Celestial spheres covered Celestial spheres covered with ice and dust that with ice and dust that leave trails of vapor as leave trails of vapor as

they race through space. they race through space.

CometsComets

Large chucks of rocky Large chucks of rocky material found in space.material found in space.

AsteroidsAsteroids

What are the What are the three layers of three layers of

earth?earth?

Core, Mantle, and Core, Mantle, and CrustCrust

Name for the layer of Name for the layer of earth where all the earth where all the animals and plants animals and plants

live.live.

biospherebiosphere

What are the three What are the three main parts, or main parts, or

layers, that make up layers, that make up the biosphere?the biosphere?

Lithosphere, Lithosphere, hydrosphere, and hydrosphere, and

atmosphereatmosphere

Theory that states the earth’s Theory that states the earth’s landmass was once a landmass was once a

supercontinent that broke into supercontinent that broke into about a dozen plates that about a dozen plates that slowly moved apart over slowly moved apart over

millions of years.millions of years.

Continental Continental DriftDrift

A landmass A landmass above water above water on the earth.on the earth.

continentcontinent

This consists of the This consists of the sun, nine known sun, nine known

planets, as well as planets, as well as other celestial bodies other celestial bodies

that orbit the sun.that orbit the sun.

Solar SystemSolar System

Name for the earth’s Name for the earth’s center, made up of iron center, made up of iron and nickel; solid on the and nickel; solid on the inside and liquid on the inside and liquid on the

outside.outside.

CoreCore

Rock layer about 1,800 Rock layer about 1,800 miles thick found between miles thick found between the earth’s crust and core the earth’s crust and core

MantleMantle

Name for the molten Name for the molten rock material formed rock material formed when solid rock in the when solid rock in the earth’s mantle or crust earth’s mantle or crust

melts.melts.

MagmaMagma

The thin rock layer The thin rock layer making up the making up the

earth’s surface.earth’s surface.

CrustCrust

Name for the layer Name for the layer of gases of gases

immediately immediately surrounding the surrounding the

earth.earth.

atmosphereatmosphere

Name for the Name for the solid rock portion solid rock portion

of the earth’s of the earth’s surfacesurface

lithospherelithosphere

Name for all the water Name for all the water comprised on earth’s comprised on earth’s

surface, including oceans surface, including oceans seas, rivers, lakes, and seas, rivers, lakes, and

vapor in the atmosphere.vapor in the atmosphere.

hydrospherehydrosphere

The continuous The continuous circulation of water circulation of water

among the among the atmosphere, the atmosphere, the

oceans, and the earth.oceans, and the earth.

Hydrologic Hydrologic cyclecycle

An area drained An area drained by major rivers by major rivers

and its and its tributaries.tributaries.Drainage Drainage

basinbasin

The water held The water held under the earth’s under the earth’s

surface, often in and surface, often in and around the pores of around the pores of

rock.rock.

Ground WaterGround Water

The level at The level at which rock is which rock is

saturated.saturated.

Water tableWater table

A naturally A naturally formed feature formed feature

on the surface of on the surface of the earth.the earth.

landformlandform

The earth’s surface The earth’s surface from the edge of a from the edge of a continent to the continent to the deep part of the deep part of the

ocean.ocean.

Continental Continental shelfshelf

The difference in The difference in elevation of a elevation of a

landform from the landform from the lowest point to the lowest point to the

highest point.highest point.

reliefrelief

The combined The combined characteristics of characteristics of

landforms and their landforms and their distribution in a distribution in a

region.region.

topographytopography

An enormous An enormous moving shelf that moving shelf that forms the earth’s forms the earth’s

crust.crust.

Tectonic plateTectonic plate

A fracture in A fracture in the earth’s the earth’s

crust.crust.

faultfault

A sometimes violent A sometimes violent movement of the earth, movement of the earth, produced when tectonic produced when tectonic plates grind or slip past plates grind or slip past

each other at a fault.each other at a fault.

earthquakeearthquake

A device that measures A device that measures the size of the waves the size of the waves

created by an created by an earthquake.earthquake.

seismographseismograph

The point of the earth’s The point of the earth’s surface that corresponds surface that corresponds

to the location in the to the location in the earth where an earth where an

earthquake begins.earthquake begins.

epicenterepicenter

A way to measure A way to measure information collected by information collected by

seismographs to seismographs to determine the relative determine the relative

strength of an strength of an earthquake.earthquake.

Richter ScaleRichter Scale

A giant ocean wave, A giant ocean wave, caused by an underwater caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic earthquake or volcanic

eruption, with great eruption, with great destructive power.destructive power.

tsunamitsunami

A natural event, formed when A natural event, formed when magma, gases, and water magma, gases, and water from the lower part of the from the lower part of the crust or mantle collect in crust or mantle collect in

underground chambers and underground chambers and eventually erupt and pour out eventually erupt and pour out

of cracks in the earth’s of cracks in the earth’s surface.surface.

volcanovolcano

Magma that Magma that reaches the reaches the

earth’s earth’s surface.surface.

LavaLava

Physical and chemical Physical and chemical processes that change the processes that change the

characteristics of rock on or characteristics of rock on or near the earth’s surface, near the earth’s surface,

occurring slowly over many occurring slowly over many years.years.

weatheringweathering

Small pieces of rock Small pieces of rock produced by produced by weathering weathering processes.processes.

sedimentsediment

Natural Natural processes that processes that break rock into break rock into smaller pieces.smaller pieces.

Mechanical Mechanical weatheringweathering

A process that changes A process that changes rock into a new substance rock into a new substance

through interactions through interactions among elements in the air among elements in the air or water and the minerals or water and the minerals

in the rock.in the rock.

Chemical Chemical weatheringweathering

The result of The result of weathering on weathering on

matter, created by matter, created by the action of wind, the action of wind,

water, ice, or gravity.water, ice, or gravity.

erosionerosion

A fan-like landform A fan-like landform made of deposited made of deposited sediment, left by a sediment, left by a

river that slows as it river that slows as it enters the ocean.enters the ocean.

deltadelta

Wind-blown silt and Wind-blown silt and clay sediment that clay sediment that

produces very fertile produces very fertile soil.soil.

loessloess

A large, long-lasting A large, long-lasting mass of ice that mass of ice that

moves because of moves because of gravity.gravity.

glacierglacier

The changing of The changing of landforms by landforms by slowly moving slowly moving

glaciers.glaciers.

glaciationglaciation

A ridge or hill of rock A ridge or hill of rock carried and finally carried and finally

deposited by a deposited by a glacier.glacier.

morainemoraine

Name for Name for organic organic

material in material in soil.soil.

humushumus

This occurs where This occurs where two plates meet and two plates meet and cause the layers of cause the layers of

rock to bend.rock to bend.

FoldFold

Name for the zone found Name for the zone found around the Pacific rim around the Pacific rim

where eight major where eight major tectonic plates meet and a tectonic plates meet and a

majority of active majority of active volcanoes are located.volcanoes are located.

Ring of FireRing of Fire

WyomingWyoming

CheyenneCheyenne