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Earth Science Unit Two Terms
N/A
90
Geology
10th Grade
01/24/2012

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Term
Asthenosphere
Definition
Zone of mantle beneath the lithosphere that consists of slowly flowing solid rock.
Term
Continental Crust
Definition
Material that makes up landmasses.
Term
Continental Drift
Definition
Hypothesis stating that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations.
Term
Convection
Definition
Transfer of heat through the movement of heated material.
Term
Convection Current
Definition
Movement in a fluid caused by uneven heating.
Term
Convergent Boundary
Definition
Border formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates.
Term
Divergent Boundary
Definition
Boundary formed by two lithospheric plates that are moving apart.
Term
Island Arc
Definition
Chain of volcanic islands formed along an ocean trench.
Term
Lithosphere
Definition
The outer shell of the earth consisting of the crust and the rigid upper mantle.
Term
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Definition
Undersea mountain range with a steep, narrow valley along its center.
Term
Mid-Ocean Ridges
Definition
System of undersea mountain ranges that wind around the earth.
Term
Ocean Trench
Definition
A deep valley in the ocean floor that forms along subduction zones.
Term
Oceanic Crust
Definition
Material that makes up the ocean floor.
Term
Pangea
Definition
Single landmass thought to have been the origin of all continents.
Term
Pantalassa
Definition
Giant ocean surrounding Pangaea.
Term
Plate Tectonics
Definition
Theory that the lithosphere is made up of plates that float on the asthenosphere and that the plates possibly are moved by convection currents.
Term
Rift Valley
Definition
Steep, narrow valley formed as lithospheric plates separate.
Term
Seafloor Spreading
Definition
Movement of the ocean floor away from either side of a mid-ocean ridge.
Term
Subduction Zone
Definition
Region where one lithospheric plate moves under another.
Term
Terrane
Definition
Piece of land with a geologic history distinct from that of the surrounding land.
Term
Theory of Microplate Terranes
Definition
Theory that contients are a patchwork of pices of land that have individual geologic histories.
Term
Transform Boundary
Definition
Boundary formed where two lithospheric plates slide past each other.
Term
Anticline
Definition
Upcurved fold in rock layers in which the oldest layer is the center of the fold.
Term
Compression
Definition
Stress that squeezes crustal rocks together.
Term
Deformation
Definition
Bending, tilting, and breaking of the earth's crust.
Term
Dome Mountain
Definition
Landform created when molten rock pushes up rock layers on the earth's surface and the layers then are worn away in plcaes, leaving separate high peaks.
Term
Fault
Definition
Break in rock along which rocks on either side of the break move.
Term
Fault Plane
Definition
Surface of a fault along which movement of rocks occurs.
Term
Fault-Block Mountain
Definition
Mountain formed where faulting breaks the earth's crust into large blocks that become tilted, causing some blocks to drop down relative to other blocks.
Term
Folded Mountain
Definition
Landform created when tectonic movements bend and uplift rock layers.
Term
Folding
Definition
Permanent deformation or bending of a rock under stress.
Term
Footwall
Definition
In a non-vertical fault, the rock below the fault in a plane.
Term
Fracture
Definition
Break in rock along which there is no movement.
Term
Graben
Definition
Long, narrow valley formed by faulting and downward slippage of a crustal block.
Term
Hanging Wall
Definition
In a non-vertical fault, the rock above the fault plane.
Term
Isostasy
Definition
Balancing of the forces pressing up and down on the earth's crust.
Term
Isostaic Adjustment
Definition
Up-and-down movements of the earth's crust to reach isostasy.
Term
Monocline
Definition
A fold in rock layers in which both limbs remain horizontal.
Term
Mountain Belt
Definition
Group of large mountain systems.
Term
Moutain Range
Definition
Group of adjacent mountains with the same general shape and structure.
Term
Moutain System
Definition
Group of adjacent mountain ranges.
Term
Normal Fault
Definition
Fault in which the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall.
Term
Plateau
Definition
Large area of flat-topped rocks high above sea level.
Term
Shearing
Definition
Stress that pushes rocks in opposite horizontal directions.
Term
Strain
Definition
Change in shape and volume of rocks that occurs due to stress.
Term
Stress
Definition
The amount of force per unit area that is placed on a given material.
Term
Strike-Slip Fault
Definition
Fault in which the rock on either side of a fault plane slides horizontally.
