Download Layers of the Earth Vocabulary

Layers of the Earth Vocabulary
Crust – the layer of rock that forms Earth’s outer surface
Basalt – a dark, dense, igneous rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust
Granite – a usually light-colored igneous rock that is found in continental crust
Lithosphere – a rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust
Asthenosphere – the soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats
Mantle – the layer of hot, solid material between Earth’s crust and core
Magma – the molten mixture of rock-forming substances, gases, and water from the mantle
Lava – liquid magma that reaches the surface of Earth
Outer core – a layer of molten (liquid) iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth
Inner core – a dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of the Earth
Density – the amount of mass in a given space; mass per unit volume (D=m/v)
Seismic waves – vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake
Seismograph
– a device that records ground movement caused by seismic waves as they move through Earth
Earthquake – the shaking that results from the movement of rock beneath Earth’s surface
P wave – a type of seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground
*P waves or primary waves will travel through solids AND liquids
S wave – a type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side
*S waves or Secondary waves only travel through a Solid & look like a Snake
Surface wave – a type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach Earth’s surface
Continental drift – the hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth’s surface
Pangaea – the name of the single landmass that broke apart 200 million years ago and gave rise to today’s
continents
Convection current – the movement of a fluid, caused by differences in temperature,
that transfers heat from one part of the fluid to another
Convection – the transfer of heat by movement of a fluid