Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
69 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
atom
|
tiny building blocks of matter, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons
|
|
atomic number
|
the number of protons in a atom
|
|
density
|
a physcial property of matter that can be determined by dividing the mass of an object by its volume
|
|
meniscus
|
The curved upper surface of a liquid in a container
|
|
mineral
|
naturally occurring inorganic solid that has a definite chemical composition and an orderly internal atmoic structure
|
|
streak
|
color of a mineral when it is in powdered form
|
|
intrusive igneous
|
a rock that generally contains large crystals and forms when magma cools slowly abeneath Earth's surface
|
|
foliated metamorphic
|
rock, such as slate and gneiss, whose mineral grains flatten and line up in parallel layers
|
|
plateau
|
flat,raised landform made up of nearly horizontal rocks that have been uplifted
|
|
contour interval
|
space between contour lines: the interval between contour lines on a map, or the altitude the interval represents
|
|
ice wedging
|
mechanical weathering process that occurs when water freezes in the cracks of rocks and expands, causing the rock to break apart
|
|
chemical weathering
|
occurs when chemical reactions dissolve the minerals in rocks or change them into different minerals
|
|
surface area
|
the area of surface on an object that is exposed (to the elements)
|
|
till
|
mixture of different-sized sediments that is dropped from the base of a retreating glacier and can cover huge areas of land
|
|
mass movement
|
any type of erosion that occures as gravity moves materials down-slope
|
|
young stream
|
a stream that has recently been formed; flows quickly, is steep, carries all sizes of sediments, mostly straight
|
|
deposition
|
dropping of sediments that occurs when an agent of erosion, such has gravity, a glacier, wind, or water, loses its energy and can no longer carry its load
|
|
lithosphere
|
rigid layer of earth about 100 km thick, made of the crust and a part of the upper mantle
|
|
convection current
|
current in earth's mantle that transfers heat in earth's interior and is the driving force for plate tectonics
|
|
subduction
|
the process by which collision of the earth's plates results in one plate's being drawn down or overridden by another, along the boundary of two plates.
|
|
focus
|
in an earthquake, the point below earth's surface where energy is released in the form iof seismic waves
|
|
secondary wave
|
seismic wave that moves rock particles at right angles to the direction of the wave
|
|
seismogram
|
the paper that the earthquake measures from the seismograph are drawn on
|
|
proton
|
positively charged particle that is located in the nucleus of an atom
|
|
atomic mass
|
the mass of an atom
|
|
mass
|
how much stuff is in something
|
|
grams
|
A metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.
|
|
luster
|
describes the way a mineral reflects light from its surfac; can be either metallic or nonmetallic
|
|
cleaveage/fracture
|
the way a rock breaks
|
|
cleavage
|
physical property of some minerals that causees them to break along smooth flat surfaces
|
|
fracture
|
physical property of some minerals that causes them to break with uneven, rough, or jagged surfaces
|
|
extrusive igneous
|
fine-grained rock that forms when magma cools quickly at or near the earth's surface
|
|
detrital sedimentary
|
fragments of sediments, glued and compacted together
|
|
topographic map
|
a map that shows the changes in elevation of Earth's surface and indicates such features as roads and cities
|
|
map scale
|
the relationship between distances on a map and distances on earth's surface that can be represented as a ratio or as a small bar divided into sections
|
|
mechanical weathering
|
physical process that breaks rocks apart without changing their chemical makeup; can be caused by ice wedging, animals, and plant roots
|
|
soil profile
|
vertical section of soil layers, each of which is a horizon
|
|
gravity erosion
|
the process by which surface materials are worn away and transported from one place to another by gravity
|
|
moraine
|
large ridge of rocks and soil deposited by a glacier when it stops moving forward
|
|
loess
|
windblown deposit of tightly packed, fine-grained sediments
|
|
old stream
|
a stream that has existed for a while; slow-flowing, many curves, carries little sediment, ends in sea often, little slope
|
|
seafloor spreading
|
Alfred Hess's theory that new seafloor is formed when magma is forced upward toward the surface at a mid-ocean ridge
|
|
asthenosphere
|
athe plasticlike layer of earth on which the lithospheric plates float and move around
|
|
converging plates
|
plates that are coming together against each other
|
|
volcanoes
|
opening in earth's surface that erupts sulfurous gaes, ash, and lava; can form at earth's plate boundaries, where plates move apart or together, and at hot spots
|
|
epicenter
|
point on eart'hs surface directly above an earthquake's focus
|
|
surface wave
|
seismic wave that moves rock particles up and down in a backward rolling motion and side to side rolling motion and side to side in a swaying motion
|
|
neutron
|
a particle without an electric charge in the nucleus of an atom
|
|
isotope
|
atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons
|
|
volume
|
how much space an object takes up- 3 dimensional; volume = units cubed
|
|
milliliter
|
mL; a thousandth of a liter; a measurement of volume
|
|
hardness
|
measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched, determined by the arrangement of the mineral's atoms; measured by Moh's hardness scale, 0-7+;
|
|
rock cycle
|
model that describes how rocks slowly change from one form to another through time
|
|
basaltic
|
dense, dark-colored igneous rock formed from magma; rich in magnesium and iron and poor in silica
|
|
plain
|
large,flat landform that often has thick, fertile soil and is usually found in the interior region of a continent
|
|
contour line
|
line on a map that connects points of equal elevation
|
|
weathering
|
mechanical or chemical surface processes that break rocks into smaller and smaller pieces
|
|
sediments
|
loose materials (rock fragments, mineral grains, etc.) that have been moved by wind, water, ice ,or gravity
|
|
humus
|
dark-colored, decayed organic matter that supplies nutrients to plants and is found mainly in topsoil
|
|
glacier erosion
|
glaciers eroding rocks by scraping along them and causing ice wedging
|
|
deflation
|
a type of erosion that occurs when wind blows over loose sediments, removes small particles, and leaves coarser sediments behind
|
|
water erosion
|
the process by which water wears away at surfaces
|
|
erosion
|
process in which surface materials are worn away and transported from one place to another by agents such as gravity, water, wind, and glaciers
|
|
plate tectonics
|
the theory that earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into plates that float and move around on a plasticlike layer of the mantle
|
|
diverging plates
|
plates that are moving away from each other at a plate boundary
|
|
transform boundary
|
two plates that are slipping and sliding past each other
|
|
seismic waves
|
waves generated by an earthquake
|
|
primary wave (P-wave)
|
seismic wave that moves rock particles back and forth in the same direction that the wave travels
|
|
seismograph
|
instrument used to register earthquake waves and record the time that each arrived
|