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Earth Space Glossary
The Earth Space Glossary from a Textbook
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Jagged chunks of lava formed by rapid cooling on the surface of a lava flow | aa |
| Mechanical weathering in which rocks collide and scrape against each other wearing away exposed surfaces | abrasion |
| Actual age of an object | absolute age |
| Brightness of a star as it would appear 32.6 light-years away from the earth | absolute Magnitude |
| Extremely level area of the deep sea ocean basin | abyssal plain |
| Benthic environment that extends from beneath the bathyal zone to a depth of 6000 feet | abyssal zone |
| Describing a change in temperature resulting from the expansion or compression of air | adiabatic |
| Condensation of water vapor that results from the cooling of warm, moist air as it moves across a cool surface | advection fog |
| Decrease in the temperature of a mass of air that results as it moves over a cold surface | advective cooling |
| Tremor that follows and is smaller than a major earthquate | aftershock |
| Large body of air with uniform temperature and moisture content | air mass |
| Percent of solar radiation reflected by a surface | albedo |
| Solid solution of two or more metals | alloy |
| Fan-shaped deposit of sediments at the base of a slope on land | alluvial fan |
| Hardest form of coal | anthracite |
| Upcurved fold in horizontal rock layers | anticline |
| Storm that spirals outward from a high pressure center | anticyclone |
| Hardened tree sap in which fossils may be preserved | amber |
| Instrument used to measure wind speed | anemometer |
| Boundary between horizontal and tilted layers of rock | angular uncomformity |
| Point in the orbit of a planet at which the planet is farthest from the sun | aphelion |
| Point in the orbit of a satellite at which the satellite is farthest from the earth | apogee |
| Brightness of a star as it appears from the earth | apparent magnitude |
| Farming of the ocean | aquaculture |
| Body of rock that can store much water from which water flows freely | aquifer |
| Sharp jagged ridge formed between cirques | arete |
| Sloping layer of permeable rock sandwiched between 2 layers of impermeable rock and exposed at the surface | artesian formation |
| Natural flow of water to the earth’s surface from an artesian formation | artesian spring |
| Hole dug through the cap rock of an artesian formation through which water flows freely with no pumping necessary | artesian well |
| Fragment of rock orbiting the sun | asteroid |
| The region between Mars and Jupiter in which most asteroids are found | asteroid belt |
| Zone of mantle beneath the lithosphere that consists of slowly flowing solid rock | asthenosphere |
| Average distance between the earth and the sun approximately 149.5 million km | astronomical unit |
| Study of the universe beyond the earth | astronomy |
| Thick blanket of gases surrounding the earth | atmosphere |
| Ratio of the weight of the air to the area of the surface on which it presses | atmospheric pressure |
| Nearly circular coral reef surrounding a shallow lagoon | atoll |
| Smallest unit of an element | atom |
| Number of protons in an atom | atomic number |
| Sheets of colored light produced by a magnetic storm in the earth’s upper atmosphere | aurora |
| Beginning of the fall season | autumnal equinox |
| Imaginary straight line running through the earth from pole to pole | axis |
| Low levels of energy evenly distributed throughout the universe | background radiation |
| Instrument that measures atmospheric pressure | barometer |
| Type of spiral galaxy with a bar of stars that runs through its center | barred spiral galaxy |
| Long narrow ridge of sand that lies parallel to the shore | barrier island |
| Type of coral reef that surrounds the remnant of a partially submerged volcanic island | barrier reef |
| Movement of a glacier caused by the melting of ice in contact with the ground | basal slip |
| Largest type of igneous intrusion covering over 100 square kilometers and reaching a depth of thousands of meters | batholiths |
| Benthic environment that begins at the end of the continental shelf and extends to a depth of 4000 m | bathyal zone |
| Self-propelled free-moving submersible used for deep-ocean research | bathyscaph |
| Spherical submersible that remains attached to a research ship for communications and support | bathysphere |
| Deposit of rock fragments along an ocean shore or lake front | beach |
| Boundary between 2 sedimentary rock layers | bedding place |
| Major division of ocean environment that includes the 5 bottom zones the intertidal sublittoral bathyal abyssal and hadal | benthic environment |
| Organisms that live on the ocean floor | benthos |
| Raised midsection of a beach or the part above which is usually used for recreation | berm |
| Theory that all matter and energy in the universe was compressed into an extremely small volume that suddenly billions of years ago began expanding in all directions | big bang theory |
| Instrument used to measure temperature consisting of a bar made up two strips of different metals that curves when heated and straightens when cools | bimetal thermometer |
| Pair of stars that revolve around each other | binary star |
| Able to be broken down into component parts by microorganisms | biodegradable |
| Ecosystem encompassing all the life on earth and the physical environment that supports it | biosphere |
| Soft coal | bituminous coal |
| Hole in space with a gravity so great that not even light can escape formed by the collapse of a very large supernova | black hole |
| Cold northern wind that blows down the mountains of Greece and the Baltic nations towards the Adriatic Sea | bora |
| Foamy mass of water that washes onto the shore | breaker |
| Elastic sedimentary rock composed of angular fragments cemented together by minerals | breccias |
| Rock layer of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Cambrian Period | Bright Angel shale |
| Elevated narrow flat-topped area | butte |
| Type of ooze the is mostly calcium carbonate | calcareous ooze |
| Large basin-shaped depression formed when an explosion destroys the upper part of a volcanic cone | caldera |
| System used to measure the passage of time | calendar |
| Exposed portion of the craton around which North America has been built up | Canadian Shield |
| Top layer of impermeable rock in an artisan formation | cap rock |
| Region of soil just above the water table that receives moisture from the zone of saturation by capillary action | capillary fringe |
| Chemical weathering process in which minerals react with carbonic acid | carbonation |
| Process in which plant materials are changed into carbon | carbonization |
| Science of map making | cartography |
| Process in which dissolved minerals left by water passing through sediments bind the sediments together | cementation |
| The most recent geologic era beginning 65 million years ago called the Age of Mammals | Cenozoic Era |
| Feathery cloud composed of ice crystals that has the highest altitude of any cloud in the sky | cirrus cloud |
| Rock made up of fragments from pre-existing rocks | clastic sedimentary rock |
| Splitting of a mineral along smooth flat surfaces | cleavage |
| General weather conditions over many years | climate |
| Addition of freezing nuclei to super-cooled clouds in an attempt to induce or increase precipitation | cloud seeding |
| Combination of different-sized cloud droplets to form larger droplets | coalescence |
| Rock layer of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Permian Period | Coconino sandstone |
| Boundary formed where a cold air mass overtakes and lifts a warm air mass | cold front |
| Spherical cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the nucleus of a comet | coma |
