Earth Science Vocabulary
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Term 1 Test Word Bank
Chapter 4
1. asthenosphere--zone of mantle that consists of slowly flowing solid rock
2. continental crust—material that makes up landmasses
3. continental drift-- hypothesis stating that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted
to their present location
4. convection current-- movement in a fluid caused by uneven heating
5. convergent boundary-- border formed when two plates collide
6. divergent boundary-- border formed when two plate pull away from each other
7. island arc—chain of volcanic islands that form along an ocean trench
8. lithosphere—outer shell of the earth consisting of crust and upper mantle
9. Mid-Atlantic ridge—undersea mountain range with a steep, narrow valley along its center
10. mid-ocean ridges --system of undersea mountain ranges that wind around the earth
11. ocean trench—deep valley on the ocean floor that forms along a subduction zone
12. oceanic crust—material that makes up the ocean floor
13. Pangaea-- means “all land”
14. Panthalassa-- means “all sea”
15. plate tectonics-- theory that states the lithosphere is made up of plates that float on a region of mantle
16. rift valley—steep, narrow valley formed as litherospheric plates separate
17. seafloor spreading-- movement of the ocean floor away from either side of the mid-ocean ridge
18. subduction zone--region where one lithospheric plate moves under another
19. transform boundary—boundary where two lithospheric plates slide past each other
Chapter 5
20. anticline—upcurved fold in rock layers in which the oldest layer is in the center of the fold
21. compression-- stress that squeezes rocks together
22. fault plane-- surface of a fault along which movement of rock occurs
23. fault-- break in rock along which rocks on either side of the break move
Earth Science Vocabulary
24. footwall—in a nonvertical fault, the rock below the fault plane
25. hanging wall-- in a nonvertical fault, the rock above the fault plane
26. monocline—a fold in rock layers in which both limbs remain horizontal
27. normal fault-- fault in which that hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall
28. reverse fault-- fault in which the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall
29. shearing-- stress that pushes rocks in opposite horizontal directions
30. stress-- the amount of force per unit of area that is placed on a given material
31. strike slip fault-- fault in which the rock on either side of the fault plane slides horizontally
32. tension-- stress on rocks that pull apart
Chapter 6
33. aftershock-- tremor that follows and is smaller than a major quake
34. earthquake—vibration of earth’s crust
35. elastic rebound theory-- an idea that rocks are strained past a certain point will fracture and spring back to
their original shape
36. epicenter-- point on earth’s surface directly over the point where the earthquake occurred
37. focus-- area along a fault at which slippage first occurs, initiating the earthquake
38. intensity-- amount of damage caused by an earthquake
39. magnitude-- a measure of the energy released by an earthquake
40. Mercalli Scale—scale that measures intensity of an earthquake
41. microquake-- earthquake less than a 2.5 on Richter scale
42. P wave-- fastest seismic wave
43. Pacific Ring of Fire—region where 80% of the earthquake and volcanic activity occurs
44. S wave-- wave that causes particles to move at right angles in relation to the direction of wave
45. seismic gap-- zone of rock in which a fault is locked and unable to move and in which no major earthquakes
has occurred for a long period of time
46. seismograph—instrument used to measure earthquakes
47. surface wave –slowest seismic wave but most destructive
48. tsunami--giant ocean wave caused by an earthquake near the ocean floor
Chapter 7
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Earth Science Vocabulary
49. caldera-- forms when a magma chamber below the volcano is emptied during an eruption
50. cinder cone—steep-sloped deposit of solid fragments ejected from a volcano
51. composite volcano—steep-sloped volcanic deposit of alternating layers of hardened lava flows and
pyroclastic material
52. crater-- funnel-shaped pit at the top of a volcanic cone
53. felsic lava-- silica-rich lava
54. fissure-- crack in a rock surface through which lava flows
55. hot spot-- area of volcanism within a lithospheric plates
56. lava-- molten material that reaches earth’s surface
57. mafic lava-- dark-colored lava rich in magnesium and iron
58. magma-- liquid rock produced deep underground
59. pyroclastic material-- rock fragments ejected from the volcano
60. vent-- opening through which molten material flows onto the earth’s surface
61. volcanism-- any activity that includes the movement of magma toward or onto the earth’s surface
