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unit 12
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Mineral | A natural, usually inorganic solid that has a characteristic chemical composition and an orderly internal structure. |
| Element | A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means; all atoms of an element have the same 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 | 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 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 layer of the 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 transfer of energy due to the movement of matter. |
| Core | The central part of earth below the mantle. |
| Lithosphere | The solid, outer 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 the outer core. |
| Pangaea | 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 forms magma rises to earth's 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 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, 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 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 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. |