| Body of rock; dust; methane; ammonia; and ice that revolves around the sun in a long elliptical orbit | comet |
| Process in which air and water are squeezed out of sediments; resulting in the formation of sedimentary rock | compaction |
| Also called stratovolcano; steep-sloped volcanic deposit with alternating layers of hardened lava flows and tephra | composite cone |
| Two or more atoms that have been chemically combined | compound |
| Stress that squeezes crustal rocks together | compression |
| Nodule of rock with a different composition from that of the main rock body | concretion |
| Process by which water vapor changes to liquid water | condensation |
| Solid particles in the atmosphere; such as ice and dust; that provide the surfaces on which water vapor condenses | condensation nuclei |
| Type of energy transfer in which vibrating molecules pass heat along to other vibrating molecules by direct contact | conduction |
| Lowered area of a water table produced by pumping water from a well | cone of depression |
| Sedimentary rock composed of rounded gravel or pebbles cemented together by minerals | conglomerate |
| Map projection in which the meridians converge at the poles; the parallels appear as equally spaced concentric curves | conic projection |
| Pattern of stars | constellation |
| Change in the structure and mineral composition of rock surrounding an igneous intrusion | contact metamorphism |
| Material that makes up landmasses | continental crust |
| Hypothesis stating that the continents once formed a single landmass; broke up; and drifted to their present locations | continental drift |
| Mass of ice that covers large land areas | continental ice sheet |
| Part of the ocean floor that is made of continental crust | continental margin |
| Describing a cold dry air mass that forms over land in polar regions | continental polar |
| Accumulation of sediments at the base of a continental slope | continental rise |
| Edge of a continent covered by shallow ocean water | continental shelf |
| Steep incline at the edge of a continental shelf | continental slope |
| Describing a warm dry air mass that forms over land in tropical regions | continental tropical |
| Difference in elevation between one contour line and the next | contour interval |
| Line on a map connecting points with the same elevation | contour line |
| Transfer of heat through the movement of a fluid material | convection |
| Looping pattern of flowing air | convection cell |
| Movement in a fluid caused by uneven heating | convection current |
| Decrease in the temperature of a mass of air that results as the air rises and expands | convective cooling |
| Region around the sun’s radiative zone in which moving gases transfer energy | convective zone |
| Border formed by the direct collision of two lithospheric plates | convergent boundary |
| Fossilized waste material from an animal | coprolite |
| Ridgelike coastal feature made of millions of coral skeletons | coral reef |
| Center of a planetary body such as the earth | core |
| Cylindrical sample of sediments from the deep-ocean floor | core sample |
| Deflection of wind and ocean current caused by the earth’s rotation | Coriolis effect |
| Outermost layer of the sun’s atmospheric crown | corona |
| Bond based on the attraction between atoms that share electrons | covalent bond |
| Compound formed from atoms that share electrons | covalent compound |
| Funnel-shaped pit at the top of a volcanic cone; bowl-shaped depression on the surface of a planetary body | crater |
| Larger area of Precambrian rocks found on all continents | craton |
| Slow downhill movement of weathered rock material | creep |
| Highest point of a wave | crest |
| Large crack that forms on the surface of a glacier | crevasse |
| Unrefined petroleum | crude oil |
| Outermost zone of the solid earth | crust |
| Natural solid substance that has a definite geometric shape | crystal |
| Thick billowy cloud that forms above stratus clouds and below cirrus clouds | cumulus cloud |
| Steady movement in one direction such as that of water in the ocean | current |
| Time required for the earth to make on rotation on its axis; about 24 hours | day |
| System in which clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time from April to October | daylight saving time |
| Streamlike movement of water beneath the surface of the ocean | deep current |
| Part of the ocean floor made of oceanic crust | deep ocean basin |
| Most common form of wind erosion in which fine dry soil particles are blown away | deflation |
| Shallow depression left after the wind has eroded a layer of exposed soil | deflation hollow |
| Bending; tilting; and breaking of the earth’s crust | deformation |
| Fan-shaped deposit of sediments at the mouth of a stream | delta |
| Ratio of the mass of a substance to its volume; expressed as g/cm3 | density |
| Contour line with short straight lines drawn along the inside of the loop pointing toward its center that indicates a depression | depression contour |
| Process of removing salt from ocean water | desalination |
| Surface of closely packed small rocks left after the top layer of soil has been removed by deflation | desert pavement |
| Type of condensation formed when air that is in contact with a cool surface loses heat until it reaches saturation | dew |
| Temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated | dew point |
| Consisting of two atoms | diatomic |
| Igneous intrusion that cuts across rock layers | dike |
| Volume of water move by a stream within a given time | discharge |
| Boundary between layers of rock that have not been deposited continuously | disconformity |
| Process in which ocean water is heated until it evaporates in order to separate fresh water from dissolved salts | distillation |
| Boundary formed by two lithospheric plates that are moving apart | divergent boundary |
| Elevated region that separates two watersheds | divide |
| Narrow zone of low air pressure at the equator characterized by weak and undependable winds | doldroms |
| Landform created when molten rock pushes up rock layers on the earth’s surface and the layers then are worn away in places; leaving separate high peaks | |
| Apparent shift in the wavelength of energy; such as a sound wave or a light wave; emitted by a source moving away from or toward an observer | Doppler effect |
| Property exhibited by transparent minerals that produce a double image of any object viewed through them | double refraction |
| Weak slow-moving ocean current | drift |
| Long; low; tear-shaped mound of till | drumlin |
| Mound of windblown sand | dune |
| Study of the earth and the universe around it | earth science |
| Asteroid that orbits the sun in an elongated ellipse that may pass close to the earth and sun | earth-grazer |
| Vibration of the earth’s crust | earthquake |
| Sunlight reflected off the surface of the earth | earthshine |
| Passing of one planetary body through the shadow of another | eclipse |
| Study of the complex relationships between living things and their environment | ecology |
| Community of organisms and the environment they inhabit | ecosystem |
| Theory that rocks that are strained past a certain point will fracture and spring back to their original shape | elastic rebound theory |
| Instrument used to measure temperature based on the increased flow of electricity through certain materials when the materials are heated | electrical thermometer |
| Complete range of wavelengths of radiation | electromagnetic spectrum |
| Subatomic particle with a negative electrical charge | electron |
| Region of space around the nucleus of an atom in which electrons may be found | electron cloud |
| Substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler form by ordinary chemical means | element |
| Height above sea level | elevation |
| Oval whose shape is determined by two points within the figure | ellipse |
