Download Name: Date:____ Period:______ Geology Vocabulary Chart

Name:__________________________________________ Date:____ Period:______
Geology Vocabulary Chart
Students are to research/define the following terms using their textbook. Students will
then create a chart that demonstrates an image for each vocabulary term. If the term is not
in the glossary, use the index to find where the word is used in the text. Each chart
square should be the same size. First, students will define all forty terms, then students will
create a vocabulary chart with an image to represent each vocabulary term. Students will be
assessed on creativity, completion of definitions and neatness. All images should be neat and
colored.
1. Continental crust- the less dense type of crust on the earth’s surface that is above sea level.
2. Oceanic crust- the more dense (higher iron content) that lies on the bottom of the ocean floor.
3. Sea-floor spreading- the area along a divergent plate boundary where the plates separate. Magma then
comes into the opening, cools and creates new land.
4. Subduction-the process where oceanic crust sinks, melts in the mantle and creates a trench.
5. Mid-ocean ridge-an undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced.
6. Plate tectonics- the theory that the earth is covered in slabs of rock that are move constantly while
changing the surface of the Earth.
7. Liquefaction-the process by which an earthquake’s violent movement suddenly turns loose soil into
liquid mud.
8. Erosion-the destruction process in which water, wind, or gravity loosens and carries away fragments of
rock.
9. Deposition-the process where sediment is laid down in new locations.
10. Sediment-small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks or organisms.(clay, silt, sand and
boulder)
11. Lithosphere- a rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.
12. Asthenosphere-the soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats.
13. Continental drift- the hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth’s surface.
14. Hot spot- an area where magma from deep within the mantle melts through the crust above it.
15. Tsunami- a series of giant waves usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor.
16. Stress- a force that acts on rock to change its shape or volume.
17. Tension -stress on rocks that stretches rock in two different directions so that it becomes thinner in
the middle.
18. Compression- stress on rocks that squeezes the rock making it smaller.
19. Shearing-stress that pushes and masses of rock in opposite directions in sideways motions.
20. Fault-a break or crack in a rock where movement occurs.
21. Plasticity- the texture of the magma in the earth’s mantle that is neither liquid nor solid but slows and
allows the plates to glide and move.
22. Anticline- an upward fold in rock formed by compression of earth’s crust.
23. Syncline-a downward fold in rock formed by compression of earth’s crust.
24. Focus-the point beneath earth’s surface where rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake.
25. Epicenter-the point on earth’s surface directly above an earthquakes’ focus.
26. Topographic Map- A detailed map that shows elevation of geologic landforms.
27. Soil-the loose, weathered rock and humus that allows plants to grow.
28. Weathering- the chemical and physical processes that break down rock at earth’s surface.
29. Humus-dark-colored organic material in soil.
30. Convection current- the movement of a liquid (magma) caused by differences in temperature. The
temperature change creates the rotation that pushes Earth’s plates along the surface.
31. Rock- a naturally formed group of minerals bound together.
32. Mineral- a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a distinct chemical composition and crystalline
structure.
33. Igneous Rock-rock formed by the cooling and hardening of magma.
34. Metamorphic rock-a rock that has undergone chemical or structural change due to the effects of heat
and pressure.
35. Sedimentary rock- rock formed by the compaction and cementing of layers of sediment.
36. Caldera-A large crater-shaped basin formed after the top of a volcano collapses.
37. Lahar- A very fast moving mudflow that occurs when the heat associated with a volcanic eruption
melts the snow and ice on top of the volcano.
38. Pyroclastic Flow- a dense, superheated cloud of gases and pyroclastic (volcanic rock, ash and glass)
material that moves rapidly, very similarly to an avalanche, downhill from a volcano as it erupts.
39. Relative dating – giving a layer of rock/artifact an approximate age based on its location in the
ground compared to other layers.
40. Absolute dating – giving a layer of rock/artifact a fairly accurate age based on its physical or
chemical qualities.
1. Continental Crust2. Oceanic Crust 3. Sea-floor spreading –
4. Subduction 5. Mid-ocean ridge 6. Plate tectonics 7. Liquefaction 8. Erosion 9. Deposition 10. sediment 11. lithosphere 12. asthenosphere 13. continental drift 14. hot spot 15. tsunami 16. Stress 17. tension 18. compression 19. shearing 20. fault 21. plasticity -
22. anticline 23. syncline 24. focus 25. epicenter 26. topographic map 27. soil 28. weathering 29. humus 30. convection current 31. rock 32. mineral 33. igneous rock 34. metamorphic rock 35. sedimentary rock 36. caldera 37. lahar 38. pyroclastic flow
39. relative dating 40. absolute dating -