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Earth Structures
unit 6 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mireral | a naturally occurring, inorganic solid |
| Element | a pure substance made of only one type of atom |
| Atom | the fundamental building block of all matter |
| Compound | a substance formed when two or more different chemicals bond together |
| Matter | anything that has mass and volume |
| Crystal | a solid material with atoms in it |
| Luster | the way light reflects off a mineral's surface |
| Cleavage | a crystal's tendency to break along flat planes |
| weathering | the breakdown or dissolving of rocks, soils, and minerals |
| erosion | the geological process where natural forces like wind, water, or ice wear away and transport soil, rock |
| deposition | the process where wind, water, or ice drop sediments to form landforms |
| igneous rock | formed by solidification of cooled magma either below or above the surface of the earth |
| sedimentary rock | made when erosion, or the breaking down of the land around you, takes place |
| metamorphic rock | formed when other rocks are affected by great temperatures and pressures |
| rock cycle | a continuous process where rocks transform from one type to another |
| uplift | the process where parts of the Earth's surface are raised to higher elevations due to tectonic forces |
| subsidence | the sinking of an area of land. |
| rift zone | a geological area where the Earth's crust is pulling apart |
| crust | the outermost, solid, and thinnest layer of Earth |
| mantle | The layer of the Earth between the crust and the outer core |
| core | The innermost part of the Earth |
| lithosphere | The rigid outer shell of the Earth |
| asthenosphere | The mechanically weak, ductile part of the upper mantle |
| mesosphere | The solid, lower part of the mantle |
| pangea | A supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras |
| sea-floor spreading | A geologic process in which tectonic plates split apart from each other at mid-ocean ridges |
| tectonic plates | Large slabs of Earth's lithosphere that move relative to one another |
| plate tectonics | The theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle |
| convergent boundary | An area where two or more tectonic plates move toward one another and collide |
| divergent boundary | A linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other |
| transform boundary | A type of fault where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other |
| deformation | Any change in the original shape or volume of a rock mass |
| folding | A type of deformation where flat surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved |
| fault | A fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock |
| shear stress | Force parallel to the surface |
| tension | Stress that stretches rock so it becomes thinner in the middle |
| compression | Stress that squeezes rock until it folds or breaks |
| earthquake | Shaking and trembling that results from movement of rock beneath Earth's surface |
| focus | The point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake |
| epicenter | The point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus |
| tectonic plate boundary | Place where two tectonic plates meet |
| elastic rebound | The sudden return of elastically deformed rock to its undeformed shape |
| volcano | A mountain or hill that has a vent through which molten rock, hot gases, and other materials erupt from the Earth's interior. |
| magma | Molten rock found beneath the Earth's surface. |
| lava | Molten rock that flows out onto the Earth's surface. |
| vent | An opening in a volcano or the Earth's surface through which volcanic materials erupt. |
| hot spot | A volcanically active area of the Earth's surface, commonly far from tectonic plate boundaries. |
Created by:
Javier velez