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132 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Abrasion
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the grinding and wearing away of rock surfaces by contact with other rock pieces
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Air mass
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a large body of air that has the same properties throughout.
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Acid rain
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rain with a pH below 5.6
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Air pressure
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the weight of the air pressing at a given location.
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Aquifer
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an area that has a large amount of groundwater (water underneath the ground).
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Asteroid
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a small, rocky body that revolves around the sun
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Asthenosphere
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the soft layer within the mantle that flows like a very thick liquid.
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Astronaut
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a person who travels into space from the United States of America.
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Axis
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an imaginary line that runs through the center of a planet from one pole to the other.
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Big Bang Theory
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a scientific theory of the origin of the universe that holds that all matter and energy were once packed into a tiny particle smaller than a piece of dust
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Chemical weathering
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a process that breaks rock down into smaller pieces as a result of chemical reaction.
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Chromosphere
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a layer of the sun’s atmosphere
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Comet
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a body of ice, dust, and small, gritty particles that orbits the sun
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Conduction
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the transfer of heat by direct contact of particles.
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Continental crust
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the lighter, older, and thicker part of the crust, which makes up the continents
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Continental drift
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the slow movement of the continents across Earth’s surface.
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Contour interval
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the differences in elevation between any two contour lines.
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Contour line
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a line on a topographic map that connects areas with the same elevation.
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Convection
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the transfer of heat in fluids by the movement of currents (low temps sinking
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Core
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Earth’s innermost layer.
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Coriolis Effect
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the curving of the paths of winds and ocean currents because of Earth’s rotation.
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Corona
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the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere.
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Crust
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the outermost layer of Earth.
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Deep current
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a convection current in the ocean that results from difference in temperature and density.
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Density
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the ratio of mass to volume of a substance.
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Earthquake
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the shaking of the Earth’s surface due to plate movement.
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Elliptical galaxy
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a galaxy that has an oval or near spherical shape.
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Elliptical orbit
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an orbit shaped like a flattened circle or elongated oval.
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Equator
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an imaginary line that divides Earth horizontally.
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Equinox
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a point in Earth’s orbit when the planet is tilted neither toward nor away from the Sun.
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Erosion
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a process by which weathered rock is picked up and moved to new places.
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Fault
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a break, or crack, in Earth's surface along which rock has moved
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Field study
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a scientific investigation carried out in a natural setting.
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Fold
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a ripple in Earth’s crust formed when rock layers are squeezed together and pushed upward.
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Fossil fuel
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an energy resource that formed over millions of years from the decayed remains of ancient plants and animals.
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Front
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the boundary between two air masses.
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Full moon
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the phase when all of the whole sunlit side of the moon faces Earth.
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Galaxy
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a very large group of stars, solar systems, space dust, and gases held together by gravity
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Geothermal energy
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heat energy from inside Earth that can be used to heat buildings and produce electricity.
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Glacier
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a large mass of ice that moves slowly over land.
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Global wind
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a wind that blows steadily in a path for thousands of kilometers.
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Groundwater
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water that is below Earth’s surface.
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Heat
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the flow of thermal energy.
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Hertzsprung Russell diagram
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a graph that plots the relationship between a star’s average surface temperature and its brightness; also called H R diagram.
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High tide
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a tide when the water is at its highest level.
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High pressure area
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an area where the air is slowly sinking.
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Hot spot
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an area of volcanic activity near the middle of a tectonic plate.
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Humidity
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the amount of water vapor in the air.
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Hydroelectric energy
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energy obtained from the kinetic energy of flowing water.
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Igneous rock
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rock that forms when melted rock (magma or lava) cools and hardens.
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Inner planets
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the four planets closest to the sun (Mercury
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International Space Station (ISS)
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a research laboratory that orbits Earth.
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Irregular galaxy
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a galaxy that does not have a particular shape.
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Island arc
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a long curved chain of islands that form from volcanic activity
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Lava
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melted rock that reaches Earth’s surface.
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Light year
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the distance that light travels in one year about 9.5 trillion kilometers.
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Lithosphere
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Earth’s crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.
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Low tide
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a tide when the water is at its lowest level.
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Low pressure area
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an area where the air is slowly rising.
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Luster
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the way a mineral reflects light.
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Magma
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melted rock below Earth’s surface.
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Mantle
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the middle layer of Earth
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Mechanical weathering
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a process that breaks rock into smaller pieces by physical means without changing its chemical composition.
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Metamorphic rock
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rock formed from other rock changed chemically by high heat and pressure inside Earth.
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Meteor
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a streak of light produced by a meteoroid passing through Earth’s atmosphere.
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Meteorite
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a meteoroid that lands on Earth.
