MSP Science Vocabulary – EARTH SCIENCE
MSP Science Vocabulary – EARTH SCIENCE
Composition – what a rock or mineral is made out of.
Continental Plate – A tectonic plate with mostly land on it.
Convection – a heat transfer caused by hot matter rising and cool matter
sinking. Convection in the mantle drives the motion of tectonic plates.
Core – the layer of the Earth that is in the center. Made entirely of iron.
Crust – The solid outer layer of the Earth that contains continents and oceans.
Broken into Tectonic Plates.
Deposition – Sediment being deposited in large bodies of water. The opposite
of erosion.
Earthquake – A sudden release of pressure in the earth’s crust that results in
the earth shaking.
Erosion – Weathering away of materials on Earth’s surface. The opposite of
deposition.
Eruption – The event when a volcano erupts.
Igneous rock – Type of rock formed from the cooling of magma or lava.
Landslide – When large amounts of land move down a slope (usually due to
water or earthquakes).
Magma – Liquid, melted rock under the surface of the earth.
Mantle – The very thick, partially melted layer of the earth that is between the
crust and the core.
Metamorphic Rock – Type of rock formed under high temperatures and
pressures underground.
Oceanic Plate – A tectonic plate with mostly ocean on it.
Rock Cycle – The process over time where each type of rock can turn into
another type of rock.
Sedimentary Rock – Type of rock formed from large bodies of water.
Subduction – One tectonic plate sinking beneath another because of density.
Tectonic Boundary – the area where two tectonic plates meet.
Thermal Energy – the energy of heat.
Tsunami – A large, destructive wave caused by an earthquake.
Volcano – A part in the earth’s crust where magma from the mantle rises to the
surface.
Composition – what a rock or mineral is made out of.
Continental Plate – A tectonic plate with mostly land on it.
Convection – a heat transfer caused by hot matter rising and cool matter
sinking. Convection in the mantle drives the motion of tectonic plates.
Core – the layer of the Earth that is in the center. Made entirely of iron.
Crust – The solid outer layer of the Earth that contains continents and oceans.
Broken into Tectonic Plates.
Deposition – Sediment being deposited in large bodies of water. The opposite
of erosion.
Earthquake – A sudden release of pressure in the earth’s crust that results in
the earth shaking.
Erosion – Weathering away of materials on Earth’s surface. The opposite of
deposition.
Eruption – The event when a volcano erupts.
Igneous rock – Type of rock formed from the cooling of magma or lava.
Landslide – When large amounts of land move down a slope (usually due to
water or earthquakes).
Magma – Liquid, melted rock under the surface of the earth.
Mantle – The very thick, partially melted layer of the earth that is between the
crust and the core.
Metamorphic Rock – Type of rock formed under high temperatures and
pressures underground.
Oceanic Plate – A tectonic plate with mostly ocean on it.
Rock Cycle – The process over time where each type of rock can turn into
another type of rock.
Sedimentary Rock – Type of rock formed from large bodies of water.
Subduction – One tectonic plate sinking beneath another because of density.
Tectonic Boundary – the area where two tectonic plates meet.
Thermal Energy – the energy of heat.
Tsunami – A large, destructive wave caused by an earthquake.
Volcano – A part in the earth’s crust where magma from the mantle rises to the
surface.