Chapter 1 - The Earth

Landslides

________ are caused by disturbances in the natural stability of a slope.

Continental Crust

________ is stratified (layered) and becomes more dense with depth, and is largely composed of sedimentary, volcanic, and granite-like rocks.

Mudslides

________ occur when water rapidly collects in the ground and causes in a surge of water- filled rocks.

Permeability

________- The capacity that can allow water and oxygen to pass through it.

Aeration

________- How well the soil can absorb nutrients, water, and oxygen.

Principle of Superposition

________: Any given layer is older than the layers above them and younger than the layers below them.

Topography

________- the characteristics of where the soil is located.

plate boundaries

They can be generated when ________ move and displace the water vertically.

deposition

Layers are eroded, distorted, tilted, or inverted after ________.

Tectonic Plates

Earth's lithosphere is divided into huge sections called _______________ that drift over the mantle.

Earthworms

________ often help mix humus with minerals in the soil.

worms

Living Organisms- bacteria, fungi, ________, snails, insects that help decompose.

abrupt movement

They occur during ________ on a fault, tectonic plate boundaries, or along mid- ocean ridges.

asthenosphere

The ________ (upper third) is more plastic- like.

Nutrient

________- Holding Capacity- How well the soil can contain and hold ________.

Seasons

________ are not caused by the distance away from the sun, but from the angle of sunlight hitting Earth.

Focus

________: The place where all the energy is released.

massive fault zones

Can create ________ in the oceanic ridge system and are areas of frequent oceanic earthquakes.

Soil

________ is the thin layer on the top of Earth's surface.

Strata

________ (Rock layers) are laid down in succession representing a slice of time.

Subduction Zones

________ are where two tectonic plates meet together and one plate slides under the other and moves toward the mantle.

Active volcanoes

________ produce ejecta (lava rock /ash), molten lava, and gases such as sulfur dioxide.

Series of waves

________ created when a body of water is rapidly displaced, usually from an earthquake.

P waves

________ travel throughout Earth and are caused by the expansion and contraction of bedrock.

organic materials

Soil is composed of minerals of different sizes, ________ from the remains of dead organisms and plants, and open space that can be filled with air and water.

Wegener

________ believed that the supercontinent started breaking apart 200 million years ago.

magnetic patterns

Alternating ________ were found in rocks found on the seafloor.

continental plates

When two ________ collide, mountain ranges are created because of the crust being compressed and pushed upward.

S waves

________ are produced when a material moves either vertically or horizontally.

Surface waves

________ produce rolling and /or swaying motions.

Active volcanoes

________ produce magma at the surface.

Biosphere

Section of Earth that includes all forms of life on both land and sea.

Hydrosphere

Section of Earth that includes all forms of water.

Internal Structure

The _____________ of the Earth is made up of the crust, mantle, and core.

Oceanic Crust

Relatively thin part of the crust, consisting of basaltic rock as well as sediments, and younger with a different chemical composition.

Mantle

Contains most of the Earth's mass, composed of iron, magnesium, aluminum, and silicon-oxygen compounds.

Core

Mostly made up of iron, outer portion is molten and inner portion is solid.

Continental Drift Theory

Concept that 200 million years ago, there was a single landmass that broke up into the continents.

Seafloor Spreading Theory

Idea that new crust was made at volcanic rift zones.

Transform Boundaries

Occurs when plates slide past each other, frequently causing earthquakes.

Divergent Boundaries

Occur when two plates slide apart from each other, gap fills with magma.

Convergent Boundaries

Occurs when two plates slide together, and generally forms subduction zones or an orogenic belt.

Earthquake

Massive store of energy released in a short period of time when plates slide past each other.

Richter Scale

Method used to measure the strength of earthquakes by comparing the amplitudes of their waves.

Surface Waves

_____________ cause damage and rolling and/or swaying motions

Tsunamis

Series of waves created when a body of water is rapidly displaced, usually from an earthquake.

Volcanic Eruptions

__________ occur whenever pressure inside a magma chamber force molten magma upt to the top of the volcano to erupt

Solar Intensity

Factors that affect the amount of solar energy at the surface of the Earth

Humus

Dark material formed when plant and animal matter decays.