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Meteoroid
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a small piece of rock that breaks free from an asteroid or comet and travels through the solar system.
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Mid ocean ridge
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a large chain of volcanic mountains on the ocean floor
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Milky Way
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the spiral galaxy to which the sun belongs.
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Mineral
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a solid, nonliving material that is made up of crystals and is usually found in the ground.
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Model
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a representation of an object
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Mohs scale
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a way to rank the hardness of minerals from 1 to 10
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Moon
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a natural body that revolves around a planet.
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Neap tide
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a tide with the least difference between high tide and low tide.
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Nebula
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a huge cloud of gas and dust particles in space.
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New moon
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the phase when the whole sunlit side of the moon faces away from Earth.
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Nonrenewable energy resource
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a natural energy supply that cannot be replaced as quickly as it is used.
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Northern hemisphere
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the half of Earth north of the equator.
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Ocean basin
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a part of Earth’s surface covered by ocean water.
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Oceanic crust
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the rock that makes up the ocean floor.
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Orbit
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the path that a revolving body follows.
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Outer planets
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the four planets farthest from the sun (Jupiter
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Pangaea
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a large landmass of the distant past that included all of today’s continents.
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Parallax
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the apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from two different places.
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Phase
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a shape of the sunlit portion of the moon visible from Earth.
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Photosphere
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the surface of the sun
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Planet
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a round body in space that moves in a curved path around a star
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Plate boundary
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the region where two tectonic plates meet.
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Renewable energy resource
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a natural energy supply that is replaced as quickly as it is used or that cannot be used up.
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Revolution
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the movement of a body in space around another body.
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Rift valley
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a valley that forms as two continental plates pull apart and new crust forms in the space between them.
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Rock cycle
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the process through which rock slowly but continuously changes from one type of rock to another.
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Rotation
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the spinning of a planet (or other body) on its axis.
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Runoff
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water that flows over land.
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Satellite
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an object that revolves around another object
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Satellite image
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a photograph taken from a satellite.
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Seafloor spreading
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the process in which new ocean floor forms from magma released at boundaries between two oceanic plates.
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Sediment
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small pieces of broken down rock that is deposited in a new place usually by wind
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Sedimentary rock
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rock formed when layers of sediment are compacted and cemented together.
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Seismic wave
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a wave of energy that travels away from the center of an earthquake in all directions.
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Solar energy
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energy from the sun.
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Solar flare
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a sudden explosion on the sun’s surface.
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Solar prominence
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a huge, reddish loop of gas above the surface of the sun
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Solar system
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a star and all the planets
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Solstice
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a point in Earth’s orbit when a hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun as far as possible.
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Southern hemisphere
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the half of Earth south of the equator.
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Space probe
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an unmanned spacecraft used to explore other parts of the solar system.
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Spectroscope
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a device that can analyze visible light by acting like a prism.
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Spiral galaxy
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a galaxy that has “arms” that wind outward from the center
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Spring tide
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a tide with the greatest difference between high tide and low tide.
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Star
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a sphere of hot, glowing gases that gives off its own light and is held together by gravity
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Star cluster
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a group of stars with similar characteristics that are located near each other.
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Streak
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the color of the powder left behind by rubbing a mineral on a plate.
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Subduction zone
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the region where one tectonic plate slides under another tectonic plate.
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Sunspot
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a dark area on the sun’s surface.
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Surface current
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a current in the ocean caused by wind moving across the surface of the ocean.
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Sustainable use
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taking no more of a resource than can be replaced.
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Tectonic plate
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one of the large section into which the lithosphere is broken.
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Theory of natural selection
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a scientific theory stating that organisms that are best suited to a particular environment are most likely to survive and reproduce.
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Theory of plate tectonics
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a scientific theory stating that Earth’s crust is made up of several rigid plates that move on the Asthenosphere.
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Thermal energy
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the energy of the moving particles that make up all matter.
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Tidal energy
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energy obtained by harnessing the kinetic (moving) energy of the rise and fall of ocean tides.
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Tide
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the regular rise and fall of the surface of Earth’s oceans.
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Topographic map
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a map that shows the elevation of natural and artificial features of a region.
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Volcano
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an opening in Earth’s surface through which magma is released.
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Waning decreasing
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used to describe phases of the moon when less of the lit side is becoming visible from Earth.
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Watershed
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an area of land that drains into a stream
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Waxing increasing
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used to describe phases of the moon when more of the lit side is becoming visible from Earth.
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Weather
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the condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place.
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Weathering
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a process by which rock is broken down into small pieces.
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Wind
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moving air.
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Wind energy
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energy obtained from moving air.
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