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Earth Science Vocab

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
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Question
Answer
sediment deposited by running water   alluvium  
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fossil gum from the sap of ancient plants; may contain trapped and preserved insects and spiders   amber  
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on the ocean floor   benthic  
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giant summit depression of a volcano   caldera  
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chemical substance containing more than one element in fixed amounts   compound  
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curved fracture which is characteristic of some rocks and minerals such as quartz   conchoidal  
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theoretical shift of continents due to weakness in the suboceanic crust   continental drift  
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outer layer of the earth's surface   crust  
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separate from a solution or melt as a solid   crystallize  
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triangular-shaped deposit at the mouth of a stream   delta  
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mass of a body divided by its volume;   density  
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chemical and physical processes which transform soft sediment into consolidated rock; these take place near the earth's surface at low temperatures and pressures   diagenesis  
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movement of the earth's crust, creating mountains, oceans, and ocean basins   diastrophism  
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intrusion of igneous rock in older rocks with a high angle of dip   dike  
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glacial hill   drumlin  
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hills of loose sand created by wind   dunes  
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part of earth's surface that is directly above the origin of an earthquake   epicenter  
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division of geologic time smaller than a period, such as pliocene   epoch  
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gradual wearing away of the earh's surface by wind, water, and ice   erosion  
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the face or slope of a cliff   escarpment  
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cracking or peeling of rocks on the surface   exfoliation  
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molten, volcanic rocks which have cooled on the surface of the earth   extrusive  
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break or fracture in earth's crust   fault  
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crack in the earth's interior through which lava flows   fissure  
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bend in the rock strata   fold  
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consisting of thin parallel layers, as in mica   foliation  
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mold, cast, or impression of all or part of ancient organisms that has been preserved in earh's crust;   fossil  
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study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth   geology  
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energy from the heat within earth's crust   geothermal energy  
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natural hot spring that intermittently ejects water and steam into the air   geyser  
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large body of slow moving ice and snow formed in areas where the rate of snowfall exceeds the rate of snow melt;   glacier  
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crystals with hollowed faces   hopper crystals  
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organic compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon provide natural resources such as fossil fuels   hydrocarbon  
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study of the effects of water on the earth's surface, soil, underlying rocks, and atmosphere   hydrology  
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rocks formed when molten material in or on earth's surface cools and hardens   igneous rocks  
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igneous material formed among pre-existing rocks below the surface   intrusive  
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crack in a rock mass that occurs as pressure decreases on that rock mass because the overlying rock is eroded away permitting the rock mass to expand   joint  
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depression in a glacier deposit formed by the melting of a covered block of ice   kettle  
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molten rock mixed with gases within the earth from which igneous rock is formed   magma  
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layer of earth just beneath the crust   mantle  
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to wander; riverbeds wander and widen as each flows through the path of least resistance, frequently giving a snake like path   meander  
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elements that are solid having characteristic luster, malleability, and high electrical and heat conductivity   metals  
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rocks that are formed when existing rocks undergo pressure and heat for extended periods of time   metamorphic rocks  
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naturally occuring, inorganic nongaseous substances wiht limited chemical variablitiy and distinctive internal crystalline structure   mineral  
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two or more substances combined in any amounts so that each retains its chemical identity   mixture  
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glacial deposits of gravel, sand, and boulders   moraine  
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natural mineral deposit from which metal can be extracted   ore  
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scientist who studies ancient life in fossil form   paleontologist  
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huge blocks of rocks that make up earth's crust   plates  
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ends of the axis of a planet; the ends of a magnet   poles  
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force per unit area   pressure  
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radioactive, gaseous chemical element formed by the decay of uranium in rocks and soil   radon  
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the sugary rock texture observed in marbles and quartzites   saccharoidal  
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coloration in certain minerals due to minute, rod-like inclusions of voids, iron ore, and other minerals   schillerization  
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medium to coarse metamorphic rocks composed of parallel layers such as mica and talc   schist  
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rocks formed by consolidation of sedimetns; examples: limestone, sandstone, shale   sedimentary rocks  
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instrument that measures and records the direction, intensity, and time of an earthquake   seismograph  
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scientists who study earth movements   seismologists  
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results when forces cause two adjacent parts of a solid to slide past one another in directions that are parallel to the plane of contact   shearing  
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most abundant group of minerals found in earth's crust   silicate  
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solid particles larger than clay particles but smaller than sand grains   silt  
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a by-product, resulting from a metallurgical process, which floats on molten metal   slag  
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ration of the weight of an object to the weight of an equal volume of water   specific gravity  
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distinct layers of sedimentary rocks   strata  
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fold in rock strata in which layers lean together from opposite sides; opposite of anticline; downfolded rock layers   syncline  
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geology of earth's structural deformation   tectonics  
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strong forward motion causing a horizontal movement of earth's crust   thrust  
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uppermost layer of soil   topsoil  
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condensable gas   vapor  
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an opening inearth's surface permitting the escape of gases, liquids, fumes, etc; the main lava chamber in the neck of a volcano   vent  
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processes that physically and chemically break apart and change rocks   weathering  
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gravitational force that earth exerts on an object   weight  
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