| Type of galaxy with a very bright center that contains little dust and gas and is spherical to disklike in shape | elliptical galaxy |
| Coast along which sea level falls or the land rise | emergent coastline |
| Arrangement of electrons within the electron cloud of an atom | energy level |
| Point on the earth’s surface directly about the focus of an earthquake | epicenter |
| Small circular motion of the planets within their orbits proposed as an explanation for retrograde motion | epicycle |
| Subdivision of a geologic period | epoch |
| Largest unit of geologic time | era |
| Process by which the products of weathering are transported | erosion |
| Large boulder transported and deposited by a glacier | erratic |
| Long winding ridge of gravel and coarse sand deposited by a glacier | esker |
| Wide shallow bay formed where ocean water submerges the mouth of a river and where salt water and fresh water mix | estuary |
| Sedimentary rocks formed from minerals left after water evaporates | evaporites |
| Process by which water enters the atmosphere; evaporation and transpiration combined | evapotranspiration |
| Change of living things over time | evolution |
| Process in which sheets of rock peel or flake as a result of weathering | exfoliation |
| Layer of the atmosphere above the ionosphere that merges with interplanetary space | exosphere |
| Process by which a scientific procedure is carried out according to certain guidelines | |
| Rocks formed from molten lava that hardens on the earth’s surface | extrusive igneous rocks |
| Break in rock along which rocks on either side of the break move | fault |
| Surface of a fault along which movement of rocks occurs | fault plane |
| Group of interconnected faults | fault zone |
| Mountain formed where faulting breaks the earth’s crust into large blocks and the blocks are uplifted and tilted | fault-block mountain |
| Silica-rich lava | felsic lava |
| Distance that wind can blow across open water | fetch |
| Narrow; deep; steep-walled bay formed by flooding of a glacial valley due to a rise in sea level | fiord |
| Brilliant flash of light produced by a meteor that vaporizes quickly | fireball |
| Grainy ice in a glacier that has been partially melted and refrozen | firn |
| Crack in a rock surface through which lava flows | fissure |
| Part of the valley floor that may be covered with water during a flood | floodplain |
| Ability to glow under ultraviolet light | fluorescence |
| Area along a fault at which slippage first occurs initiating an earthquake; one of two points within an ellipse that determines the shape of the figure | focus |
| Warm dry wind that flows down the slopes of the Alps | foehn |
| Landform created when tectonic movements bend and uplift rock layers | folded mountains |
| Permanent deformation or bending of a rock under stress | folding |
| Describing a metamorphic rock with visible parallel bands | foliated |
| Rock below a fault plane | footwall |
| Trace or remains of a plant or an animal in sedimentary rock | fossil |
| Fuel formed from the remains of living organisms such as coal; petroleum; and natural gas | fossil fuel |
| Break in rock along which there is no movement | fracture |
| Faults running perpendicular to a mid-ocean ridge | fracture zone |
| Condensation nuclei with a crystalline structure like that of ice | freezing nuclei |
| Type of coral reef that forms around a volcanic island | fringing reef |
| Boundary between air masses of different densities | front |
| Ice crystals formed when the dew point is below 0°C and water vapor directly enters the solid state | frost |
| Phase of the moon during which the entire half of the moon facing the earth is visible | full moon |
| Large-scale group of stars | galaxy |
| Any one of the four largest satellites of Jupiter which were first seen by Galileo | Galilean moon |
| Physical form of matter that does not have a definite volume or shape | gas |
| Fossilized stone found within the digestive system of a dinosaur or other reptile | gastrolith |
| Nonmetallic mineral that is brilliant and colorful when cut | gemstone |
| Earth-centered | geocentric |
| Arrangement of rock layers based on the ages of the rocks | geologic column |
| Study of the origin; history; and structure of the solid earth and the processes that shape it | geology |
| Point on the earth’s surface above a pole of the earth’s imaginary internal magnet | geomagnetic pole |
| The solid earth | geosphere |
| Orbit directly above the earth’s equator and moving in the direction of the earth’s rotation | geosynchronous orbit |
| Energy contained in and available from water heated by magma or gases within the earth | geothermal energy |
| Hot spring that erupts periodically | geyser |
| Very large; cool; bright star | giant |
| Sediments deposited by a glacier | glacial drift |
| Mass of moving ice | glacier |
| Thick layer of sheet ice formed when rain freezes as it contacts a surface | glaze ice |
| Spherically shaped group of hundreds of stars located around the core of the Milky Way Galaxy | globular cluster |
| Map projection in which the parallels appear as unevenly spaced concentric circles; the meridians appear as straight lines radiating from a central point; and all other great circles appear as straight lines | gnomonic projection |
| Southern landmass that broke away from Pangaea and later formed South America; Africa; India; Australia; and Antarctica | Gondwanaland |
| Long narrow valley formed by faulting and downward slippage of a crustal block | graben |
| Change in elevation over a distance | gradient |
| Force of attraction between all matter in the universe | gravity |
| Any circle that divides the globe in half | great circle |
| Process by which the atmosphere traps infrared rays over the earth’s surface | greenhouse effect |
| Revision of the Julian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII; currently used in most of the world | Gregorian calendar |
| Unsorted material left beneath a glacier when the ice melts | ground moraine |
| Water that soaks deep into soil and rock | groundwater |
| Swift warm Atlantic current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico; around Florida; and up the east coast of North America | Gulf Stream |
| Flat-topped submerged seamount | guyot |
| Huge circle of moving ocean water formed as a result of the wind belts and the Coriolis effect | gyre |
| Hertzsprung-Russell diagram; graph showing the relationship of the surface temperature and absolute magnitude of a star | H-R diagram |
| Benthic environment of the ocean deeper than 6000 m | hadal zone |
| Type of precipitation in the form of lumps of ice | hail |
| Instrument used to measure relative humidity; based on the fact that human hair stretches as humidity increases | hair hygrometer |
| Time required for half the mass of a radioactive element to decay into its daughter elements | half-life |
| Small abandoned glacial valley suspended on a mountain above the main glacial valley | hanging valley |
| Rock above a normal fault plane | hanging wall |
| Water that contains relatively large amounts of dissolved minerals | hard water |
| Measure of the ability of a mineral to resist scratching | hardness |
| Change-resistant projection of rock out from shore into the water | headland |
| Lengthening and branching of a stream | headward erosion |
| Beginning of a stream | headwaters |
| Sun-centered | heliocentric |
| Rock layer of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Permian Period | Hermit shale |
| Layer of a soil profile | horizon |
| Sharp pyramid-like peak formed where several arêtes join | horn |
| Subtropical high-pressure belt of air around 30° latitude | horse latitudes |
| Area of volcanism within a lithospheric plate | hot spot |
| Hot groundwater that rises to the surface before cooling | hot spring |
