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Unit 6EarthStructure

Term	Definition
1. Mineral	A natural usually inorganic solid that has a characteristic chemical composition and an orderly internal structure.
2. Element	A substance that cannot be separated or broken down into similar substances by chemical means: All atoms of an element have the same atomic number.
3. Atom	The smallest unit of an element that maintains the properties of that element.
4. Compound	A substance made of atoms or ions of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds.
5. Matter	Anything that has mass and takes up space.
6. Crystal	Natural solid substance that has a definite geometric shape.
7. Streak	The color of a mineral in powered form.
8. Luster	The way in which a mineral reflects light.
9. Cleavage	In geology, the tendency of a mineral to split along specific planes of weakness to form smooth, flat, surfaces.
10. Weathering	the natural process by which atmospheric and environmental agents, such as wind, rain, and temperature changes, disintegrate and decompose rocks.
11. Erosion	the process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another
12. Deposition	the process in which material is laid down
13. Igneous rock	rock that forms when magma cools and solidifies
14. Sedimentary rock	a rock that forms from compressed or cemented layers of sediment
15. Metamorphic rock	a rock that forms from other rocks as a result of intense heat, pressure, or chemical processes
16. Rock cycle	the series of processes in which rock forms, changes from one type to another, is destroyed, and forms again by geologic processes
17. Uplift	the rising of regions of the Earth's crust to higher elevations
18. Subsidence	the sinking of regions of the Earth's crust to lower elevations
19. rift zone	A area of deep cracks that forms between two tectonic plates that are pulling away from each other.
20. Crust	The thin and solid outermost layer of Earth above the mantle
21. Mantle	The layer of rock between the Earth's crust and core.
22. Convection	The movement of matter due to differences in density;the transfer of energy due to the movement of matter.
23. Core	the central part of Earth below the mantle
24. Lithosphere	the solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.
25. Asthenosphere	the solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere; made of mantle rock that flows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it.
26. Mesospherre	the strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core.
27. Pangaea	the supercontinent that formed 300 million years ago and that began to break up 200 million years ago.
28. Sea - floor spreading	the processes by which oceanic lithosphere sea floor forms when magma rises to Earth's surface at mid-ocean ridges and solidifies, as older, existingsea foor moves away from the ridge
29. Plate tectonics	the theory that explains how large pieces of the lithosphere, called plates, move and change shape
30. Tectonic plates	a block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle.
31. Convergent boundary	the boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding
32. Divergent boundary	the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
33. Transform boundary	the boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
34. Convection	The movement of matter due to differences in density;the transfer of energy due to the movement of matter.
35. Deformation	the bending, tilting, and breaking of Earth's crust; the change in the shape of rock in response to stress
36. Folding	the bending of rock layers due to stress
37. Fault	a break in a body of rock along which one block moves relative to another
38. Shear stress	stress that occurs when forces act in parrallel but in opposite directions, pushing parts of a solid in opposite directons
39. Tension	stress that occurs when forces act to strech an object
40. Compression	stress that occurs when forces act to squeeze an object
41. Earthquake	a movement or trembling of the ground tat is caused by a sudden release of energy when rocks along a fault move
42. Focus	the location within Earth along a fault at which the first motion o a earthquake occurs
43. Epicenter	the point on Earth's surface directy above an earthquake's starting point, or focus
44. Tectonic plate boundary	the edge between two or more plates classifed as divergent, converent
45. Elastic rebound	the sudden return of elastically deformed rock to its undeformed shape
46. Volcano	a vent of fissure in Earth's surfave through which magma and gases are expelled
47. Magma	the molten or partially molten rock material containing trapped gases produced under the Earth's surface
48. Lava	magma that that flows onto Earth's surface
49. Vent	an opening at the surface of the Earth through which volcanic material passes
50. Hot spot	a volcanically active area of Earth's surface, commonly far from a tectonic plate boundary

Created by: Tyler Tj

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