62. volcano-- lava and pyroclastic material built up on the earth’s surface around a vent
Chapter 9
63. cleavage--splitting of a mineral along smooth, flat surfaces
64. crystal--natural solid substance with a definite pattern
65. density—mass divided by volume
66. double refraction-- property of transparent mineral that produces a double image of an object viewed
through them
67. fluorescence-- ability to glow under UV light
68. hardness-- ability of a mineral to resist being scratched
69. inorganic-- made up of nonliving materials
70. luster—how light reflects off a surface of a mineral
71. mineral-- natural inorganic, crystalline solid found in the earth’s crust
72. mineralogist—a person who studies minerals
73. Moh’s hardness scale-- standard against which the mineral’s ability to be scratched is tested
74. nonsilicate mineral-- mineral that doesn’t contain silicon
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Earth Science Vocabulary
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75. phosphorescence-- ability to glow during and after exposed to UV light
76. refraction-- bending of light rays as it passes from one substance to another
77. rock forming mineral—an common mineral that forms the rocks in the earth’s crust
78. silicate mineral-- mineral that contains silicon and oxygen
79. streak-- color of powder of a mineral
Chapter. 10
80. Cementation-- process by which dissolved minerals left by water passing through sediments bind the
sediments together
81. compaction-- process in which air and water are squeezed out of sediments
82. concretion-- nodule of rock with a different composition from that of the main rock body
83. conglomerate-- sedimentary rock composed of rounded gravel or pebbles cemented together by
minerals
84. contact metamorphism—change in the structure and mineral composition of rock surrounding an
igneous intrusion
85. evaporites-- sedimentary rocks formed from minerals left after the water evaporates
86. extrusive igneous rock—rocks formed from molten lava that hardens on the earth’s surface
87. foliated-- describing metamorphic rock with parallel bands
88. intrusive igneous rock-- rocks formed from the cooling of magma beneath the earth’s surface
89. metamorphism—changing of type of rock to another by heat, pressure, and chemical processes
90. nonfoliated—a type of metamorphic rock without parallel bands
91. porphyritic-- describing an igneous rock composed of both large and small crystals
92. regional metamorphism-- metamorphism that affects rocks over large areas during periods of
tectonic activity
93. stratification-- layering of sedimentary rock
94. abrasion—rocks collide and scrape against each other, wearing away the exposed surface
Earth Science Vocabulary
95. carbonation—process by which minerals reacts with carbonic acid
96. chemical weathering—process by which rocks are broken down by changing the composition of the
rock
97. erosion—process by which the products of weathering are transported
98. exfoliation—process by which sheets of rock peel or flake as a result of weathering
99. ice wedging—mechanical weathering caused by freezing and thawing of water that seeps into the
cracks of rocks
100. leaching—process in which water carries dissolved minerals to lower layers of rock
101. mechanical weathering—process that changes the physical form of rocks
102. sheet erosion—process in which parallel layers of topsoil are stripped away
103. weathering—change in the physical form or chemical form of rock materials exposed at the earth’s
surface
104. crevasse—long crack on the surface of the glacier
105. drumlin—long, low tear shaped mound of till
106. erratic—large boulder carried and deposited by a glacier
107. esker—long and winding ridge of gravel and coarse sand deposited by a glacier
108. ground moraine—unsorted material left beneath a glacier when the ice melts
109. kettle—depression in a glacial outwash plain
110. lateral moraine—unsorted material deposited along the sides of valley glaciers
111. meltwater—melted ice flowing from a glacier
112. snowfield—almost motionless mass of permanent snow and ice
113. till—unsorted rock deposited by a glacier
Ch. 23
114. albedo-- percentage of solar radiation reflected by a surface
115. climate-- general weather conditions over many years
116. conduction-- transfer of energy by direct contact
117. convection cell-- looping pattern of flowing air
118. electromagnetic spectrum-- complete range of wavelengths of radiation
119. greenhouse effect-- process where infrared rays are trapped
120. ionosphere-- region in atmosphere where radio waves are reflected
121. stratosphere-- region of atmosphere where most of the ozone is found
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Earth Science Vocabulary
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122. Temperature inversion-- atmospheric condition where warm air traps cold air near the earth’s surface
