Study Guide Flashcards
Geology-
the study of Earth.
rock-
a hard substance that makes up Earth’s crust.
constructive forces-
Constructive forces are processes that help build up the Earth, either by depositing soil or silt in a river, or by volcanoes and lava flows that generates new land.
destructive forces-
Destructive forces are processes that break down the Earth, either through the violent actions of volcanoes and earthquakes or by the steady flow of a river.
continent-
a large landmass.
oceanic crust-
the crust under oceans that is made up of basalt.
continental crust-
Underneath continents and mountains. Made up of granite.
basalt-
a type of rock that makes up the oceanic crust. It is a dark and dense rock with small crystals and is made up of iron and magnesium.
granite-
A type of rock that makes up the continental crust that is made up of quartz and less dense and thick and has large crystals.
mantle-
a layer of the earth that is semi-liquid.
lithosphere-
a part of the mantle where the plates are located.
asthenosphere-
a part of the mantle that has convection currents that causes the continents to move.
outer core-
the semi-liquid of the Earth’s core. It is made up of nickel and iron.
inner core-
solid because of pressure, the hottest of Earth’s layers, center of Earth.
Continental drift hypothesis-
Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis is called continental drift. It states that millions of years ago, the continents once formed a super continent called Pangea. They slowly drifted to their current position.
fossil-
any trace of an ancient organism preserved in rock.
Wegener-
the young scientist who, in 1910, formed the hypothesis that became known as continental drift.
Pangea-
a single landmass the continents once formed.
theory-
a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations.
plates-
sections of the lithosphere.
plate boundaries-
areas where the plates meet. There are three types: transform, divergent, convergent.
transform boundary-
a place where two plates slip past each other.
divergent boundary-
the place where two plates move apart.
convergent boundary-
the place where two plates come together.