| Middle-latitude climate occurring between 35° and 50° north latitude with warm humid summers and cold winters | humid continental climate |
| Very wet middle-latitude climate that occurs in southeastern coastal areas between 30° and 40° north and south latitude with warm humid summers and generally mild winters | humid subtropical climate |
| Amount of water vapor in the atmosphere | humidity |
| Dark organic material formed from the decayed remains of plants and animals | humus |
| Severe storm that develops over tropical oceans with strong winds that spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center | hurricane |
| Compound made up of atoms of carbon and hydrogen | hydrocarbon |
| Energy produced by running water | hydroelectric energy |
| Chemical reaction between water and another substance | hydrolysis |
| All the earth’s water | hydrosphere |
| Possible explanation of a problem that is based on facts | hypothesis |
| Long period of climatic cooling during which ice sheets cover large areas of the earth’s surface | ice age |
| Mechanical weathering caused by the freezing and thawing of water that seeps into cracks in rocks | ice wedging |
| Rock formed from cooled and hardened magma | igneous rock |
| Rock or sediment through which water cannot flow | impermeable |
| Every fifth contour line on a topographic map that is printed bolder for reference | index contour |
| Guide fossil; fossil found in the rock layers of only one geologic age and is used to establish the relative age of the rock layers | index fossil |
| Tendency of a moving body to remain in motion of a stationary body to remain at rest until an outside force acts on it | inertia |
| Not made up of living organisms or the remains of living organisms | inorganic |
| Amount of damage caused by an earthquake | intensity |
| Slow movement of a glacier in which ice crystals slip over each other | internal plastic flow |
| Line running from north to south through the Pacific Ocean where the date changes from one day to the next | International Date Line |
| Benthic environment that lies between the low-tide and high-tide lines | intertidal zone |
| Rocks formed from the cooling of magma beneath the earth’s surface | intrusive igneous rocks |
| Animal without a backbone | invertebrate |
| Atom or group of atoms that carries an electrical charge | ion |
| Bond in which electrons are transferred from one atom to another | ionic bond |
| Compound formed through the transfer of electrons | ionic compound |
| Lower region of the thermosphere; at an altitude of 80 to 550 km | ionosphere |
| Type of meteorite made of iron with a characteristic metallic appearance | iron meteorite |
| Type of galaxy with no identifiable shape and an uneven distribution of stars within it | irregular galaxy |
| Chain of volcanic islands formed along an ocean trench | island arc |
| Line drawn on a weather map connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure | isobar |
| Balancing of the forces pressing up and down on the earth’s crust isostasy | |
| Up-and-down movements of the earth’s crust to reach isostasy | isostatic adjustment |
| Atom of an element that has the same atomic number but different atomic mass that another atom of that element | isotope |
| Bands of high-speed high-altitude westerly winds | jet streams |
| Any one of the first four outer planets—Jupiter; Saturn; Uranus; or Neptune—with properties similar to those of Jupiter | Jovian planet |
| Calendar devised by Julius Caesar’s astronomers consisting of 12 months: 11 with 20 or 31 days; one with 28 days; and an extra day added every four years | Julian calendar |
| Rock layer of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Permian Period | Kaibab limestone |
| Region where the effects of chemical weathering due to groundwater; such as sinkholes and caverns; are clearly visible | karst topography |
| Depression in a glacial outwash plain | kettle |
| Surface or long wave; the slowest wave generated by an earthquake and the last to be recorded by a seismograph | L wave |
| Flat-bottomed intrusion that pushes overlying rock layers into an arc | laccolith |
| Narrow region of shallow water between a barrier island and the shore | lagoon |
| Physical feature of the earth’s surface | landform |
| Sudden movement of loose rock and soil down a slope | landslide |
| Tephra particles between 2 mm and 64 mm in diameter | lapilli |
| Energy stored in molecules | latent heat |
| Unsorted material deposited along the sides of a valley glacier | lateral moraine |
| Thick infertile soils produced in tropical climates | laterite |
| Angular distance north or south of the equator | latitude |
| Northern landmass that broke away from Pangaea and later formed North America and Eurasia | Laurasia |
| Magma that reaches the earth’s surface | lava |
| Raised flat-topped area made of layers of hardened lava | lava plateau |
| Principle that a fault or intrusion is always younger than the rock layers it cuts through | law of crosscutting relationships |
| Principle that the force of attraction between two objects depends on the masses and the distance between the objects | law of gravitation |
| Principle that a sedimentary rock layer is older than the layers above it and younger than the layers below it | law of superposition |
| Process in which water carries dissolved minerals to lower layers of rock | leaching |
| Year with an extra day in it occurring every four years | leap year |
| List of map symbols and their meanings | legend |
| Distance that light travels in one year; about 9.5 trillion km | light-year |
| Brown coal | lignite |
| Physical form of matter with a definite volume but no definite shape | liquid |
| Thin outer shell of the earth consisting of the crust and the rigid upper mantle | lithosphere |
| Deposit formed by thick mineral veins | lode |
| Thick yellowish deposit of windblown dust | loess |
| Angular distance east or west of the prime meridian | longitude |
| Comet with a period of several thousand or million years | long-period comet |
| Passing of the earth between the moon and the sun during which the earth’s shadow crosses the lighted half of the moon | lunar eclipse |
| Light reflected from the surface of a mineral | luster |
| Dark-colored lava rich in magnesium and iron | mafic lava |
| Liquid rock produced deep inside the earth | magma |
| Angle between the direction of the earth’s geographic pole and the direction in which a compass needle points | magnetic declination |
| A region of space that is affected by the earth’s magnetic field | magnetosphere |
| Star with characteristics that place it within a band running through the middle of the H-R diagram | main-sequence star |
| Zone of rock below the earth’s crust | mantle |
| Flat map that represents a three-dimensional curved surface | map projection |
| Dark areas of smooth dry solidified lava on the moon that reflect little light | maria |
| Wet middle-latitude climate that occurs in western coastal areas located between 40° and 60° latitude with relatively cool summers and mild winters | marine west-coast climate |
| Describing a cold moist air mass that is formed over the ocean in polar areas | maritime polar |
| Describing a warm moist air mass that is formed over the ocean in tropical areas | maritime tropical |
| Movement of rock fragments down a slope | mass movement |
| Sum of the numbers of protons and neutrons in an atom | mass number |
| Substance that takes up space and has mass | matter |
| Point midway between the highest and lowest tide levels of the ocean | mean sea level |
| Wide curve in a stream channel | meander |
| Comparison of a property of an object or phenomenon with a standard unit | measurement |
| Process that changes the physical form of rocks | mechanical weathering |
| Ridge of unsorted glacial material along the center of a valley glacier | medial moraine |
