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ES Regents Vocab

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Term	Definition
Abrasion	The act of rock particles scraping or wearing away against other rock.
Absolute Dating	Using radioactive decay to determine the exact age of a rock, fossil, or event.
Agents of Erosion	Forces that are set in motion by gravity that causes sediments to move.
Air Currents	The rising or sinking movement of air perpendicular to the ground.
Air Mass	Characteristics of the air identified by temperature and moisture.
Air Pressure	The force exerted on a unit of area by the air that is exerted equally in every direction.
Altitude	The angular distance measured above the horizon in degrees.
Anemometer	An instrument used to measure the speed of the wind.
Asthenosphere	A partially melted layer that allows for parts of the lithosphere to move.
Asteroid Belt	A region between Mars and Jupiter where most of the asteroids are found orbiting the Sun.
Astronomy	The study of Earth’s motions and celestial objects in outer space.
Atmosphere	Layer of gases that surround Earth or any other planet.
Azimuth	Angular distance along the horizon measured from due north.
Banding	Type of foliation where pressure separates minerals into alternating light and dark layers.
Barometer	An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.
Big Bang	Leading theory of the origin of the Universe as observed from the expanding Universe.
Bioclastic	Sedimentary rock type that forms from the remains of plants and animals.
Celestial Object	Natural objects that can be seen in the sky that is above Earth’s atmosphere.
Cementation	The act or process of holding sediment or pieces of rock together.
Chemical Weathering	The breakdown of rock through a change in mineral or chemical composition.
Circle	A perfect geometric figure with one center point.
Clastic	Sedimentary rock type that forms from the fragments or pieces of other rocks.
Cleavage	The tendency of a mineral to break along zones of weakness and form flat or parallel surfaces.
Climate	Overall view of a regions weather conditions over a long time span.
Climatology	The study of Earth’s weather variables and patterns over long periods of time.
Clinometer	An instrument that is used to measure an incline.
Cold Front	A boundary where more dense cold air advances under less dense warm air pushing it up.
Colloid	A small particle that remains suspended indefinitely.
Compaction	The consolidation of sediments resulting from the weight of overlying deposits.
Condensation	The process which atmospheric water vapor turns into precipitation [gas to a liquid].
Contact Metamorphism	Localized metamorphism resulting from the heat of an igneous intrusion.
Continental Drift	The theory that Earth’s continents are moving.
Continental Glacier	Huge sheets of ice that cover entire land masses
Contour Index	Lines that are bolder and have an elevation labeled.
Contour Interval	The difference in elevation between two side by side contour lines.
Contour Line	Lines drawn on a map that connect equal points of elevation.
Convection	Driving force of plate movement.
Convergent Boundary	Boundary where two lithospheric plates are coming together.
Coordinate System	A system which uses one or more numbers to locate a position.
Coriolis Effect	The tendency of particles to be deflected from a straight line.
Correlation	The process of showing that rocks or geologic events from different places are similar in age.
Crescent Moon	Figure of the moon resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
Crystalline	A naturally occurring solid that is formed as and composed of crystals.
Cyclic Change	A repeating pattern that occurs over and over again.
Density	The degree of compactness of a substance which is the ratio of mass to its volume.
Dependent Variable	The variable that is measured and affected in an experiment.
Deposition	The process by which sediments are released from erosion.
Depression Contours	Contour lines marked with hachured lines that signify a depression.
Dewpoint	The temperature at which air must be cooled for water vapor to condense.
Direct Relationship	When the x-axis and y-axis increase.
Divergent Boundary	Boundary where two lithospheric plates are moving apart.
Drumlin	A low oval mound consisting of glacial till.
Earthquake	A natural shaking of the lithosphere caused by a release of energy stored in rocks.
Eccentricity	The degree of flatness or “ovalness” of an ellipse.
Ecology	The study of how living things interact with their environments.
Electromagnetic Energy	Energy that is radiated through space in the forms of transverse waves.
Element	A substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical means.
Elevation	The vertical distance or height above or below sea level.
Ellipse	Special geometric shape with two center points and is the oval shape of a planet’s orbits.
