| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Seismology | study of earthquakes |
| Seismologist | a person studying seismology |
| Deformation | change in the shape of rock in response to stress |
| Plastic Deformation | does not lead to earthquakes; deforms in a plastic manner, like clay |
| Elastic Deformation | leads to earthquakes; deforms like a rubber band, stretches till it breaks releasing energy |
| Elastic Rebound | the sudden return of elastically deformed rock to its undeformed shape |
| Convergent Motion | occurs whee two plates push together |
| Divergent Motion | occurs where two plates pull away from each other |
| Seismic Waves | waves of energy that travel throught the Earth, away from an earthquake in all directions |
| P Wave | pressure waves that are the fastest seismic waves. Moves rocks in a back-forth direction |
| S Wave | shear waves that are the second fastest waves. Moves rocks in a side-to-side direction |
| Surface Waves | move along the Earth's surface and produce motion mostly in the upper few kilometers of Earth's crust |
| Seismographs | an instrument taht records vibrations in the ground and determines the location and strength of an earthquake |
| Seismogram | a tracing of earthquake motion that is created by a seismograph |
| Epicenter | the point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake |
| Focus | the point along a fault at which the first motion of an earthquake occurs |
| S-P Time Method | scientists use this to find the earthquake's epicenter |
| Richter Magnitude Scale | used to measure the strength of earthquakes |
| Magnitude | a measure of the strength of an earthquake; increases by units. Each unit is 10 times larger than the one before |
| Mercalli Intensity Scale | used to measure the earthquake's intensity |
| Intensity | the amount of damage caused by the earthquake, varies from place to place; so there are different intensity values |
| Weathering | process by which rock materials are broken down by the action of physical or chemical processes |
| Mechanical Weathering | breakdown of rock into smaller pieces by physical means |
| Frost Action | alternate freezing and thawing of soil and rock; form of mechanical weathering |
| Ice Wedging | when waters seeps through the cracks during warm weather. when temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands; it pushes against the sides of the crack |
| Abrasion | grinding and wearing away of rock surfaces through the mechanical action of other rock or sand particles |
| 3 Forms of Abrasion | wind, water, gravity |
| Plants and Weathering | similar to ice wedging except with a plants roots. |
| Animals and Weathering | almost any animal that burrows (i.e earthworms, moles, prairie dogs, insects, gophers) causes mechanical weathering |
| Chemical Weathering | process by which rocks break down as a result of chemical reactions |
| Acid Precipitation | rain, sleet or snow that contains a high concentration of acids |
| Air and Weathering | oxidation |
| Oxidation | a chemical reaction in which an element, such as iron combines with oxygen to form an oxide; causes rust |
| Differential Weathering | process by which softer, less weather resistant rocks wear away and leave harder, more weather resistant rocks |
| Weathering, Relation to Shapes | takes place on outer surface of rocks, therefore the more surface area there is then more weathering occurs, however volume makes rocks more weather resistant |
| Climate | average weather conditions in an area for a long period of time |
| Temperature and Water | water increases the rate of weathering; temperature determines somewhat the climate |
| Weathering and Elevation | the higher rocks are the more weathering occurs from wind, rain, ice, and gravity |
| Soil | loose mixture of small mineral fragments, organic material, water, and air that can support the growth of vegetation |
| Parent Rock | rock formation that is the source of mineral fragments in the soil |
| Bedrock | layer of rock beneath the soil; is the parent rock |
| Residual Soil | soil above parent rock |
| Transported Soil | soil moved away from the parent rock |
| Soil Texture | the soil quality that is based on the proportions of soil particles |
| Soil Structure | the arrangement of soil particles |
| Infiltration | ability of water to move through soil |
| Humus | dark, organic material formed in soil from the decayed remains of plants and animals |
| Leaching | the removal of substances that can be dissolved from rock, ore, or layers of soil due to the passing of water |
| Soil Fertility | the ability of the soil to hold nutrients and to supply nutrients to a plant |
| Topsoil | top layer of soil |
| Soil Horizons | series of layers with humus-rich soil on top |
| Soil pH | the acidity of soil |
| Tropical Rain Forest Climate | air is humid and land receives large amount of water; nutrient poor because of leaching and too much plantlife |
| Desert Climate | gets less than 25 cm per year; less weathering occurs |
| Temperate Forest and Grassland | abudance of weathering occurs; fertile soil. |
| Arctic Climate | little precipitation, slow soil formation, slow decomposition limits the amount of humus in soil, which limits nutrients available |
| Soil Conservation | a method to maintain the fertility of the soil by protecting the soil from erosion and nutrient loss |
| Erosion | the process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transport soil and sediment from one location to another |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace