Earth

Science
Vocabulary
Mica Heffner

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Crust
The thin outermost layer of
the earth, or the uppermost
layer of the lithosphere

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Mantle
The layer of crust between
the crust and the core

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core
The central, spherical part of
the earth below the mantle

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lithosphere
The outermost, rigid layer of
the earth that consists of the
crust and the rigid upper part
of the mantle

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asthenosphere
The soft layer of the mantle
on which pieces of the
lithosphere move

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Mesosphere
Literally the middle sphere
the strong, lower part of the
mantle between the
asthenosphere and the outer
core

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Outer core
The liquid layer of the earths
core that lies beneath the
mantle and surrounds the
inner core

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Inner core
The solid, dense center of the
earth

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Tectonic plate
A piece of the lithosphere that
moves around on top of the
asthenosphere

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Continental drift
The theory that continents
can drift apart from each
other and have done so in the
past

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Sea-floor
spreading
The process by which new
oceanic lithosphere is created
at mid-ocean ridges as older
materials are pulled away
from the ridge

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Plate tectonics
The theory that the earths
lithosphere is divided into
tectonic plates that move
around the top of the
asthenosphere

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Convergent
boundary
The boundary between two
colliding plates

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Subduction zone
The region where an oceanic
plate sinks down into the
asthenosphere at a convergent
boundary, usually between
continental and oceanic plates

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Divergent
boundary
The boundary between two
tectonic plates that are
moving away from eachother

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Transform
boundary
The boundary between two
tectonic plates that are sliding
past each other horizontally

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Stress
The amount of force per unit
area that is put on a given
area

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Compression
The type of stress that occurs
when an object is squeezed

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Tension
The type of stress that occurs
when forces act to stretch an
object

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Folding
The bending of rock layers
due to stress in the earths
crust

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Fault
A break in the earths crust
along which blocks of crust
slide relative to one another
due top tectonic forces

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Normal fault
A fault in which the hanging
wall moves down relative to
the foot wall

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Reverse fault
A fault in which the hanging
wall moves up relative to the
foot wall

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Strike-slip fault
A fault in which the two fault
blocks move past each other
horizontally

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Seismic waves
Waves of energy that travel
through the earth

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P- waves
The fastest type of seismic
waves-can travel through
solids, liquids and gasses-also
known as pressure waves and
primary waves

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S- waves
The second fastest type of
seismic wave- can not travel
through materials that are
completely liquid

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Seismogram
A tracing of an earthquake in
motion created by the
seismograph

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Epicenter
The point the earths surface
directly above the
earthquakes starting point

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Focus
The point the earth where an
earthquake begins

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Volcano
A mountain that forms when
molten rock called magma is
forced to the earths surface

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Lava
Magma that flows onto the
earths surface

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Pyroclastic
material
Fragments of rock that are
created by explosive volcano
eruptions

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Shield volcano
A large, gently slopped
volcano. Forms from
repeated, nonexplosive
eruptions of lava

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Cinder cone
volcano
A small, steeply sloped
volcano that forms from
moderately explosive
eruptions of pyroclastic
material

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Composite
volcano
A volcano made of alternating
layers of lave and pyroclastic
material- also called
strarovolcano

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Hot spot
Place on earths surface that
is directly above a column of
rising magma called a mantle
plume

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Crater
A funnel-shaped pit around
the center vent of a volcano

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Rock cycle
The process by which one
rock changes into another
type of rock

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Chemical
weathering
The chemical breakdown of
rocks and minerals into new
substances

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Caldera
A circular depression that
forms when a magma
chamber empties and causes
the ground above to sink

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Rift
A deep crack that forms
between tectonic plates if
they seperate

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Mechanical
weathering
The breakdown of rock into
smaller pieces by physical
means