Term | Definition |
Inner core | Ball of hot, solid metal at Earth’s center |
Inner core | Very high pressure causes it to be solid |
Outer core | Layer of liquid metal surrounding the inner core |
Outer core | Less pressure and lower temperature than inner core |
Mantle | Thickest layer of Earth made up of hot rock; less dense than core |
Mantle | Uppermost part of mantle is cool and rigid. Just below that, the rock is hot and soft enough to move like a thick paste. |
Crust | Thin layer of cool rock that surrounds Earth like an eggshell; 2 types |
Continental crust | Includes all continents (less dense; mostly composed of granite) |
Oceanic crust | Includes all the ocean floors(more dense; mostly composed of basalt) |
Lithosphere | Made up of the crust and the cool, rigid part of the upper mantle. |
Lithosphere | It is broken into tectonic plates and sits on top of the asthenosphere |
Asthenosphere | Layer of hotter, softer rock in Earth’s upper mantle; flows like tar |
Relative position | The location of something in comparison to its surroundings |
Composition | The makeup of a substance; the composition of carbon dioxide (CO2) is one carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms |
Density | The amount of “stuff” present (mass) in a certain amount of space (volume) |
Density | Mass/Volume |
Convection currents | Hotter, less dense rock rises. Cooler, denser rock sinks back down, only to be heated and rise again |
Convection | heat transfer by the movement of fluids |