| Middle-latitude climate that occurs in coastal areas located between 30° and 40° latitude with dry summers and wet winters | Mediterranean climate |
| Melted ice flowing from a glacier | meltwater |
| Scale that expresses the intensity of an earthquake with a Roman numeral and a description | Mercalli scale |
| Map projection in which the meridians appear as straight; parallel; evenly spaced lines and form a grid with the parallels; which appear as straight; parallel; and unevenly spaced lines | Mercator projection |
| Semicircle on the earth that runs from pole to pole | meridian |
| Elevated flat-topped area smaller than a plateau | mesa |
| Upper boundary of the mesosphere; marked by an increase in temperature | mesopause |
| Coldest layer of the atmosphere that extends upwards from the stratosphere to an altitude of about 80 km | mesosphere |
| Geologic era that lasted from 245 million to 65 million years ago; the Age of Reptiles | Mesozoic era |
| Rock formed from other rocks as a result of intense heat; pressure; or chemical processes | metamorphic rock |
| Changing of one type of rock to another by heat; pressure; or chemical processes | metamorphism |
| Meteoroid that enters the earth’s atmosphere | meteor |
| Phenomenon caused by the burning up of large numbers of meteors as they enter the earth’s atmosphere | meteor shower |
| Meteor or part of a meteor left after it hits the earth’s surface | meteorite |
| Small bit of rock or metal moving through the solar system left by a comet or produced by a collision between asteroids | meteoroid |
| Study of the earth’s atmosphere | meteorology |
| Earthquake with a magnitude less than 2.5 on the Richter scale | microquake |
| Undersea mountain range with a steep narrow valley along its center | Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
| Climates with a maximum average temperature of 18°C in the coldest month and a minimum average temperature of 10°C in the warmest month | middle-latitude climates |
| Middle-latitude climate that is very dry; with both a cold winter and a warm to very hot summer | middle-latitude desert climate |
| Middle-latitude climate with slightly more precipitation than a middle-latitude desert climate and a high yearly temperature range | middle-latitude steppe climate |
| System of undersea mountain ranges that wind around the earth | mid-ocean ridges |
| Theory that small regular changes in the earth’s orbit and in the tilt of the earth’s axis caused the ice ages | Milankovitch theory |
| Natural inorganic crystalline solid found in the earth’s crust | mineral |
| Scientist who specializes in the study of minerals | mineralogist |
| Strong cold northern wind that blows down the Alps toward the Mediterranean Sea | mistral |
| Mineral that contains two or more substances that are not chemically combined | mixture |
| The Mohorovičić discontinuity; boundary between the earth’s crust and mantle | Moho |
| Standard against which the hardness of a mineral is tested | Mohs hardness scale |
| Smallest complete unit of a compound | molecule |
| Knob of rock that protrudes above a peneplain | monadnock |
| Gently dipping bend in horizontal rock layers | monocline |
| Seasonal wind that blows toward the land in summer; bringing heavy rains; and away from the land in the winter; bringing dry weather | monsoon |
| Time required for the moon to go through one set of phases as it orbits the earth; about 29.5 days | month |
| Body that is smaller than a planet and orbits the planet | moon |
| Group of large mountain systems | mountain belt |
| Group of adjacent mountains with the same general shape and structure | mountain range |
| Group of adjacent mountain ranges | mountain system |
| Rock layer of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Cambrian Period | Muav limestone |
| Fine particles of rock combined with water | mud |
| Weathered rock around a hot spring that mixes with the hot water to form liquid clay that bubbles at the surface | mud pot |
| Rapidly moving large mass of mud | mudflow |
| Preservation of a dead organism by drying | mummification |
| Arch of rock formed by groundwater erosion | natural bridge |
| Raised riverbank that results when a river deposits its load at the river’s edges | natural levee |
| Tide with minimum daily tidal range that occurs during the first and third quarters of the moon | neap tide |
| Dark cloud of gas and dust in space; first stage in the development of a star | nebula |
| Theory that the sun and the planets condensed out of a spinning cloud of gas and dust | nebular theory |
| Forms of ocean life that swim such as fish; dolphins; and squid | nekton |
| Pelagic environment above the sublittoral zone filled with marine life | neritic zone |
| Subatomic particle with no electrical charge | neutron |
| Collapsed core of a supernova consisting of a small; extremely dense ball of neutrons | neutron star |
| Phase of the moon during which the side of the moon facing the earth is unlighted | new moon |
| Process in which nitrogen moves from the air to the soil to animals and back to the air | nitrogen cycle |
| Lump of minerals on the ocean floor | nodule |
| Unconformity in which stratified rock rests on unstratified rock | nonconformity |
| Substance of limited supple that cannot be replaced | nonrenewable resource |
| Mineral that does not contain silicon | nonsilicate mineral |
| Fault in which the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall | normal fault |
| White dwarf star that explodes as it cools; temporarily becoming thousands of times brighter | nova |
| Splitting of the nucleus of a large atom into smaller nuclei | nuclear fission |
| Combination of the nuclei of small atoms to from a larger nucleus | nuclear fusion |
| Region in the center of an atom that contains the protons and neutrons | nucleus |
| Act of using the senses to gather information | observation |
| Boundary formed where a fast-moving cold air mass overtakes and lifts a warm air mass; completely cutting it off from the ground | occluded front |
| Continental crust and oceanic crush that lie beneath the ocean | ocean floor |
| Deep valley in the ocean floor that forms along a subduction zone | ocean trench |
| Material that makes up the ocean floor | oceanic crust |
| Pelagic environment that extends seaward beyond the continental shelf | oceanic zone |
| Study of the earth’s oceans | oceanography |
| Spherical cloud of dust and ice surrounding the solar system that may contain as many as a trillion comets | Oort cloud |
| Soft organic sediment on the ocean floor | ooze |
| Loosely shaped group of hundreds of stars | open cluster |
| Time required for a planet to make one revolution around the sun | orbit period |
| Natural flow of groundwater to the earth’s surface | ordinary spring |
| Hole dug below the water table that fills with groundwater | ordinary well |
| Deposit of minerals from which metals and nonmetals can be profitable removed | ore |
| Rock formed from the remains of organisms | organic sedimentary rock |
| Area of exposed rock | outcrop |
| Deposit of stratified drift in front of a glacier | outwash plain |
| Water remaining in an isolated meander in a floodplain | oxbow lake |
| Chemical combination of metallic elements with oxygen | oxidation |
| Form of atmospheric oxygen that has three atoms per molecule | ozone |
| Primary wave; the fastest wave generated by an earthquake and the first to be recorded by a seismograph | P wave |
| Major earthquake zone that forms a ring around the Pacific Ocean | Pacific Ring of Fire |
| Floating layer of ice that completely covers an area of the ocean surface | pack ice |
| Solidified mafic lava with a wrinkled surface | pahoehoe |
| Scientist who studies fossils | paleontologist |
| Study of fossils | paleontology |
| Geologic era that followed Precambrian time; lasting from 570 million to 245 million years ago | Paleozoic Era |
| Single landmass thought to have been the origin of all continents | Pangaea |
| Giant ocean surrounding Pangaea | Panthalassa |
| Method of determining the distance from the earth to a star based on the shift in the apparent position of the star when viewed from different angles | parallax |
| Any circle that runs east and west around the earth parallel to the equator | parallel |
| Brownish-black material produced my partial decomposition of plant remains | peat |
| Major division of ocean environment that includes the two water zones; neritic and oceanic | pelagic environment |
| Low; almost level surface of a mountain in its old stage | peneplain |
| Outer part of the shadow cast by the earth or the moon in which sunlight is only partially blocked | penumbra |
| Secondary water table formed by a layer of impermeable rock above the main water table | perched water table |
| Point in the orbit of a satellite at which it is closest to the eart | perigee |
| Point in the orbit of a planet at which it is closest to the sun | perihelion |
| Subdivision of a geologic era | period |
| System for classifying the elements | periodic table |
| The ease with which water flows through the open spaces in a rock or sediment | permeability |
| Process in which organic materials are replaced by minerals | petrification |
| Chemical derived from petroleum | petrochemical |
| Varying shape of the visible portion of the moon | phase |
| Ability to glow during and after exposure to ultraviolet light | phosphorescence |
| Innermost layer of the solar atmosphere; light sphere | photosphere |
| Characteristic that is observable in a substance without changing the chemical composition of the substance | physical property |
| Microscopic ocean plants | phytoplankton |
| Lava that flows out of fissures on the ocean floor and cools rapidly in rounded shapes | pillow lava |
| Fragments of native metals that are concentrated in layers at the bottom of a stream bed | place deposit |
| Any one of the nine major bodies that orbit the sun | planet |
| Expanding shell of gases shed by a dying star | planetary nebula |
| Small body of matter that formed in the outer regions of the solar nebula while the sun was forming in its center | planetesimal |
| Free-floating microscopic ocean plants and animals | plankton |
| Theory that the lithosphere is made up of plates that float on the asthenosphere and the plates possible are moved by convection currents | plate tectonics |
| Large area of flat-topped rocks high about sea level | plateau |
| Climates with a maximum average monthly temperature of 10°C | polar climates |
| Weak global winds located north of 65° north latitude and south of 65° south latitude that flow away from the poles | polar easterlies |
| Boundary at which cold polar air meets the warmer air of the middle latitudes | polar front |
| Orbit that passes over the earth’s North and South poles | polar orbit |
| Contamination of the environment with waste products or impurities | pollution |
| Map made by fitting together a series of conic projections of adjoining areas | polyconic projection |
| Percentage of open spaces in a rock or sediment | porosity |
| Igneous rock composed of large and small crystals | porphyry |
| Earliest and longest geologic era; lasting from 4.6 billion to 580 million years ago | Precambrian time |
| Slow circular motion of the earth’s axis as it turns in space that traces a circle in space every 26 thousand years | precession |
| Process by which water falls from clouds to the earth as rain; snow; sleet; and hail | precipitation |
| The meridian that passes through Greenwich; England; designated as 0° | prime meridian |
| Theory that geologic processes at work in the present were also at work in the past | principle of uniformitarianism |
| Cloud of glowing gases that arches high above the sun’s surface | prominence |
| Subatomic particle with a positive electrical charge | proton |
| Large body of matter that formed from the coalescence of planetesimals in the solar nebula | protoplanet |
| Center of a shrinking spinning nebula; the second stage in the development of a star; protostar | |
| Instrument used to measure relative humidity | psychrometer |
| Neutron star that emits two beams of radiation that sweep across space | pulsar |
| Also called tephra; all of the rock fragments ejected from a volcano | pyroclastic material |
| Starlike object that gives off radio waves and X rays | quasar |
| Device that can detect objects and weather conditions in the upper atmosphere by sending and receiving radio waves | radar |
| Condensation of water vapor that results from the cooling of air that is in contact with the ground | radiation fog |
| Region surrounding the core of the sun in which energy is transferred in the form of electromagnetic waves | radiative zone |
| Instrument used to measure the amount of rainfall | rain gauge |
| Streak of displaced rock material radiating from a crater | ray |
| Apparent lengthening of the light waves emitted by a star moving away from the earth | red shift |
| Rock layer of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Mississippian Period | Redwall limestone |
| Bending of a light ray as it passes from one substance to another; bending of a wave as it reaches shallow water | refraction |
| Metamorphism that affects rocks over large areas during periods of tectonic activity | regional metamorphism |
| Layer of weathered rock fragments covering much of the earth’s surface | regolith |
| Describing a river with a gradient that has been made steeper by a movement of the earth’s crust | rejuvenated |
| Age of an object compared with the ages of other objects | relative age |
| Ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor the air can hold when saturated | relative humidity |
| Difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points of an area | relief |
| Substance that can be replaced | renewable resource |
| Apparent periodic reversal in the motion of some planets as viewed from the earth | retrograde motion |
| Fault in which the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall | reverse fault |
| Movement of a planet around the sun | revolution |
| Scale that expresses the magnitude of an earthquake | Richter scale |
| Steep narrow valley formed as lithospheric plates separate | rift valley |
| Long deep channel that runs through the maria on the moon | rille |
| Swift movement of water caused by the return of water to the ocean through channels in underwater sand bars | rip current |
| Rounded knob of rock produced by glacial erosion | roche moutonnée |
| Series of processes in which rock changes from one type to another and back again | rock cycle |
| Fall of rock from a steep cliff | rockfall |
| Any common mineral that forms the rocks of the earth’s crust | rock-forming mineral |
| Spinning of a planet on its axis | rotation |
| Water that flows over the land into streams and rivers | runoff |
| Secondary wave; a wave generated by an earthquake and the second to be recorded by a seismograph | S wave |
| Number of grams of dissolved salt in 1 kg of ocean water | salinity |
| Movement of sand by short jumps; caused by wind or water | saltation |
| Long ridge of sand deposited offshore | sand bar |
| Object in orbit around a body with a larger mass | satellite |
| Describing air that contains all the water vapor it can hold at a specific temperature | saturated |
| Relationship between distance shown on a map and actual distance | scale |
| Rule that correctly describes a natural phenomenon | scientific law |
| Organized logical approaches to scientific research | scientific methods |
| Movement of the ocean floor away from either side of a mid-ocean ridge | seafloor spreading |
| Isolated volcanic mountain on the ocean floor | seamount |
| Fragments that result from the breaking of rocks; minerals; and organic matter | sediment |
