Physical Geology Chapter 1 Terms/ Vocab

Front 1

asthenosphere

Back 1

The part of the mantle that lies below the lithosphere; it behaves plastically and flows slowly.

Front 2

Big Bang

Back 2

A model for the evolution of the universe in which a dense, hot state was followed by expansion, cooling, and a less-dense state.

Front 3

core

Back 3

The interior part of Earth beginning at a depth of 2,900 km that probably consists mostly of iron and nickel.

Front 4

crust

Back 4

Earth’s outermost layer, and the upper part of the lithosphere; consists of continental and oceanic crust.

Front 5

fossils

Back 5

The remains or traces of once-living organisms.

Front 6

geologic time scale

Back 6

A chart arranged so that the designation for the earliest part of geologic time appears at the bottom, followed upward by progressively younger time designations.

Front 7

geology

Back 7

The science concerned with the study of Earth materials (minerals and rocks), surface and internal processes, and Earth history.

Front 8

hypothesis

Back 8

A provisional explanation for observations that is subject to continual testing. If well-supported by evidence, a hypothesis may be called a theory.

Front 9

igneous rock

Back 9

Any rock formed by cooling and crystallization of magma or lava or by the consolidation of pyroclastic materials.

Front 10

Jovian planets

Back 10

(Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) resemble Jupiter. Large and have low mean densities, indicating that they are composed of lightweight gases, such as hydrogen and helium, and frozen compounds, such as ammonia and methane.

Front 11

lithosphere

Back 11

Earth’s outer, rigid part, consisting of the upper mantle, oceanic crust, and continental crust.

Front 12

magma

Back 12

Molten rock material generated within Earth.

Front 13

mantle

Back 13

The thick layer between Earth’s crust and core.

Front 14

metamorphic rock

Back 14

Any rock that has been changed from its original condition by heat, pressure, and the chemical activity of fluids, as in marble and slate.

Front 15

mineral

Back 15

A naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solid that has characteristic physical properties and a narrowly defined chemical composition.

Front 16

organic evolution

Back 16

The theory holding that all living things are related and that they descended with modification from organisms that lived during the past.

Front 17

plate

Back 17

An individual segment of the lithosphere that moves over the asthenosphere.

Front 18

plate tectonic theory

Back 18

The theory holding that large segments of Earth’s outer part (lithospheric plates) move relative to one another.

Front 19

principle of uniformitarianism

Back 19

A principle holding that we can interpret past events by understanding present-day processes, based on the idea that natural processes have always operated in the same way.

Front 20

rock

Back 20

A solid aggregate of one or more minerals, as in limestone and granite, or a consolidated aggregate of rock fragments, as in conglomerate, or masses of rocklike materials, such as coal and obsidian.

Front 21

rock cycle

Back 21

A group of processes through which Earth materials may pass as they are transformed from one major rock type to another.

Front 22

scientific method
(SHED)

Back 22

A logical, orderly approach that involves gathering data, formulating and testing hypotheses, and proposing theories.

State Hypothesize Experiment Develop a (Theory)

Front 23

sedimentary rock

Back 23

Any rock composed of sediment, such as limestone and sandstone.

Front 24

solar nebula theory

Back 24

A theory for the evolution of the solar system from a rotating cloud of gas.

Front 25

system

Back 25

A combination of related parts that interact in an organized fashion; Earth systems include the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and solid Earth.

Front 26

terrestrial planets

Back 26

Any of the four innermost planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars). They are all small and have high mean densities, indicating that they are composed of rock and metallic elements.

Front 27

theory

Back 27

An explanation for some natural phenomenon that has a large body of supporting evidence. To be scientific, a theory must be testable (e.g., plate tectonic theory).