Eon	A longest division of geologic time that is further subdivided.
Epicenter	Location on the surface directly above the focus.
Epoch	A division of time that is a subdivision of a period that is based on fossil records.
Equator	The horizontal main reference line of latitude [0°].
Era	A major division of time that is a subdivision of an eon and is based on fossil records.
Erosion	Process where rock fragments are transported.
Erratics	Transported rock fragments that are carried on top or within a from glacier and deposited.
Esker	A long winding ridge of gravel and sediment deposited by meltwater from a retreating glacier.
Evolution	The gradual development from a simple to a more complex form.
Extinction	The state or process of a species no longer existing.
Extrapolate	To infer or estimate by projecting known information.
Extrusive	A type of igneous rock that forms on the outside of Earth’s surface.
Fault	A break in rock layers that is marked by the relative displacement on either side.
Felsic	Light colored rocks that have a high aluminum [Al] content.
Field	A region with a measurable quantity at all locations.
Focal Depth	The depth at which an earthquake originates.
Foci	The two fixed center points of an ellipse.
Focus	The point inside the Earth where the earthquake originates.
Foliation	Type of texture when minerals rearrange in flat layers due to pressure.
Fossil	A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age.
Fracture	A texture that causes minerals to break irregularly or unevenly.
Frost Action	Weathering process caused by cycles of freezing and thawing of water in rock openings.
Full Moon	The phase of the moon in which its whole disk is illuminated.
Galaxy	A collection of billions of stars and various amounts of gas held together by gravity.
Geocentric Universe	The idea that Earth was at the center of the solar system.
Geology	The study of the rocky portion of Earth.
Geographic Poles	Two points on the surface of a rotating planet where the axis of rotation meets the surface.
Glacial Grooves	Parallel scratches from sediment embedded under glaciers.
Glacier	A naturally formed mass of ice and snow that moves downhill under the force of gravity.
Gibbous Moon	Any moon that appears more than half lighted but less than full.
Glossopteris	A tree fossil that is found in South American and Africa, India and Antarctica.
Gradient	A slope that is calculated by dividing the change in field value divided by the distance.
Greenhouse Effect	The trapping of the sun's heat energy in a planet's lower atmosphere.
Half-life	The time required for half of a radioactive product to decay to a stable product.
Hardness	The resistance to a mineral being scratched to other minerals or object.
Heliocentric Model	A model of the solar system where the Sun is at the center.
High Pressure	Fair weather with wind patterns that are outward and clockwise.
Horizon	The edge of the visible portion of the celestial sphere.
Horizontal Sorting	Sorting from a decrease in stream velocity where particles are deposited from largest to smallest.
H-R Diagram	A chart used to classify stars according to their luminosity, mass, color and temperature.
Hurricane	A low pressure tropical storm that reaches winds above 74 mph.
Hydrology	The study of Earth’s fresh water system in relation to land.
Hydrosphere	A layer of Earth above the lithosphere that is in the liquid phase.
Igneous Rock	Rock type that forms when molten material solidifies.
Independent Variable	The variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by other factors.
Index Fossil	Fossil used to define and identify geologic periods.
Infiltration	The process which water penetrates into soil or rock.
Inner Core	The solid inner most zone of Earth’s core composed of iron [Fe] and nickel [Ni].
Insolation	Term to describe incoming solar radiation from the Sun [sunlight].
Intrusion	Magma cools and solidifies before it reaches Earth’s surface.
Intrusive	Igneous rock that forms deep inside of Earth.
Inverse Relationship	When the x-axis increases and y-axis decreases
Island Arc	A curved belt of volcanic islands lying above a subduction zone.
Isobar	Lines that are drawn on a map that connect all equal points of air pressure.
Isoline	Lines that are drawn on a map that connect all equal points of data.
Isotherm	Lines that are drawn on a map that connect all equal points of temperature.
Isotope	Variations of an element that have the same atomic number but differing atomic masses.
Isohyet	Lines that are drawn on a map that connect all equal points of rainfall amounts.
Jovian Planet	The outer gaseous planet with larger diameters and lower densities.
Kettle Lake	Depression left in the ground that is filled with glacial melt water.
