| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Earth Science | the study of Earth and of the universe around it |
| Geology | the study of the origin, history, processes, and structure of the solid Earth |
| Oceanography | the study of the Earth's oceans |
| Meteorology | the study of the Earth's atmosphere |
| Astronomy | the study of the universe beyond Earth |
| Observation | the process of using the senses of sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste to gather information about the world |
| Hypothesis | a possible explanation or solution to a problem |
| Independent variable | a factor that can be changed by the person performing an experiment |
| Dependent variable | a factor that changes as a result of a change in indepent variables |
| Peer review | the process in which several experts on a given topic review another expert's work on the topic before it gets published |
| Theory | an explanation that is consistent with all existing tests and observations |
| Crust | the thin, solid, outermost zone of Earth |
| Mantle | the layer that underlies the crust |
| Core | the center of Earth; there is the inner and the outer cores |
| Lithosphere | the part of the mantle and the crust above |
| Asthenosphere | a zone of Earth below the lithosphere |
| Mesosphere | the zone of solid mantle rock below the asthenosphere |
| System | an organized group of related objects or components that interact |
| Atmosphere | the blanket of gases surrounding the Earth's surface |
| Hydrosphere | the whole water-covered region of Earth (excluding the vapor/gaseous water) |
| Geosphere | the mostly solid part of the Earth |
| Biosphere | one of the four subdivisions of Earth that contains all of the forms of life on Earth |
| Ecosystem | a community of organisms and the environment that the organisms inhabit |
| Producers | organisms that make their own food |
| Consumers | organisms that are a source of food for other organisms |
| Decomposers | producers that get their energy by breaking down dead organisms |
| Carrying capacity | the largest population that an environment can support at any given time |
| Food web | a diagram shown to represent the relationships between multiple food chains |
| Parallels | circles that describe the positions of the north and south of the equator |
| Latitude | the angular (horizontal) distance (measured in minutes) north or south of the equator |
| Longitude | the angular (vertical) distance (measured in degrees) east or west of the prime meridian |
| Meridian | a semicircle that runs from pole to pole |
| Geomagnetic poles | the areas on Earth's surface just above where the poles of the imaginary magnet would be |
| Magnetic declination | the angle between the direction of the geographic pole and the direction in which the compass needle points |
| Global positioning system | a satellite navigation system that is based on a global network of 24 satellites that transmit radio signals to Earth's surface |
| Cartography | the scientific study of mapmaking |
| Remote sensing | the process in which equipment on satellites and/or airplanes obtain images of Earth's surface for cartographers |
| Map projection | a flat map that represents the 3-D curved surface of a globe |
| mass/volume= | formula for density |
| Legend | a list of map symbols and their meanings |
| Scale | something on a map that indicates the relationship between distance shown on a map and distance in the actual world |
| Isogram | a line on a map that represents a constant or equal value of a given quantity |
| Topography | the study of the surface features on Earth |
| Elevation | height above sea level |
| Relief | the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest places of elevation on a map |
| Geologic unit | a volume of rock of a given age and rock type |
| Contact line | a place where two geologic units meet |
| Contacts | two types of these- faults and depositional contacts |
| Fault | a crack where rocks can move past each other |
| Geologic map | a map that shows the distribution of geological features |
| map symbols for oceans/bodies of water | blue |
| map symbol for grass/land | green |
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