Chapter 2 - The Physical World
Our Solar System
A. Earth is the ____________ of eight planets circling the sun in our solar system
1. __________________ Planets: four inner planets that have solid, rocky crusts
2. __________ ____________ Planets: four outer planets; more gaseous and less dense
3. ________________: small, irregularly shaped, planet-like objects; mostly found between
Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt
4. ________________: made of icy dust particles and frozen gases, look like bright balls
with long, feathery tails
5. __________________: pieces of space debris—chunks of rock and iron; usually burn up
before they reach the Earth’s surface
6. __________________: meteoroids that collide with Earth
7. _____________: a plausible general principle offered to explain observed facts
B. Getting to know the Earth
1. __________________: the watery areas of the Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and
other bodies of water
2. __________________: uppermost layer of the Earth that includes the crust, continents
and ocean basins
3. __________________: a layer of gases that surrounds the Earth
4. __________________: the part of the Earth where life exists
5. __________________ ____________: part of a continent that extends out underneath the
ocean
Forces of Change
A. ________________ (upper layer of land) of the Earth has been in motion for millions of years
1. Core: the __________________ layer of the Earth made up of a super-hot but solid inner
core and a super-hot liquid outer core
2. ____________: thick middle layer of the Earth's interior structure consisting of hot rock
that is dense but flexible
3. Crust: outer layer of Earth, a __________ ____________ shell forming Earth's surface
4. Continental Drift: the theory that the __________________ were once joined and then
slowly drifted apart
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5. _____________ ________________: the term scientists use to describe the activities of
continental drift and magma flow, which create many of Earth's physical features
6. ____________: molten rock that is located below Earth's surface
B. Internal Forces of Change
1. __________________: process by which oceanic plates dive beneath continental plates,
often causing mountains to form on land
2. __________________: slow process in which an oceanic plate slides under a continental
plate, creating debris that can cause continents to grow
3. __________________: process by which magma wells up between oceanic plates and
pushes the plates apart
4. Fold: a bend in layers of ___________, sometimes caused by plate movement
5. Fault: a ____________ or ____________ in Earth's crust
6. _________________: process of cracking that occurs when the folded land cannot be
bent any further
7. Earthquake: sudden, violent movements of the __________________ along fault lines;
often occur where plates meet
8. ____________ ______ ____________: zone of earthquake and volcanic activity around
the perimeter of the Pacific
Ocean
9. ________________: mountains formed by lava or by magma that breaks through the
Earth’s crust
C. External Forces of Change
1. Weathering: ________________ or ________________ processes that break down rocks
into smaller pieces
a. Physical: large masses of rock are physically ______________ ______________ into
smaller pieces
b. Chemical: changes the ________________ makeup of rocks
2. ________________: the movement of weathered rock and material by wind, glaciers, and
moving water
3. Glacier: a large body of _________ that moves across the surface of the Earth
a. _________ ____________: flat, broad sheets of ice; advance a few feet each winter and
recede in the summer
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b. _________ __________: large blocks of ice that break off from the coastal edges of
sheet glaciers to float in the ocean
c. ________________ Glaciers: located in high mountain valleys where the climate is cold
4. ________________: piles of rocky debris left by melting glaciers
D. Soil is the product of thousands of years of _______________, erosion, and biological activity
Five factors influence soil formation:
1. ________________ is most significant: wind, temperature, and rainfall determine the
type of soil that can develop
2. __________________: affects surface runoff of water, drainage, and the rate of erosion
3. Geology: determines the ________________ ________________ (original rock), which
influences depth, texture, drainage, and nutrient content of soil
4. ________________: living and dead plants and animals, adds organic matter to the soil
5. Length of ____________ other factors have been interacting also affects soil formation
____________ ____________: regular movement of Earth's water from ocean to air to ground
and back to the ocean
A. Total amount of water Earth does not ____________; moves and changes form
1. __________________: process of converting into vapor or gas
2. Condensation: the process of ____________ water vapor changing into liquid water when
warm air cools
3. __________________: moisture that falls to the earth as rain, sleet, hail, or snow
B. About ________% of Earth’s surface is water; ________% is salt water
1. Five oceans: Pacific, ________________, Indian, ____________, and Southern
2. ___________, __________, and _________ are bodies of salt water smaller than oceans;
often partially enclosed by land
3. __________________: the removal of salt from seawater to make it usable for drinking
and farming
C. More than _________-_________ of Earth’s freshwater is frozen as glaciers and ice caps
1. Most lakes contain __________________; exceptions like the Dead Sea are remnants of
ancient seas
2. __________________: smaller streams or rivers that flow into larger rivers
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3. ________________ _____________: water located underground within the Earth that
supplies wells and springs
4. ______________: underground water-bearing layers of porous rock, sand, or gravel
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