeformed shape. |
| Volcano | A vent or fissure in Earth's surface through which magma and gases are expelled |
| magma | The molten or partially molten rock material containing trapped gases produced under the Earth's surface. |
| lava | Magma that flows onto Earth's surface; the rock that forms when lava cools and solidifies. |
| vent | An opening at the surface of the Earth through which volcanic material passes. |
| hot spot | A volcanically active area of Earth's surface, commonly far from a tectonic plate boundary |
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