Earth's Structure

Front 1

What is a system?

Back 1

a group of parts that work together

Front 2

Earth as a system ~ water cycle

Back 2

~water evaporates from the ocean, rises into the atmosphere, and then falls from the sky as rain
~rain flows into and over Earth and back into the ocean

Front 3

Earth as a system ~ rock cycle (magma)

Back 3

new rock can form from molten material inside Earth called magma
~magma can rise to the surface and harden on land to form new rock ~ the new rock can then erode into small pieces ~ pieces washed into the ocean become sediment ~ sediment can crush together to form new rock

Front 4

energy

Back 4

ability to do work

Front 5

the 4 main spheres of the Earth system

Back 5

atmosphere
geosphere
hydrosphere
biosphere

Front 6

atmosphere

Back 6

relatively thin envelope of gases that forms Eath's outermost layer
~gases include oxygen, CO2, nitrogen

Front 7

geosphere

Back 7

has three main parts: a metal core, a solid middle layer, and a rocky outer layer

Front 8

biosphere

Back 8

parts of Earth that contain living organisms

Front 9

hydrosphere

Back 9

3/4 of Earth is covered by water (oceans, rivers, lakes etc)
~ only 3% is fresh water
~ only 1% accessible

Front 10

constuctive forces

Back 10

shape the land's surface by building up mountains

Front 11

destructive forces

Back 11

destroy and wear away landmasses through erosion and weathering

Front 12

feedback

Back 12

how changes in one part of the Earth affect others

Front 13

seismic wave

Back 13

produced after eathquakes occur

Front 14

pressure

Back 14

results from a force pressing on an area
~the deeper down inside Earth, the greater the pressure

Front 15

crust

Back 15

layer of rock that forms the Earth's outer skin
* The crust is a layer of solid rock that includes both dry land and the ocean floor.

Front 16

basalt

Back 16

dark, fine-grained rock

Front 17

granite

Back 17

light, coarse grained rock

Front 18

mantle

Back 18

~made of rock that is very hot, but solid
~divided into layers based on characteristics
~nearly 3,000 kilometers thick

Front 19

lithosphere

Back 19

~the crust and the uppermost mantle are often grouped into a single layer
~ averages 100 kiolmeters thick

Front 20

asthenosphere

Back 20

~soft layer under the lithosphere this material is hotter and under increasing pressure

~this part of the mantle can bend like a metal spoon

Front 21

outer core

Back 21

layer of molten metal surrounding the inner core

Front 22

inner core

Back 22

~dense ball of solid metal
~extreme pressure squeezes the atoms of iron and nickel so much they can not wpread out to become liquid

Front 23

radiation

Back 23

the transfer of energy that is carried in rays like light

Front 24

convection

Back 24

heat transfer by the movement of a fluid
ex. heat rising of a hot road

Front 25

conduction

Back 25

heat transfer between 2 materials
ex. hot sand on your feet

Front 26

density

Back 26

is a measure of how much mass there is in a given volume of a substance

Front 27

convection current

Back 27

definition: flow that transfers heat within a fluid
**Heating and cooling of a fluid, changes in the fluid's density, and the force of gravity combine to set convection currents in motion.