Upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the lithosphere. This is where rocks become plastic and are
easily deformed.
Climate
The weather condition prevailing in an area in general or over a long period of time
Climate System
Complex, interactive system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and
other bodies of water and living things
Convection
The process in liquids and gases by which hot, less dense materials rise upward, being replaced by
cold, downward flowing fluids to create a convection current
Core
The spherical mass, largely of metallic iron, with admixtures of nickel, sulfur, silicon, and other
elements at the center of the earth
Crust
The outermost and thinnest of the Earth's layers, which consists of rocky matter that is less dense
the rocks of the mantle below
Earth system
An open system, which involves all part of our planet and all of the interactions of those parts
(climate system, plate tectonic system and geodynamo system)
Fossil
The naturally preserved remains of traces of an animal or plant
Geodesy
study of Earth's shape and surface
Geodynamo
Rapid motion of the liquid outer core stirs up electrical flow in the solid inner core, causing Earth's
magnetic field
Geological record
Powerpoint
,Geology
The science of Earth
Geosystem
The study of the natural features of the earth's surface, especially in its current aspects, such as land
formations, climate, etc
Inner core
Earth's innermost part of a core, so a solid sphere in the middle of the fluid core
Lithosphere
The outer 100km of the solid Earth, where rocks are harder more rigid than those in the plastic
asthenosphere
Magnetic field
Magnetic lines of force surrounding the Earth
Mantle
The thick shell of dense, rocky matter that surrounds the core
Outer Core
A liquid layer about 2300 km thick and composed of iron and nickle that lies above Earth's solid inner
core and below it's mantle
Plate tectonic system
Hot matter from mantle rises causing plates to form and diverge. So wherever that plate converges a
cooled plate is dragged underneath it. It then sinks, warms and rises again
Principle of uniformitarianism
The same external and internal processes we recognize in action today have been operating
unchanged, though at different rates, throughout most of the Earth's history
Scientific method
Question or Observe, Hypothesis, Experiment, Analyze Data, and create conclusion
Goal for GLY2010: Explain how the universe works
Seismic wave
An elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other earth vibrations that travel through
earth's SA.
Topography
The relief and form of the land , Earth is about 20 km from highest to lowest
Earth's layers:
, Continental drift
The slow, lateral movements of continents across the surface of earth
"jig-saw puzzle" fit of continents(Alfred Wagner)
Examples: South Africa
Convergent boundary
The destructive plate boundary because two plates are moving towards each other and collide
3 TYPES:
Ocean-ocean: oceanic trench, volcanic island arc and deep earthquakes(created Mariana
Islands&Trench)
Ocean-continent:Volcanic mountain chain, folded mountains and deep earthquakes(Andes
mountains)
Continent-Continent:crustal thickening, folded mountains and earthquakes(Himalayan mountains)
Divergent boundary
Plates move away from each other and new crust is forming from magma that rises to the Earth's
surface between the two plates
2 TYPES:
Oceanic plate separation:rifting, volcanoes, and earthquakes(Mid-Atlantic Ridge)
Continental plate separation:rift valleys, volcanoes, and earthquakes(East African Rift Valley)
Island arc
An arcuate chain of stratovolcanoes parallel to a sea-floor trench and separated from it by a distance
of 150 to 300 km
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