Cosmic Perspective Chapter 9 Terms

Front 1

planetary geology

Back 1

the extension of the study of Earth's surface and interior to apply to other solid bodies in the solar system

Front 2

seismic waves

Back 2

earthquake-induced vibrations that propagate through a planet

Front 3

core

Back 3

the dense central region of a planet that has undergone differentiation

Front 4

mantle

Back 4

the rocky layer that lies between a planet's core and crust

Front 5

crust

Back 5

the low density surface layer of a planet that has undergone differentiation

Front 6

lithosphere

Back 6

the relatively rigid outer layer of a planet (crust and uppermost portion of mantle)

Front 7

differentiation

Back 7

the process in which gravity separates materials according to density (high density sinks and low density rises)

Front 8

geological activity

Back 8

processes that change a planet's surface long after formation

Front 9

convection

Back 9

the energy transport process in which warm material expands and rises, while cooler material contracts and falls

Front 10

conduction

Back 10

the process by which thermal energy is transferred by direct contact from warm material to cooler material

Front 11

convection cell

Back 11

an individual small region of convecting material

Front 12

magnetic field

Back 12

the region surrounding a magnet in which it can affect other magnets or charged particles in its vicinity

Front 13

impact cratering

Back 13

the excavation of bowl-shaped depressions by asteroids or comets striking a planet's surface

Front 14

volcanism

Back 14

the eruption of molten rock, or lava, from a planet's interior onto its surface

Front 15

tectonics

Back 15

the disruption of a planet's surface by internal stresses

Front 16

erosion

Back 16

the wearing down or building up of geological features by wind, water, ice and other phenomena of planetary weather

Front 17

volcanic plains

Back 17

vast, relatively smooth areas created by the eruption of very runny lava

Front 18

shield volcano

Back 18

a shallow-sloped volcano made from the flow of low viscosity basaltic lava

Front 19

stratovolcano

Back 19

a steep-sided volcano made from viscous lavas that cannot flow very far before solidifying

Front 20

basalt

Back 20

a type of dark, high-density volcanic rock that is rich in iron and magnesium based silicate minerals

Front 21

outgassing

Back 21

the process of releasing gases from a planetary interior, usually through volcanic eruptions

Front 22

plate tectonics

Back 22

the geological process in which plates are moved around by stresses in a planet's mantle

Front 23

sedimentary rock

Back 23

a rock that formed from sediments created and deposited by erosional processes

Front 24

lunar maria

Back 24

the regions of the Moon that look smooth from Earth and are actually impact basins

Front 25

radar mapping

Back 25

imaging of a planet by bouncing radar waves off its surface

Front 26

seafloor spreading

Back 26

on Earth, the creation of new seafloor crust at mid-ocean ridges

Front 27

seafloor crust

Back 27

on Earth, the thin, dense crust of basalt created by seafloor spreading

Front 28

continental crust

Back 28

the thicker, lower-density crust that makes up Earth's continents

Front 29

subduction

Back 29

the process in which one tectonic plate slides under another

Front 30

fault

Back 30

a place where rocks slip sideways relative to each other

Front 31

hot spot

Back 31

a place within a plate of the lithosphere where a localized plume of hot mantle material rises