Chapter 21 Planet Earth
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crust
mantle
the thin and solid
outermost layer of Earth
above the mantle
in Earth science, the
layer of rock between
Earth's crust and core
core
the central part of Earth
below the mantle; also
the center of the sun
lithosphere
the solid, outer layer of
Earth that consists of the
crust and the rigid upper
part of the mantle
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Chapter 21 Planet Earth
plate tectonics
subduction
the theory that explains
how large pieces of the
lithosphere, called
plates, move and change
shape
the process by which
one lithospheric plate
moves beneath another
plate as a result of
tectonic forces
fault
a break in a body of
rock along which one
block slides relative to
another; a form of brittle
strain
focus
the location within Earth
along a fault at which
the first motion of an
earthquake occurs
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Super Summary Key Term Flashcards
Chapter 21 Planet Earth
epicenter
the point on Earth’s
surface directly above
an earthquake’s starting
point, or focus
surface wave
in geology, a seismic
wave that travels along
the surface of a medium
and that has a stronger
effect near the surface of
the medium than it has
in the interior
seismology
the study of
earthquakes, including
their origin,
propagation, energy, and
prediction
Richter scale
a scale that expresses
the magnitude of an
earthquake
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Super Summary Key Term Flashcards
Chapter 21 Planet Earth
vent
an opening at the
surface of the Earth
through which volcanic
material passes
mineral
a natural, usually
inorganic solid that has
a characteristic chemical
composition, an orderly
internal structure, and a
characteristic set of
physical properties
igneous rock
weathering
rock that forms when
magma cools and
solidifies
the natural process by
which atmospheric and
environmental agents,
such as wind, rain, and
temperature changes,
disintegrate and
decompose rocks
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Chapter 21 Planet Earth
sedimentary
rock
a rock that forms from
compressed or cemented
layers of sediment
metamorphic
rock
a rock that forms from
other rocks as a result of
intense heat, pressure, or
chemical processes
acid
precipitation
precipitation, such as
rain, sleet, or snow, that
contains a high
concentration of acids,
often because of the
pollution of the
atmosphere
erosion
a process in which the
materials of Earth's surface
are loosened, dissolved, or
worn away and transported
from one place to another
by a natural agent, such as
wind, water, ice, or gravity
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Super Summary Key Term Flashcards
Chapter 21 Planet Earth
deposition
the process in which
material is laid down
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Super Summary Key Term Flashcards