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Earth's Interior

Terms in this set (46)

asthenosphere
the soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats; also known as the upper mantle
continental crust
the solid outer shell of the earth, with an average thickness of 30--35 km in continental regions forming the upper part of the lithosphere and lying immediately above the mantle
convection
the slow circulation of subcrustal material, thought to be the mechanism by which tectonic plates are moved
crust
The layer of rock that forms Earth's outer surface
earthquake
the shaking that results from the movement of rock beneath Earth's surface
epicenter
the point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus
faults
occur along plate boundaries, where the forces of plate motion push or pull the crust so much that the crust breaks
focus
the point beneath Earth's surface when rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake
gravity
the force of attraction that moves or tends to move bodies towards the center of the earth
inner core
A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth
lithosphere
A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust; the solid portion of the earth
mantle
The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core
magnetic field
surrounds and permeates the Earth; It's presence causes compass needles to line up in a north-south direction.
magnitude
a measure of the size of an earthquake based on the quantity of energy released: specified on the Richter scale
Mercalli scale
a scale that rates earthquakes according to their intensity and how much damage they cause a a particular place
outer core
A layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth
P-wave
a type of seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground; first waves to arrive; primary waves
plates
A section of the lithosphere that slowly moves over the asthenosphere, carrying pieces of continental and oceanic crust
reflection
the energy or wave from an earthquake that has been returned from a boundary between two different materials within the earth
Richter scale
a scale that rates an earthquake's magnitude based on the size of its seismic waves
S-wave
a type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side; secondary waves
seismology
the science or study of earthquakes and their phenomena.
surface wave
a type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach Earth's surface; move slowly but can produce severe ground movements.
Atmosphere
The envelope of gases that surrounds Earth
Convection
the slow circulation of subcrustal material, thought to be the mechanism by which tectonic plates are moved
Convergent Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other
Continental Drift
The hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth's surface
Crust
The layer of rock that forms Earth's outer surface
Trench
A deep valley along the ocean floor beneath which oceanic crust slowly sinks toward the mantle
Density
a measure of the compactness of a substance, expressed as its mass per unit volume.
Divergent Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other
Earthquakes
the shaking that results from the movement of rock beneath Earth's surface
Fault
A break or crack in Earth's lithosphere along which the rocks move
Fossil
A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock
Hydrosphere
the water on or surrounding the surface of the globe, including the water of the oceans and the water in the atmosphere.
Lithosphere
A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust
Magma
hot molten rock, usually formed in the earth's upper mantle, some of which finds its way into the crust and onto the earth's surface, where it solidifies to form igneous rock
Mantle
The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core
Ridge
An undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced
Pangaea
The name of the single landmass that broke apart 200 million years ago and gave rise to today's continents
Plate
A section of the lithosphere that slowly moves over the asthenosphere, carrying pieces of continental and oceanic crust
Plate Tectonics
The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle
Pressure
The force exerted on a surface divided by the total area over which the force is exerted
Subduction
The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary
Transform Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions.
Volcanoes
Cone-shaped hills or mountains formed when hot magma, solids, and gas erupt onto Earth's surface through a vent.
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