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| How bright a star would be if it was 10 parsecs from earth. |
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| A large flat area on the ocean floor, composed of sediments that originated mostly on continents. |
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| Rainwater that contains unusually high amounts of acids that can be traced back to pollutants. |
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| The gaseous envelope of air surrounding Earth. |
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| Start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. One of two days where day and night are equal in length. |
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| The solid rock that lies under loose material, such as soil, clay, sand and gravel. |
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| The breakdown of rock that takes place when minerals are changed into different substances. |
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| The inner layer of the sun's atmosphere located above the photosphere and below the corona. |
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| The tendency of a mineral to split along planes of its crystalline structure where bonds are the weakest. |
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| The flat or gently sloping submerged part of the continent. |
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| The steep boundary between the continental shelf and the continental rise. |
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| The transfer of heat energy in a liquid or gas through the circulation of heated particles within the substance. |
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| The outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere. |
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| The ratio between the mass and the volume of a substance. |
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| A substance composed of atoms that are chemically alike and that cannot be broken down by ordinary means. |
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| The removal and transport of materials by natural agents such as wind and running water. |
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| Igneous rocks formed from Magma outside the Earth. |
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| A nonrenewable fuel that formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago. (coal, petroleum and natural gas) |
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| The combining of the nuclei of lighter elements to form a heavier element. This is where the sun gets it's energy. |
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| Summary of major events in Earth's past that are preserved in the rock record. |
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| The resistance of a mineral to scratching. |
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| An organic substance consisting of decayed vegetable or animal matter that increases the ability of soil to retain water. |
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| A tentative explanation for an observation or phenomenon, developed from available information and used as basis for testing. |
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| Rock formed by the cooling and hardening of magma. |
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| Rock material through which water does not pass. |
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| Igneous rocks formed from Magma inside the Earth. |
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| East-west lines parallel to the equator used to measure distance in degrees north and south. |
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| North-south lines running between the poles, used to measure distance east and west of the prime meridian. |
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| Hot molten rock that forms beneath Earth's surface. |
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| The thickest of Earth's layers, located between the outer core and the crust. |
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| The breakdown of rock that takes place when a rock is broken into smaller pieces of the same substance. |
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| A naturally occurring inorganic solid with a distinct chemical composition and crystalline structure. |
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| Scale used to express the hardness of minerals. |
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| Hollow depression in rock formed when a fossil dissolves out of the rock. Shows original shape of the fossil. |
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| A large cloud of gas and dust in space. |
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| A resource that exists in a fixed amount or is used up faster than it can be replaced in nature. |
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| Of, relating to, or derived from living organisms. |
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| A region of the upper atmosphere that absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation. |
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| The visible outer layer of the sun. |
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| The plateau between the coastal plain and the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia |
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| Solid rock fragments that are ejected during a volcanic eruption. |
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| A natural resource that can replenish itself naturally over time. |
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| Orbital motion around a point (the sun) |
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| The land area drained by a river and its tributaries. |
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| The process of turning around a center or axis. |
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| Solid fragments of material that comes from the weathering of rock and are carried and deposited by wind, water or ice. |
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| An instrument that detects and records waves produced by earthquakes. |
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| The sun and its family of orbiting planets, moons and debris. |
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| The first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, when the noon sun appears to reach its most northern point in the sky. |
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| The highest point; the top. |
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| The part of the Earth's crust the moves, floats and sometimes fractures. Their interaction can cause earthquakes, volcanoes or mountains. |
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| All natural and human-made surface features of a particular area. |
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| A long, steep sided valley on the ocean floor. |
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| Start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when the noon sun is directly over the equator. Day and night are equal length. |
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| The surface below which the ground is saturated with water. |
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| The breakup of rock due to exposure to processes that occur at or near the Earth's surface. |
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| The surface below which the ground is saturated with water. |
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| The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, when the noon sun appears to reach its most southern point in the sky. |
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| Area of ground that water passes through. |
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| Area of the ground that contains as much water as it can hold. |
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