*idla Earth Science Sem1 Vocab

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an explanation of the natural world based on a set of facts

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science

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information that is true

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fact

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factual information that is not subject to opinion or bias

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data

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a series of steps that help to investigate a question

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scientific method

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a good working explanation for a problem that can be tested

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hypothesis

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able to be evaluated critically, usually using data

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testable

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A group in a scientific experiment in which the factor being tested, the independent variable, is not applied; used as a basis for comparison

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control group

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A trial made under controlled conditions to test the validity of a hypothesis

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experiment

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The variable in an experiment that is being measured as the result of an independent variable that is changed

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dependent variable

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The variable in an experiment that is controlled and changed by the researcher

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independent variable

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used to compare information collected by counting

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bar graph

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used to show how some fixed quantity is broken down into parts

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circle graph

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a visual display of information or data

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graph

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used to show how relationships between variables change over time

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line graph

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the horizontal axis of a two-dimensional coordinate system

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X-axis

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the vertical axis of a two-dimensional coordinate system

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Y-axis

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the relationship between an event and another event in which one event caused the other event

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causation

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a mutual relationship between two or more things

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correlation

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evaluation of work by qualified people in a field of study

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peer review

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building blocks of matter, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

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atom

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number of protons plus the number of neutrons.

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atomic mass

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number of protons in an atom

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atomic number

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a substance in which the atoms of two or more elements bond together

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chemical compound

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a solid in which all the atoms are arranged in a regular, repeating pattern.

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crystal

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a physical property of matter that can be determined by dividing the mass of an object by its volume.

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density

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negatively charged particles that move around the nucleus of an atom and form electron clouds.

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electron

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substance that contains only one type of atom.

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element

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electrically charged atom due to either gaining or losing electrons.

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ion

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atoms of the same element that have different number of neutrons; sometimes results in radioactive minerals.

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isotope

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anything that has mass and takes up space; matter's properties are determined by the structure of the atoms and how they are joined.

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matter

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describes two or more substances that hold their own properties even when they are combined and can be physical separated

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mixture

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particles without charge that are located in the nucleus of an atom.

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neutron

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particles that hold a positive charge and are located in the nucleus of an atom.

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proton

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a kind of mixture where one substance is evenly mixed within another substance and the substances can't be physically separated.

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solution

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naturally occurring inorganic, crystalline solid with a characteristic chemical composition and an orderly atomic structure.

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mineral

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not made of living or any part of living organic matter or that once was living matter.

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inorganic

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measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched, dependent on the arrangement of a mineral's atoms

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hardness

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the ratio of a mineral's weight compared with the weight of an equal volume of water.

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specific gravity

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mineral made of a silica tetrahedron, with a silicon ion and oxygen ions.

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silicate

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The formation of mineral grains from cooling magma.cleavage: physical property of some minerals which causes them to break along smooth, flat surfaces.

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crystallization

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physical property of some minerals which causes them to break with uneven, rough, or jagged surfaces.

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fracture

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describes the way a mineral reflects light from its surface; either a metallic or nonmetallic element from periodic table.

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luster

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hot, molten rock deep inside Earth.

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magma

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minerals that cooled from a fluid and filled cracks in a rock.

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vein

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study of the Earth's solid material and structures and the processes that create them.

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Geology

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molten rock that has reached Earth's surface.

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lava

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molten rock deep inside Earth.rock: a collection of minerals.

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magma

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the transport of weathered materials and sediments by water, wind, ice, or gravity.

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erosion

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a rock formed from cooled magma.

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igneous rock

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a rock that forms from a previous rock that is exposed to heat and/or pressure.

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metamorphic rock

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a solid state change in an existing rock due to high temperature and/or pressure that creates a metamorphic rock.

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metamorphism

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solid substance that separates out of a liquid to form a solid, usually when the liquid evaporates.

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precipitate

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the never-ending cycle in which one rock type changes into another rock type.

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rock cycle

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small particle of soil or rock deposited by wind or water.

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sediment

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a rock that forms from the compaction of sediments or the precipitation of material from a liquid.

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sedimentary rock

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sediments are laid down in a deposit.

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sedimentation

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the chemical or physical breakdown of rocks, soils or minerals at Earth's surface.

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weathering

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the melting of some, but not all, of the minerals in a rock, depending on temperature.

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partial melting

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something from living organisms.

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organic

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when fluids deposit ions to create cement that hardens loose sediments.

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cementation

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contains fragments or clasts of preexisting rock; sedimentary rock made of clasts.

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clastic

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when sediments are squeezed together by the weight of sediments and rocks on top of them.

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compaction

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flat layers in rocks due to squeezing by pressure.

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foliation

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a form of mechanical weathering that occurs whenever one rock hits another.

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abrasion

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water enters a crack, expands as it freezes, and wedges the rock apart.

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ice wedging

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weathering that breaks rocks into smaller pieces without altering their chemical composition.

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mechanical weathering

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weathering that changes the chemical composition of minerals that form at high temperatures and pressures to minerals that are stable at the Earth's surface

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chemical weathering

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German scientist who proposed the theory of continental drift.

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Alfred Wegener

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the layer below the lithosphere, made of a portion of the upper mantle that is ductile.

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asthenosphere

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the process in which energy moves from a location of higher temperature to a location of lower temperature as heat. The material does not move, just the heat.

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conduction

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the portion of Earth's crust and mostly makes up the continents. It is relatively thick and buoyant, and is composed of a variety of rocks that are made of a more granite lava.

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continental crust

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the early 20th century hypothesis that the continents move about on Earth's surface.

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continental drift

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the movement of material due to differences in temperature.

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convection

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a circular pattern of warm material rising and cool material sinking.

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convection cell

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a location where two lithospheric plates come together.

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convergent plate boundary

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the innermost, densest layer of a celestial body. Earth's metallic core has an inner solid layer and an outer layer of liquid metal. The sun's core is where nuclear fusion takes place.

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core

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the rocky outer layer of the Earth's surface. The two types of crust are continental and oceanic.

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crust

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a location where two lithospheric plates spread apart.

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divergent plate boundary

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the layer of solid, brittle rock that makes up the Earth's surface; the crust and the uppermost mantle.

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lithosphere

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a magnetic mineral that takes on Earth's magnetic polarity as it crystallizes.

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magnetite

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an instrument that measures the magnetic field intensity.

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magnetometer

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the middle layer of the Earth; made of hot rock that circulates by convection.

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mantle

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a large, continuous mountain range found within an ocean basin. It is the location on the seafloor where magma upwells and forms new seafloor.

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mid-ocean ridge

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the portion of Earth's crust that makes up the seafloor. It is relatively thin, dense (heavy), and basaltic lava.

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oceanic crust

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a compressional or primary waves that shakes the ground in the same direction as the wave is moving.

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P -wave

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was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, forming approximately 300 million years ago. It began to break apart around 100 million years after it formed.

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Pangaea

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a slab of Earth's lithosphere that can move around on the planet's surface.

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plate

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a location where two plates come together.

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plate boundary

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in the middle of the mid-ocean ridges is a rift zone that is lower in elevation than the mountains surrounding it. Magma creates new seafloor crust in this zone.

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rift valley

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A shear or secondary wave that shakes the ground back and forth perpendicular to the direction the wave is moving.

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S -wave

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the place where two lithospheric plates come together, one riding over the other.

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Subduction zone

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the mechanism for moving continents. The formation of new seafloor at spreading ridges pushes lithospheric plates on the Earth's surface.

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seafloor spreading

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the type of plate boundary where two plates slide past one another

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transform plate boundary

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the deepest parts of the ocean basins.

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trench