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86 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
bay
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an area of water that is partly surrounded by land
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caldera
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the large hole formed at the top of a volcano when the roof of a volcano's magma chamber collapses
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cinder cone
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a steep, cone-shaped hill or mountain made of volcano ash and cinders piled up around a volcano's opening
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cleavage
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the breaking up of mineral along a smooth flat surface
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continental shelf
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the gently sloping underwater part of a continent
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continental slope
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the sharp drop at the edge of the underwater part of a continent
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core
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the center of the earth; made of solid metals
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crater
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a bowl-shaped structure at the top of a volcano or on a planet or moon
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crest
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the highest part of a wave
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crust
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earth's outer layer; made of rock
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crystal
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a solid material found in nature that has straight edges and flat sides; can also break into pieces with straight edges and flat sides
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continental drift
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an early theory that described the movement of continents, later was replaced by the plate tectonic theory
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deposition
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the process in which materials are deposited during erosion
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earth science
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the study of earth and space
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earthquake
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a shaking of the earth's crust caused by slabs of rock moving against each other deep in the earth's crust
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element
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a pure substance made of only one kind of atom
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elevation
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the land's height above sea level. also called altitude
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epicenter
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the point of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake
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equator
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an imaginary line that circles the earth halfway between the north and south poles
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erosion
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the movement of weathered materials by water, ice, or wind
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estuary
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a place where fresh water from a river empties into the ocean and mixes with it
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extrusive
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igneous rock that forms from lava on the earth's surface
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fault
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a crack in the earth's crust
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fault-block mountains
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mountains that formed when blocks of solid rock slid upward or downward along a fault
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folded mountains
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mountains that formed when land was squeezed together
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fossil
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the remains or traces of an organism that lived a long time ago
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fracture
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the breaking of a mineral along a rough or jagged surface
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glacier
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a large body of moving ice that stays frozen all year
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geologist
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a person who studies earth
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groundwater
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water that collects underground in cracks and spaces in rock
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icecaps
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sheets of ice that covers areas around the north and south poles
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igneous rock
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rock that is formed from cooled magma or lava
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inner core
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the center of the earth; made of metals
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intertidal zone
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the part of the land that is covered and uncovered by tides every day
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lake
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a large body of still water surrounded by land
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landfill
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a place where garbage is dumped
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landform
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a natural structure on the earth's surface
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landslide
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the sudden downhill movement of a huge mass of rock, soil, and mud
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lava
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melted rock that flows out of the ground onto the earth's surface
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lithosphere
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earth's rocky surface
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magma
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melted rock below the earth's surface
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mantle
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the earth layer below the lithosphere(crust). made of melted rock
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mass movememt
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a sudden downhill movement of rock or soil, such as a landslide
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metamorphic rock
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a rock that is formed when a sedimentary rock undergoes extreme heat and pressure
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mineral
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a solid natural material that has a crystal form and its own set of properties
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normal fault
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a crack in the earth's crust where a block or rock dropped downward
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ocean
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the vast body of saltwater that covers almost 3/4 of the earth's surface
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outer core
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the earth layer below the mantle, made of liquid metals
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pangea
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a continent that existed millions of years ago and was made of all of today's separate continents joined together
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petrified fossil
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a fossil that formed when the hard parts of an organism were replaced by minerals
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plate
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a huge piece of earth's crust that moves very slowly
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plate boundaries
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a crack in the lithosphere (earth's crust) where two of earth's plates meet
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plate tectonic theory
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a theory that explains how part of earth's crust has moved over time
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pond
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a small still body of water surrounded by land
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quarry
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a place where rocks are taken from the earth to be used for building
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reverse fault
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a crack in the earth's crust where rock was pushed up`
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rift valley
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a deep valley that runs down the middle of a mid-ocean ridge
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river
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a wide body of slow moving water
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rock
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a solid mixture of minerals that formed in the earth's crust
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rock cycle
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the process of rocks changing into other kinds of rock
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sanitary landfills
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a place where garbage is buried, packed down, and covered with soil; keeps harmful chemicals and gases from leaking out
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sedimentary rock
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rock that formed when sediments were pressed and cemented together
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sediments
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bits of rock, soil, sand, and the remains of organisms
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seismograph
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a scientific tool that measures the magnitude of earthquakes
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shear
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stress that pushes a mass of rock in opposite directions
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shoreline
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the area where the ocean meets the land
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stream
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a narrow body of flowing water
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strike-slip fault
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a crack in the earth's crust where blocks of rock move sideways past each other
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trace fossil
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a footprint, a track, or burrow made by an organism and preserved in rock
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trench
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a steep crack in the ocean floor
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tributary
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a stream or smaller river that flows into a larger river
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vent
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an opening in a volcano that magma, gases, and other materials come out of
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volcanic island chain
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a group of islands made of volcanoes that built up from the ocean floor
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volcano
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a mountain built up from hardened lava, rocks, and ash that erupted out of the earth
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weathering
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the breaking down and wearing away of rock
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ancient seas
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prehistoric seas
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atmosphere
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the air that surrounds earth
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carbon cycle
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the movement of carbon dioxide and oxygen between organisms and the air
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inexhaustible
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something that never runs out
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lunar
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moon
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nitrogen cycle
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the movement of nitrogen between organisms and their surroundings
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nonrenewable resources
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resources that nature cannot replace quickly enough to meet people's needs
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orbit
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the path that one object in space takes around another object in space
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precipitation
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water that falls to earth's surface in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail
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renewable
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things that can be made again and again
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water cycle
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the change of water from one state to another as it moves between earth's surface and the atmosphere
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