| Rock formed from hardened deposits of sediment | sedimentary rock |
| Zone of rock in which a fault is locked and unable to move and in which no major earthquake as occurred for at least 30 years | seismic gap |
| Vibration that travels through the earth | seismic wave |
| Instrument used to detect and record seismic waves | seismograph |
| Location on the earth’s surface where no seismic waves or only P waves can be detected | shadow zone |
| Stress that pushes rocks in opposite horizontal directions | shearing |
| Process in which parallel layers of top-soil are stripped away; exposing the surface of the underlying subsoil or partially weathered bedrock | sheet erosion |
| Volcanic deposit of hardened lava with a broad base and gentle slopes | shield cone |
| Place where the ocean and the land meet | shoreline |
| Comet with a period of up to 100 years | short-period comet |
| Mineral that contains atoms of silicon and oxygen | silicate mineral |
| Type of ooze that is mostly silicon dioxide | siliceous ooze |
| Four oxygen atoms arranged in a pyramid with one silicon atom in the center | silicon-oxygen tetrahedron |
| Sheet of hardened magma that forms between and parallel to layers of rock | sill |
| Circular depression caused when the roof of a cavern collapses | sinkhole |
| Ice pellets that form when rain falls through a layer of freezing air | sleet |
| Downhill movement of a large block of soil under the influence of gravity | slump |
| Air pollution formed from a mixture of dust and chemicals | smog |
| Almost motionless mass of permanent snow and ice | snowfield |
| Elevation above which ice and snow remain throughout the year | snowline |
| Water that contains few dissolved minerals | soft water |
| Cross section of soil layers and bedrock | soil profile |
| Device for capturing solar energy | solar collector |
| Passing of the moon between the earth and the sun during which the shadow of the moon falls on the earth | solar eclipse |
| Sudden violent eruption of electrically charged atomic particles from the sun’s surface | solar flare |
| Cloud of gas and dust that developed into the solar system | solar nebula |
| The sun and the bodies that revolve around it | solar system |
| Electrically charged atomic particles that stream out into space through holes in the sun’s corona | solar wind |
| Time required for the earth to make one orbit around the sun; about 365.24 days | solar year |
| Physical form of matter with a definite shape and volume | solid |
| Slow downslope flow of wet muddy top soil over frozen or clay-rich subsoil | solifluction |
| Mixture in which one substance is uniformly dispersed in another substance | solution |
| Acronym for sound navigation and ranging; method of mapping the ocean floor using reflected sound waves | sonar |
| Uniformity in the size of the particles of a rock or sediment | sorting |
| Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 g of a substance 1°C | specific heat |
| Actual amount of moisture in the air | specific humidity |
| Instrument that splits white light into a band of colors | spectroscope |
| Band of the various colors of light | spectrum |
| Type of galaxy with a nucleus of bright stars and flattened arms that swirl around the nucleus | spiral galaxy |
| Long narrow deposit of sand connected at one end to the shore | spit |
| Tide with maximum daily tidal range that occurs during the new and full moons | spring tide |
| Long line of heavy thunderstorms that may occur just ahead of a fast-moving cold front | squall line |
| Cone-shaped calcite deposit suspended from the ceiling of a cavern | stalactite |
| Cone-shaped calcite deposit built up from the floor of a cavern | stalagmite |
| The atmospheric pressure measured at sea level; 760 mm of mercury | standard atmospheric pressure |
| One of 24 regions of the earth to which noon is set as the time when the sun is highest over the center of the region | standard time zone |
| Body of gases that gives off a tremendous amount of radiant energy in the form of light and heat | star |
| Cluster of weather symbols plotted on a map indicating the weather conditions at a particular reporting station | station model |
| Boundary formed where two air masses meet and neither is displaced | stationary front |
| Condensation of water vapor that results when cool air moves over warm water | steam fog |
| Igneous intrusion with an area less than 100 square kilometers | stock |
| Most common type of meteorite; similar in composition to rocks found on the surface of the earth | stony meteorite |
| Rare type of meteorite that contains both iron and stone | stony-iron meteorite |
| Change in shape and volume of rocks that occurs due to stress | strain |
| Layering of sedimentary rock | stratification |
| Glacial deposit that has been sorted and layered by the action of streams or meltwater | stratified drift |
| High-temperature zone that marks the upper boundary of the stratosphere | stratopause |
| Layer of the atmosphere that extends upward from the troposphere to an altitude of 50 km; contains most atmospheric ozone | stratosphere |
| Also called composite cone; steep-sloped volcanic deposit with alternating layers of hardened lava flows and tephra | stratovolcano |
| Cloud with a sheetlike or layered form that is the lowest cloud in the sky | stratus cloud |
| Color of a mineral in powder form | streak |
| Sediments carried by a stream | stream load |
| Capture of a stream in one watershed by a stream in another watershed | stream piracy |
| Force that causes pressure in rocks of the earth’s crust | stress |
| Fault in which the rock on either side of a fault plane slides horizontally | strike-slip fault |
| Type of polar climate that occurs in areas between 55° and 65° north latitude with little precipitation and a large yearly temperature range | subarctic climate |
| Region where one lithospheric plate moves under another | subduction zone |
| Process in which a solid changes directly into a vapor | sublimation |
| Shallow benthic environment that is continuously submerged and that contains the largest number of benthos | sublittoral zone |
| Deep valley in the continental slope and shelf | submarine canyon |
| Coast along which sea level rises or the land sinks | submergent coastline |
| Underwater research vessel | submersible |
| Belt of low air pressure at about 60° north and 60° south latitude | subpolar low |
| The beginning of summer | summer solstice |
| Cool dark area of gas within the photosphere caused by powerful magnetic fields | sunspot |
| Periodic variation in the number of sunspots that occurs approximately every 11 years | sunspot cycle |
| Rock layers of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Pennsylvanian Period | Supal formation |
| Process in which water droplets are induced to remain liquid at temperatures below 0°C | supercooling |
| Extremely large giant star | supergiant |
| Star that blows apart with a tremendous explosion | supernova |
| Streamlike movement of water on or near the surface of the ocean | surface current |
| One of a group of long rolling waves that are all the same size | swell |
| Downcurved fold in horizontal rock layers | syncline |
| Pile of rock fragments that accumulates at the base of a slope | talus |
| Rock layer of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Cambrian Period | Tapeats sandstone |
| Atmospheric condition in which warm air traps cooler air near the earth’s surface | temperature inversion |
| Difference between the highest and lowest temperatures of a particular time period | temperature range |
| Stress that pulls rocks apart | tension |
| Also called pyroclastic material; all the rock fragments ejected from a volcano | tephra |
| Till deposited at the leading edge of a melting glacier | terminal moraine |