Landscape	A collection of landforms, such as mountains, hills, plains, and plateaus
Latitude	Measuring lines, north or south, from the equator.
Lava	Molten rock that is outside the Earth.
Leeward	On or toward the side sheltered from the wind or toward which the wind is blowing.
Lightyear	A unit of astronomical distance equivalent to the distance that light travels in one year.
Lithification	The processes and methods in which sedimentary rocks form.
Lithosphere	Layer of Earth that is the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Long Shore Current	Ocean current that flows parallel and close to the shore.
Lowlands	Landscape that is of lower elevation.
Low Pressure	Stormy weather with wind patterns that are inward and counterclockwise.
Luminosity	A measure on how bright a star is compared to our Sun.
Luster	The shine of an unweathered mineral or the way it looks in reflected light.
Mafic	Dark colored rocks that have a high iron [Fe] or magnesium (Mg) content.
Magma	Molten rock inside the Earth.
Main Sequence	Star classification not the H-R Diagram where most stars spend their stellar lives.
Major Axis	The longest straight lined distance across an ellipse.
Mantle	The thickest layer of Earth that makes up approximately 80% of Earth’s volume.
Map	A representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features.
Mass	The amount of matter in an object.
Mass Movement	The pulling of rock and sediment downhill by the force of gravity.
Meander	As a stream gets older it begins the shift its course in a series of bends.
Mesosaurus	A dinosaur fossil found in South American and South Africa.
Mercalli Scale	The effect of an earthquake on the Earth's surface based on observations.
Metamorphic Rocks	Rocks that have been altered by an increases in temperature and pressure.
Meteorology	The study of weather and the atmosphere.
Mid-Ocean Ridge	Underwater mountain range created from a divergent plate boundary.
Mineral	Naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite structure where atoms are in a repeating pattern.
MOHO	A thin interface between the lithosphere from the asthenosphere.
Moon	A body that orbits a planet or asteroid as they orbit the Sun.
Mountain	A large natural elevation of the earth's surface.
New Moon	The phase of the moon when it is in conjunction with the sun and invisible from earth.
Nonfoliated	Type of metamorphic rock texture where there is no mineral alignment.
Nuclear Fusion	A reaction in which two atomic nuclei combine to form one atomic nuclei while releasing energy.
Oceanography	The branch of science that deals with the physical and biological properties of the ocean.
Original Horizontality	The idea that rocks are deposited in parallel layers to Earth’s surface.
Orographic Effect	The effect of rising air causing it to expand, cool and condense resulting in precipitation.
Outer Core	Liquid layer of Earth’s interior.
Outgassing	The outpouring of gases from the earth's interior that collected in the atmosphere.
Outwash Plain	Glacial feature of smaller sediment carried from the melting water of a retreating glacier.
Oxidation	When iron combines with oxygen to create rust.
P-wave	The fastest earthquake wave that travels through the earth [compressional].
Pangaea	Name given to the super continent that existed 200 million years ago meaning “all Earth”.
Parent Rock	Preexisting rock from which rocks are formed.
Physical Weathering	The breakdown of rock into smaller pieces without chemical change.
Planet	A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.
Plains	Landscape that is of lower elevation.
Plate	Section of the lithosphere that move due to convection currents.
Plate Tectonics	Study of the formation and movements of plates.
Plateau	Landscape that is of medium elevation and have a flat top.
Plutonic Rock	Igneous rocks that solidify slowly below the surface of Earth.
Polar Star	Star directly above the North or South Pole.
Prevailing Winds	Wind from the direction that is predominant at a particular place or season.
Prime Meridian	The main reference line of longitude [0°] that runs through Greenwich, England.
Prong	Landscape that is of lower elevation.
Radiative Balance	Balancing out of incoming and outgoing radiation.
Radioactive Decay	The disintegration of an isotope over time that enables dating.
Rainshadow Effect	Typically the leeward side of a mountain that experience minimal to no rainfall.
Rate of Change	The speed at which a variable changes over a specific period of time.
Recrystallization	The act of a rock crystallizing again.
Regional Metamorphism	Large scale metamorphism resulting from the heat and pressure below Earth’s surface..
