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ES - Review - Earth's Interior

Terms in this set (26)

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
earthquakes
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
intensity
a measure of the size of an earthquake based on observation of the effects of the shock at the earth's surface; specified on the Mercalli scale
lithosphere
A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust; the solid portion of the earth
lower 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
modeling
to simulate (a process, concept, or the operation of a system), commonly with the aid of a computer.
oceanic crust
the solid outer shell of the earth, with an average thickness of 5 km beneath the oceans, forming the upper part of the lithosphere and lying immediately above the mantle
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
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.
upper mantle
the soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats; also known as the asthenosphere
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