Download Earth Science Vocabulary

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Earth Science Vocabulary
1. Asthenosphere – the part of the mantle that features plasticity
2. Conduction – the transfer of thermal energy through direct contact between particles of matter
3. Continental Drift – the hypothesis that all continents were once joined together in a single landmass and have
since drifted to their current locations
4. Convection – the transfer of thermal energy by movement of a fluid
5. Convection Current – the movement of a fluid, caused by differences in the temperature and density of that fluid
6. Convergent Boundary – a plate boundary where two plates move toward each other
7. Core – Earth’s innermost layer (center)
a.) outer is composed of liquid iron & nickel
b.) inner is composed of solid iron & nickel
8. Crust – Earth’s outermost layer (thinnest layer)
a.) continental is found under the continents, composed of granite
b.) oceanic is found under the oceans, composed of basalt
9. Deep Ocean Trench – a deep valley along the ocean floor through which oceanic crust slowly sinks towards the
mantle; a convergent plate boundary
10. Divergent Boundary – a plate boundary where two plates move away from each other
11. Fault – breaks in Earth’s crust where rocks have slipped past each other
12. Folded Mountain – A mountain formed by plates converging and causing layers of the lithosphere to rise and fold
13. Fossil – a trace of an organism that has been preserved in rock
14. Geology – the study of the Earth’s processes
15. Lithosphere – the rigid layer of earth that includes all of the crust and the upper part of the mantle
16. Lithospheric Plates – the large sections of the Earth's crust and upper mantle
17. Mantle – the Earth layer that is between the crust and the core, has plasticity
18. Mesosphere – the transition layer between the outer core and the asthenosphere
19. Mid-Ocean Ridge – the undersea mountain chain in the Atlantic Ocean where new ocean floor is produced; a
divergent plate boundary
20. Pangaea – large ancient landmass that was composed of all the continents joined together
21. Plasticity – a substance that has the properties of a solid, but has the ability to flow.
22. Plate Boundary – the line where the edges of the plates meet
23. Plate Tectonics – the theory that Earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into plates that float and move
around on a plastic like layer of the mantle
24. Radiation – the transfer of energy of electromagnetic waves
25. Rift Valley – deep valley that forms when two plates diverge or move apart, located along the center of the
mid-ocean ridge
26. Sea floor Spreading – the process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor
27. Seismic wave – a vibration that travels through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake
28. Shearing – a type of stress that results in a change of a tectonic plates shape or volume
29. Subduction – the process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at
a convergent plate boundary
30. Transform Boundary – a plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions
31. Trench – a deep canyon in the ocean floor