123. weather-- general state of the atmosphere
Ch. 24
124. adiabatic-- a change in temperature resulting from the cooling of rising air and the warming of
sinking air
125. advection fog-- condensation of water vapor that results from the cooling of warm, moist air as it
moves across a cold surface
126. coalescence-- combination of different-sized cloud droplets to form larger droplets
127. latent heat-- energy stored in the molecules
128. radiation fog-- condensation of water vapor that results from the cooling of air that is in contact with
the ground
129. relative humidity--ratio of amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor the air can
hold
130. specific humidity-- actual amount of moisture in air
131. steam fog-- condensation of water vapor that results when cool air moves over warm water
132. supercooling-- process in which water droplets are induced to remain a liquid at temperature below
0 degrees Celsius
133. advective cooling-- decrease in temperature of a mass of air that results as it moves over a cold
surface
Ch. 25
134. air mass-- large body of air with uniform temperature and moisture content
135. anticyclone-- winds that spiral outward from a high pressure system
136. cold front-- boundary formed where a cold air mass overtakes and lifts a warm air mass
137. continental polar-- describing a cold, dry air mass
138. front-- boundary between air masses with different densities
139. maritime polar-- describing a cold, wet air mass
140. tornado-- whirling, funnel-shaped cyclone
141. typhoon-- a severe storm with winds more than 75 mph that forms over the Pacific Ocean
142. warm front-- boundary formed when warm air mass overtakes and rises over a cold air mass
Earth Science Vocabulary
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143. wave cyclone-- winds that spiral inward toward a low pressure system
Ch. 27
144. Absolute magnitude-- brightness of star as seen from 32. 6 light years from the earth
145. Apparent magnitude-- brightness of star as seen from earth
146. Circumpolar-- any star always visible in the night sky
147. Constellation-- pattern of stars
148. H-R diagram-- shows the relationship between surface temperature and the absolute magnitude of a
star
149. Light-year—distance light travels in one year
150. Main-sequence star-- stars that run through the middle of the H-R diagram
151. Neutron star-- collapsed core of a supernova that is very dense, 100 million tons per spoonful of
matter
152. Parallax-- Method of determining the distance from the earth to the a star based on the shift in
apparent position of the star when viewed from different angles
153. Pulsar—a spinning neutron star that emits two beams of radiation across space
154. Red-shift-- apparent lengthening of the light waves emitted by a star moving away from the earth
155. Star-- body of gases that gives off tremendous amount of radiant energy in the form of light and heat
Ch. 28
156. Aurora-- sheets of colored lights in upper atmosphere caused by magnetic storms
157. Chromosphere-- thin layer of sun just above photosphere
158. Convective zone-- region in sun where gases transfer energy
159. Corona-- outer layer of sun
160. Nebular theory-- explains how the sun and planets were formed
161. Photosphere-- surface of sun
162. Prominence-- cloud of glowing gases that arches high above the sun’ surface
163. Radiative zone-- region in sun where energy is transferred by electromagnetic waves
164. Solar wind-- electrically charged particles that stream out into space from the sun
165. Sunspot-- area on surface of sun that form as the result of strong magnetic fields
Earth Science Vocabulary
Ch. 29
166. Asteroid-- fragment of rock orbiting the sun
167. Comet-- a dirty snowball with a long elliptical orbit around sun
168. Coma-- spherical cloud of dust and gas that surround nucleus of a comet
169. ellipse-- oval with two foci in the middle
170. geocentric-- Aristotle stated this model of the solar system
171. heliocentric-- Copernicus stated this model of the solar system
172. meteor-- rock or metal that enters the atmosphere and burns brightly
173. meteorite--rock or metal from space that hits the surface of a planet
174. meteoroid-- rock or metal moving through the solar system
Ch. 30
175. apogee-- Moon is farthest from the earth
176. lunar eclipse-- Moon falls in the shadow of the earth
176. penumbra-- lighter, outer part of a shadow cast by either the moon or the earth
177. perigee-- Moon is closest to the earth
178. solar eclipse-- Earth falls into the moon’s shadow
179. umbra-- darkest, inner part of a shadow cast by either the moon or the earth
180. waning-- less of the moon is lighted each night
181. waxing-- more of the moon becomes lighted each night
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