Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Stack #4637660
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| MINERAL | A naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a specific chemical composition and an ordered internal (crystalline) structure. |
| ELEMENT | A pure substance consisting of atoms that all have the same number of protons; it cannot be broken down chemically into a simpler form. |
| ATOM | The smallest unit of ordinary matter that retains the unique properties of an element. |
| COMPOUND | A substance formed when two or more different elements are chemically bonded together. |
| MATTER | Anything that has mass and takes up space (volume), forming the physical material of the universe. |
| CRYSTAL | A solid material whose atoms are arranged in a highly ordered, repeating, three-dimensional pattern. |
| STREAK | The color of a mineral in its powdered form, typically observed by scratching the mineral on an unglazed porcelain plate. |
| LUSTER | The way light reflects off the surface of a mineral, described by quality |
| CLEAVAGE | The tendency of a mineral to break consistently along flat, smooth, parallel planes of weakness in its crystal structure. |
| WEATHERING | The process by which rocks and minerals are broken down into smaller pieces (sediment) by atmospheric, chemical, or biological agents. |
| EROSION | The removal and transportation of rock materials (sediment) from one location to another, typically driven by water, wind, ice, or gravity. |
| DEPOSITION | he process where transported sediment is dropped or laid down in new locations, such as riverbeds or ocean floors. |
| IGNEOUS ROCK | Rock formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock (magma underground, or lava on the surface). |
| SEDIMENTARY ROCK | Rock created through the accumulation, compaction, and cementation of sediment (minerals, organic matter, or rock fragments) over time |
| METAMORPHIC ROCK | Existing rock that has been transformed into a new type of rock by intense heat and pressure deep underground. |
| ROCK CYCLE | A continuous, slow process by which rocks change from one type to another—igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic—over geological time. |
| UPLIFT | The vertical, rising movement of the Earth's crust to higher elevations, often caused by plate tectonics, which increases erosion. |
| SUBSIDENCE | The sinking or lowering of regions of the Earth's crust, often leading to the formation of basins where sediment accumulates. |
| RIFT ZONE | : A set of deep cracks or a valley formed where tectonic plates are pulling apart, often associated with volcanic activity and subsidence. |
| CRUST | The outermost, thinnest, and rigid rocky layer of Earth, containing continental and oceanic crust. |
| MANTLE | The thick, hot, solid rock layer (approx. 68% of Earth's mass) located between the crust and the outer core. |
| CONVECTION | The slow, circular movement of mantle material; hot, less-dense material rises, cools, and sinks due to heat from the core. |
| CORE | The central, metallic layer of the Earth, divided into a liquid outer core (generates the magnetic field) and a solid inner core. |
| LITOSPHERE | The rigid, brittle outer shell consisting of the crust and the topmost part of the upper mantle; broken into tectonic plates. |
| ASTHENOSPHERE | The plastic, partially molten, and deformable layer of the upper mantle directly below the lithosphere, allowing for tectonic plate movement. |
| MESOSPHERE | The lower, solid, and more rigid part of the mantle located below the asthenosphere, extending to the outer core. |
| PANGEA | A supercontinent that existed approximately 335 to 200 million years ago, incorporating almost all of Earth's landmasses into one giant, singular piece surrounded by a single ocean, Panthalassa. |
| SEA-FLOOR SPREADING | A process occurring at mid-ocean ridges (divergent boundaries) where tectonic plates split apart, allowing magma to rise from the mantle and solidify, creating new oceanic crust. |
| PLATE TECNOTICS | The scientific theory explaining the large-scale motion of the Earth's lithosphere (the crust and upper mantle) and the deformation of the surface caused by the movement of tectonic plates. |
| TECTONIC PLATE | Massive, irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere, that make up the Earth's outer shell. |
| COVERGENT BOUNDRY | A boundary where two plates move toward each other, causing them to collide, which often results in subduction (one plate sinking under another) or the formation of mountain ranges |
| DIVERGENT BOUNDRY | A boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other, resulting in upwelling of magma and the creation of new crust |
| TRANFORM BOUNDRY | A boundary where two plates slide horizontally past one another, causing earthquakes and crustal deformation, but generally not volcanic activity |
| DEFORMATION | A general term for all changes in the original form, shape, or volume of a rock body. |
| FOLDING | A type of ductile deformation where originally flat, horizontal rock layers (strata) are bent, curved, or warped. |
| FAULT | A fracture or zone of fractures in the Earth's crust along which significant displacement (movement) has occurred. |
| SHEAR STRESS | A type of differential stress that causes different parts of a material to move or slide in opposite directions parallel to each other. |
| TENSION | A type of stress that involves forces pulling in opposite directions. |
| COMPRESSION | A type of stress that involves forces pushing together, squeezing, and shortening a rock body. |
| EARTHQUAKE | Sudden shaking of the Earth's crust caused by the release of energy, usually along faults or plate boundaries. |
| FOCUS | The exact location within the Earth's crust where a rock breaks or ruptures, initiating the earthquake. |
| EPICENTER | The point on the Earth's surface directly vertically above the focus or hypocenter. |
| TECTONIC PLATE BOUNDARY | A place where two or more of Earth's crustal plates meet, move away from, or slide past one another, causing stress and earthquakes. |
| ELASTIC REBOUND | A theory explaining that rocks accumulate stress and deform, then snap back to their original, undeformed shape when the accumulated energy is released, causing an earthquake. |
| VOLCANO | An opening in the Earth’s crust (or another planet's surface) that allows molten rock, gases, and ash to escape from below the surface. It is often a mountain or cone-shaped landform built up over time by repeated eruptions of lava and ash. |
| MAGMA | Molten or semi-molten rock material found beneath the Earth's surface. It is created by the melting of the mantle or crust and can contain suspended crystals and gas bubbles. |
| LAVA | Magma that has broken through the Earth's surface during an eruption. It is the molten rock that flows from a vent or volcano, and it becomes solid igneous rock upon cooling. |
| VENT | The specific opening or passage at the Earth's surface through which volcanic materials (lava, ash, and gases) are emitted. Vents can be located at the top of a volcano (summit crater) or on its sides (flanks). |
| HOT SPOT | A stationary, long-lived, and intensely hot region deep within the Earth's mantle. It allows magma to rise through the crust, often forming volcanoes in the middle of tectonic plates (e.g., the Hawaiian Islands) rather than at plate boundaries. |
Created by:
Walter Daniels
Popular Life Science sets