Vocabulary Unit 1
It is made up of living things and the areas of Earth where they are found
What is the biosphere
The trace or remains of organisms that lived long ago
What is a Fossil
They are the building blocks of matter
What are atoms
It is the outermost, solid layer of Earth
What is the crust
Mounded of wind-deposited sand
What are dunes
The breakdown of rock material by physical and chemical processes
What is weathering
Determining whether an object or event is older or younger than other objects or events
What is Relative dating
A naturally occurring, usually inorganic solid that has a definite crystalline structure and chemical composition
What is a mineral
A large single landmass that formed about 245 billion years ago
What is Pangea
The movement of matter that results from differences in density caused by variations in tempature
Convection
The process by which sediment and other materials are moved from one place to another
What is erosion
The proncipal that states that younger rocks lie above older rocks if the layers have not been disturbed
What is Superposition
The process by which sediment comes to rest
What is deposition
A crack that forms when large blocks of rock break and move past each other
What is a fault
A rock that forms when pressure, tempature, or chemical processes change from existing rock
What is a metamorphic rock
A large mass of moving ice that forms by the compacting of snow by natural forces
What is a glacier
Determining the actual age of an event or object in years
What is Absolute dating
This is a series of processes in which the rock changes from one type to another
What is the Rock Cycle
They are vibrations cause by different types of ground motions
What are Seismic waves
The rising of regions of the crust to higher elevations
What is uplift
Decayed organic matter
Humus
Divides Earths history into intervals of time defined by major events or changes in Earth
What is the geologic time scale
This is determined by the size, shape, and positions of the grains that make up a rock
What is texture
Giant sections of lithosphere on Earths surface
Tectonic plates
The point on Earths surface directly above an Earthquakes starting point or focus
Epicenter