Relative Dating	The sequencing of rocks or events in relation to the ages of other rocks or events.
Relative Humidity	The amount of water vapor in the air at any given time.
Revolution	The motion of one body around another in an orbit.
Ring of Fire	Isolated belt around the Pacific Ocean where 90% of the world’s volcanoes exist.
Rock	A naturally formed solid that is part of Earth or any other celestial object.
Rotation	The movement of an object around a line of axis.
S-wave	The slower earthquake wave that travels through the earth (shear).
Saffir-Simpson Scale	A system for classifying hurricanes based on wind speed.
Sea-floor Spreading	The process where ocean floor is extended when two plates move apart.
Sedimentary Rock	Rock type from an accumulation of sediment from preexisting rocks and/or organic material.
Sediments	Smaller pieces of rock that have undergone weathering.
Seismogram	A record of the seismometer.
Seismograph	An instrument used to measure and record movements in the ground.
Sling Psychrometer	An instrument used to measure dew point and relative humidity.
Solar System	All the objects that orbit the Sun under its gravitational influence.
Soluble	The ability for a substance to be dissolved, especially in water.
Source Region	A location over which an air mass gets its characteristics.
Southwesterly Winds	Prevailing winds between 30° N and 60° N.
Stable Product	A nonradioactive element after decay.
Star	Large ball of gas held together by gravity that produces energy and shines.
Station Model	A symbol on a weather map that illustrates all the weather conditions at that location.
Storm Surge	A dome of water that moves onto shore near the landfall point of the hurricane.
Storm Track	The path that a hurricane takes.
Streak	The color of finely crushed powder when a mineral is dragged across a porcelain plate.
Stream	Running water that is confined to a channel.
Subduction	The process where one plate is pushed below another and consumed in the mantle.
Sunspot	A spot appearing on the Sun's surface, usually darker by contrast than its surroundings.
Superposition	The idea that the bottom layer is the oldest and each overlying layer gets progressively younger.
Suspension	When a particle remains floating.
Temperature	The heat energy present in the atmosphere.
Terminal Moraine	A mound of till deposited along the leading edge of a glacier
Terrestrial Planet	Solid surfaced planet with smaller diameters and higher densities.
Thermometer	An instrument used to measure temperature at a specific location.
Topographic Map	A model of an elevation field of Earth’s surface.
Topographic Profile	A side view of a geologic feature.
Tornado	A rotating column of whirling air with destructively high winds.
Trade Winds	Prevailing winds between 30° N and 0°.
Transform Boundary	Boundary where two lithospheric plates are sliding past one another.
Tributary	A smaller stream that feeds a larger stream or lake.
Tropical Depression	Low pressure that produces sustained circular winds below 39 mph.
Tropical Storm	Low pressure that produces sustained circular winds above 39 mph, but less than hurricane.
U-Shaped Valley	The result of glacial erosion on the sides of valley walls.
Unconformity	A break in the rock record or sequence that usually occurs from erosion.
Uniformitarianism	Idea that forces working on our planet today worked on our planet in the past in the same way.
Universe	All the space, matter, and energy in existence.
Unstable Product	A radioactive element.
V-Shaped Valley	Shape of valley walls from stream erosion.
Valley Glacier	Glaciers that form in high elevations in mountain valleys.
Vesicular	Texture that consists of gas pockets that give the appearance of having holes.
Volcanic Rock	Rock that formed on Earth’s surface.
Volcano	A vent in the crust of the earth from which molten material and steam is ejected from
Volume	The amount of space that an object occupies.
Waning Moon	When the moon decreases in size and becomes less brilliant.
Warm Front	A boundary where less dense warm air advances over top of more dense cold air.
Waxing Moon	When the moon increases in size and becomes more brilliant.
Weather	The present condition of the atmosphere with respect to changing weather variables.
Weather Vane	An instrument used to measure wind direction.
Weathering	The breakdown of rock at or near Earth’s surface.
Weight	The effect of gravity on weight.
Wind	The horizontal movement of air parallel to the surface.
Windward	The side or direction from which the wind is blowing
Zenith	The highest point on the celestial sphere.