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Unit 6 vocabulary
vocab lessons 1-3
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Mineral | A naturally formed, inorganic solid with a crystalline 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 | A natural solid substance that has a definite geometric shape |
| Streak | The color of a mineral in powdered 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 sediment 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 compressed or cemented layers 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 elavations |
| 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 layer 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 that are caused by temperature variations. It can result in the transfer of energy as heat |
| core | The central part of Earth blow the mantle |
| lithosphere | The solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle |
| asthenoshpere | The solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere. It is made of mantle rock lows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it |
| mesosphere | The strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core |
| pangea | The supercontinent 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 the 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 the shape of rock in response to stress |
| folding | The bending of rock layers due to stres |
| 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 opposites directions, pushing parts of a solid in opposite directions |
| tension | Stress that occurs when forces act to stretch an object |
| compression | stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an obect |
| 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 plate 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 |