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 Oceanic crust | The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains basalt, is relatively dense, and is about 5 kilometers thick. |
| Continental crust | The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains granite, is less dense than oceanic crust, and is 20 to 50 kilometers thick. |
| Plate tectonics | A process involving the movement of large plates on the earth's mantle. |
| Mid-ocean ridge | A continuous chain of underwater volcanic mountains encompassing the earth. |
| Sea floor spreading | The process that creates new sea floor as plates move away from each other at the mid-ocean ridges. |
| Subduction | The downward movement of one plate into the earth's mantle when two plates collide. |
| Continental shelf | The gently sloped, shallow section of the edge of a continent, extending from the shore to the point where the slope get's steeper. |
| Continental slope | The steeper section of a continental edge, extending seaward from the continental shelf. |
| Continental rise | The gently sloping area at the base of the continental slope. |
| Specific heat | The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius. |
| Salinity | The total amount of salt dissolved in a solvent. |
| Coriolis effect | The way in which the rotation of the earth ends the path of winds and resulting sea currents. |
| Gyres | Large, mostly circular systems of surface currents driven by the wind. |
| Spring tide | A time of largest tidal range due to the gravitational pull of the aligned sun and moon (during full moon and new moon). |
| Neap tide | A time of smallest tidal range due to the moon and sun being located at right angles to each other (during quarter moons). |