| Piece of land with a geologic history distinct from that of the surrounding land | terrane |
| Any one of the four planets closest to the sun—Mercury; Venus; Earth; and Mars—with properties similar to those of the earth | terrestrial planet |
| Hypothesis or set of hypotheses supported by the results of experimentation and observation | theory |
| Theory that organisms change over time and that new organisms are derived from ancestral types | theory of evolution |
| Theory that continents are a patchwork of pieces of land that have individual geologic histories | theory of suspect terranes |
| Zone of rapid temperature change that begins just below the surface of the ocean | thermocline |
| Instrument that measures temperature changes by recording the movement of the bar of a bimetal thermometer | thermograph |
| The atmospheric layer above the mesosphere | thermosphere |
| Type of reverse fault in which the fault plane is nearly horizontal rather than vertical | thrust fault |
| Storm accompanied by thunder; lightning; and strong winds | thunderstorm |
| Surge of water that rushes upstream in a river as the tide rises | tidal bore |
| Movement of water toward and away from the coast due to the rise and fall of the tides | tidal current |
| Muddy or sandy part of a lagoon that is visible at low tide | tidal flat |
| Slow rocking motion of ocean water that occurs as tidal bulges move around the earth | tidal oscillation |
| Difference between the levels of the high and low tides at a specific location | tidal range |
| Daily change in the level of the ocean surface | tide |
| Unsorted rock material deposited by a glacier | till |
| Ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland | tombolo |
| Map that shows the surface features of the earth | topographic map |
| Surface features of the earth | topography |
| Whirling funnel-shaped cyclone | tornado |
| Rock layers of the Grand Canyon deposited during the Permian Period | Toroweap formation |
| Fossil trace left by an ancient organism such as a track; footprint; boring; or burrow | trace fossil |
| Global winds flowing toward the equator between 30° and 0° latitude | trade winds |
| Boundary formed where two lithospheric plates slide past each other | transform fault boundary |
| Form of calcite that is deposited in terraces around the mouths of hot springs | travertine |
| Deep valley in the ocean floor | trench |
| Feeder stream that flows into a main stream | tributary |
| Asteroid that orbits the sun just ahead of or behind the planet Jupiter | Trojan asteroid |
| Climates with a minimum average monthly temperature of 18°C | tropical climates |
| Dry warm climate that occurs in regions about 20° to 30° north and south of the equator | tropical desert climate |
| Warm humid climate that occurs within 5° to 10° on either side of the equator | tropical rain forest climate |
| Tropical climate located between tropical rain forest and tropical desert climates; producing very wet summers and very dry winters | tropical savanna climate |
| Upper boundary of the troposphere in which the temperature remains almost constant | tropopause |
| Atmospheric layer closest to the earth’s surface where nearly all weather occurs | troposphere |
| Lowest point between two wave crests | trough |
| Direction of the geographic North Pole | true north |
| Giant ocean wave that often occurs after a major earthquake with an epicenter on the ocean floor | tsunami |
| Polar climate that occurs in areas near the ocean at the latitude of the Arctic Circle with a small yearly temperature range and very little precipitation | tundra climate |
| Dense current that carries large amounts of sediment down the continental slopes | turbidity current |
| Hurricane that forms over the Pacific Ocean | typhoon |
| Inner cone-shaped part of the shadow cast by the earth or the moon in which sunlight is completely blocked | umbra |
| Break in the geologic record created when rock layers are removed by erosion | unconformity |
| Irregular current that pulls water from a beach back to the ocean | undertow |
| Describing a metamorphic rock without visible bands | unfoliated |
| Fog condensation of water vapor that results from the lifting and adiabatic cooling of air rising up a slope of land | upslope |
| Process in which surface water moves farther out into the ocean and deep water moves outward to replace the surface water | upwelling |
| Long; narrow; wedge-shaped mass of ice that usually moves through a mountain valley | valley glacier |
| Factor in an experiment that can be changed | variable |
| Annual layer of sedimentary deposit on a lake bad | varve |
| Narrow band of mineral deposits in rock | vein |
| Opening through which molten rock flows onto the earth’s surface | vent |
| Any stone smoothed by wind abrasion | ventifact |
| The beginning of spring | vernal equinox |
| Animal with a backbone | vertebrate |
| The bottom-most and oldest rock layer of the Grand Canyon | Vishnu schist |
| Tephra particles between 0.25 mm and 2 mm in diameter | volcanic ash |
| The largest tephra; formed from solid rock blasted from a fissure | volcanic block |
| Large spindle-shaped clot of lava thrown out of a volcano | volcanic bomb |
| Tephra particles less than 0.25 mm in diameter | volcanic dust |
| Mountain formed when molten rock erupts onto the earth’s surface | volcanic mountain |
| Solidified central vent of a volcano | volcanic neck |
| Any activity that includes the movement of magma toward or onto the earth’s surface | volcanism |
| Lava and tephra built up on the earth’s surface around a vent | volcano |
| Describing the phase of the moon during which the size of its visible portion is decreasing | waning |
| Boundary formed where a warm air mass overtakes and rises over a cold air mass | warm front |
| Gains and losses of water from a region | water budget |
| Continuous movement of water from the air to the earth and back again | water cycle |
| Deep notch left where a stream erodes through a mountain as it is uplifted | water gap |
| Upper surface of the zone of saturation | water table |
| Land from which water runs off into a stream | watershed |
| Tornado that occurs over the ocean | waterspout |
| Periodic up-and-down movement of water | wave |
| Large storm that develops along cold or stationary fronts with winds that spiral in toward a central region of low pressure | wave cyclone |
| Vertical distance between the crest and the trough of a wave | wave height |
| Time required for a complete wavelength to pass a given point | wave period |
| Extension of a wave-cut terrace that results from deposition of eroded material offshore | wave-built terrace |
| Nearly level platform of rock left beneath the water after the erosion of a sea cliff | wave-cut terrace |
| Distance between wave crests | wavelength |
| Describing the phase of the moon during which the size of its visible portion is increasing | waxing |
| General condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place | weather |
| Change in the physical form or chemical composition of rock materials exposed at the earth’s surface | weathering |
| Global winds located between 40° and 60° latitude that flow from the southwest in the Northern Hemispher and from the northwest in the Southern Hemisphere | westerlies |
| Small; hot; dim star | white dwarf |
| Crest of a wave that is blow off by high winds | white cap |
| Water-eroded notch in a mountain through which water no longer flows | wind gap |
| Instrument used to determine the direction of the wind | wind vane |
| The beginning of winter | winter solstice |
| Upper region of groundwater between the water table and the earth’s surface | zone of aeration |
| Lower region of ground water where all the pore spaces in a rock or sediment are filled with water | zone of saturation |
| Microscopic ocean animals | zooplankton |
Created by:
Cybercheese
Popular Earth Science sets