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Transcript
Absolute Age • The actual age of a rock, rock layer, or fossil. Abyssal Plain • A large, flat surface on the ocean floor. Acid Rain • Rain that contains unhealthy amounts of acid. Air • A mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth. Air Mass • A large “bubble” of air that has about the same temperature and humidity throughout it. Air Pollution • The presence of harmful substances in the air. Air Pressure • The weight of air pushing on everything around it. Altitude • Height above sea level; also called elevation. Atmosphere • The layer of air that surrounds the earth. • 78% nitrogen • 20% oxygen • 2% other gases Bay • An area of water that is partly surrounded by land. Blizzard • A snowstorm with high winds and low temperatures. Butte • A steep hill that stands alone in a flat area. Carbon Dioxide – Oxygen Cycle • Process by which humans and plants exchange gases. Cast • A fossil that formed when a space left by an organism was filled with minerals or grains of rock that turned into solid rock. Cementing • The gluing together of rock particles to form sedimentary rock Cirrus Cloud • A high feathery cloud made of ice crystals Cleavage • The breaking of a mineral along a smooth, flat surface Climate • Characteristics of weather over an extended time. Cloud • A larger group of tiny droplets that join together in the atmosphere. • Considered a liquid. Cold Front • The leading edge of a moving mass of cooler air Condensation • The changing of gas or vapor into liquid. • Happens as the gas cools. • Example: outside of a drink can. Conservation • The wise use and protection of natural resources Constructive Forces • Processes which raise or build up the surface of the Earth. • Examples: Earthquakes, Volcanoes Continental Shelf • The gently sloping underwater part of a continent Continental Slope • The sharp drop at the edge of the underwater part of a continent Core • The center of the Earth. Crater • A bowl-shaped structure at the top of a volcano or on a planet or moon Crest • The highest part of a wave Crust • The thin, outer layer of the Earth. Crystal • A solid material found in nature that has straight edges and flat sides or that breaks into pieces with straight edges and flat sides Cumulonimbus Cloud • A huge vertical cloud that can produce a thunderstorm • Also called a thunderhead Cumulus Cloud • A puffy, white cloud with a flat bottom • Also called a fair-weather cloud Current (ocean) • A river of water that moves through an ocean Cycle • A process that repeats itself • Examples: life cycle, water cycle, seasonal cycle. Delta • A large flat area of land at the mouth of a river Deposition • The process of dropping or depositing sediment in a new place. Desalination • The process of removing salt from sea water to produce fresh water Desert • A biome that has very little rain and few plants Destructive Forces • Processes which lower the surface of the Earth. Dune • A hill of sand that is deposited by the wind Earthquake • A shaking of the ground caused by energy being released in the crust. • Plates sliding past each other. • Measured using a Richter Scale. Elevation • The land’s height above sea level • Also called altitude Energy Resources • Materials in the environment that people can use as sources of energy Erosion • The process of moving sediment from one place to another. Estuary • The place where a freshwater river empties into the ocean. Evaporation • Liquid is converted to vapor in the air. Fault • A break or place where pieces of the Earth’s crust move. Flow • Movement of water. Fossil • A rock containing ancient plants, parts of animals, or imprints caused by organisms pressed into them. Fossil Fuels • Fuel formed from the remains of once living animals. • Natural gas, coal, and petroleum. Geographic Pole • An imaginary point through which the Earth’s axis of rotation passes. Glacier • A thick, dense layer of ice formed by layers of snow that build up over many years. Humidity • Moisture of water vapor in the air. Igneous Rock • Rock formed from magma or lava. • Volcanic rock Inexhaustible Resources • Resources that will never be used up. • Solar, wind, ocean tides. Jetty • A wall like structure made of rocks that sticks out into the ocean. Land Forms • A physical feature on Earth’s surface. Magma • A hot, soft, rock from the Earth’s lower mantle. Mantle • The layer of rock beneath the Earth’s crust. • Middle. Mass Movement • The downhill movement of rock and soil because of gravity. • Rock slide, Mud slide. Metamorphic Rock • Igneous or sedimentary rock that has been changed into a different kind of rock by extreme heat and pressure. Minerals • The different combinations of elements that make up the rocks that form the Earth’s crust. Mountain • Land that extends at least 2,000 feet above sea level. • Mountains cover about 1/5 of the Earth’s surface. Natural Resource • Something found in nature that humans use. • Examples: air, water, animals, plants, soil Nitrogen Cycle • The cycle in which nitrogen gas is changed into forms of nitrogen that plants can use. Nonrenewable Resources • A resource that can only be replenished over millions of years. Oceanography • The study of the geography of the ocean floor. Pangea • A super continent containing all of Earth’s land that existed about 225 million years ago. Plate • The rigid blocks of crust and upper mantle rock. Plate Tectonics • The theory of the slow movement of the continents as they drift apart from each other. • Continental Drift. Precipitation • Liquid water that forms in the clouds and falls to Earth in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail. Renewable Resources • A resource that can be easily replaced by nature. Resource • Any material that can be used to satisfy a need. Rock • A group of solid materials that re joined together into one mass. Sedimentary Rock • Rock formed from layers of sediments, deposited together by water, wind, or glacier ice. • Fossils are found in this type of rock. Shore • The area where the ocean and land meet. Soil • A mixture of eroded materials, rock fragments, and decomposed plant material. Tide • The repeated rise and fall in the levels of the ocean. • Twice daily. Tide Pool • A pool of sea water found along a rocky shoreline. Tsunami • A giant ocean wave caused by an earthquake under the ocean floor. Volcano • A mountain formed by lava and ash. Water Cycle • A continuous movement of water from the ground to the air and back to the ground. • Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation. Water Vapor • Water in gaseous form. Wave • The up and down movement of surface water. Weathering • The process of breaking rock into soil, and sand into other tiny pieces.