Term
Downcurved fold in rock layers in which the youngest layer is in the center.
Definition
Term
Tension
Definition
Stress that pulls rocks apart.
Term
Thrust Fault
Definition
Type of reverse fault in which the fault plane is nearly horizontal rather than vertical.
Term
Volcanic Mountain
Definition
Mountain formed when molten rock erupts onto the earth's surface.
Term
Aftershock
Definition
Tremor that follows and is smaller than a major earthquake.
Term
Earthquake
Definition
Vibration of the earth's crust.
Term
Elastic Rebound Theory
Definition
Theory that rocks that are strained past a certain point will fracture and spring back to their original shape.
Term
Epicenter
Definition
Point on the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.
Term
Fault Zone
Definition
Group of interconnected faults.
Term
Focus
Definition
Area along a fault at which slippage first occurs, initiating an earthquake; one of two points within an ellipse that determines the shape of the figure.
Term
Intensity
Definition
Amount of damage caused by an earthquake.
Term
Magnitude
Definition
A measure of the energy released by an earthquake; described as the amount of ground motion.
Term
Mercalli Scale
Definition
Scale that expresses the intensity of an earthquake with a Roman numeral and a description.
Term
Microquake
Definition
Earthquake with a magnitude less than 2.5 on the Richter scale.
Term
P Wave
Definition
Primary wave; the fastest wave generated by an earthquake and the first to be recorded by a seismograph.
Term
Pacific Ring of Fire
Definition
Major earthquake zone that forms a ring around the Pacific Ocean.
Term
S Wave
Definition
Secondary wave; a wave generated by an earthquake and the second to be recorded by a seismograph.
Term
Seismic Gap
Definition
Zone of rock in which a fault is locked and unable to move and in which no major earthquake has occurred for a long period of time.
Term
Seismograph
Definition
Instrument used to detect and record seismic waves.
Term
Surface Wave
Definition
The slowest moving seismic wave generated by an earthquake and the last to be recorded by a seismograph.
Term
Tsunami
Definition
Giant ocean wave that often occurs after a major earthquake with an epicenter on the ocean floor.
Term
Aa
Definition
Jagged chunks of lava formed by rapid cooling on the surface of a lava flow.
Term
Caldera
Definition
Large basin-shaped depression formed when an explosion destroys the upper part of a volcanic cone or when the magma chamber below a volcano is emptied during an eruption.
Term
Cinder Cone
Definition
Steep-sloped deposit of solid fragments ejected from a volcano.
Term
Composite Volcano
Definition
Also called stratovolcano; steep-sloped volcanic deposit with alternating layers of hardened lava flows and pyroclastic materials.
Term
Crater
Definition
Funnel-shaped pit at the top of a volcanic cone; bowl-shaped depression on the surface of a planetary body.
Term
Felsic Lava
Definition
Silica-rich lava.
Term
Fissure
Definition
Crack in a rock surface through which lava flows.
Term
Hot Spot
Definition
Area of volcanism within a lithospheric plate.
Term
Lapilli
Definition
Pyroclastic particles between 2 mm and 64 mm in diameter.
Term
Lava
Definition
Magma that reaches the earth's surface.
Term
Mafic Lava
Definition
Dark-colored lava rich in magnesium and iron.
Term
Magma
Definition
Liquid rock produced deep inside the earth.
Term
Pahoehoe
Definition
Solidified mafic lava with a wrinkled surface.
Term
Pillow Lava
Definition
Lava that flows out of fissures on the ocean floor and cools rapidly in rounded shapes.
Term
Pyroclastic Material
Definition
The rock fragments ejected from a volcano.
Term
Shield Volcano
Definition
Has a cone of hardened lava that forms a broad base and gentle slopes.
Term
Stratovolcano
Definition
Also called composite volcano, steep-sloped volcanic deposit with alternating layers of hardened lava flows and pyroclastic material.
Term
Vent
Definition
Opening through which molten rock flows onto the earth's surface.
Term
Volcanic Ash
Definition
Pyroclastic particles between 0.25 mm in diameter.
Term
Volcanic Mountain
Definition
Mountain formed when molten rock erupts onto the earth's surface.
Term
Volcanism
Definition
Any activity that includes the movement of magma toward or onto the earth's surface.
Term
Volcano
Definition
Lava and pyroclastic material built up on the earth's surface around a vent.
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