Earth’s Spheres
This sphere includes all the water on Earth, including oceans, ice, and water vapor.
hydrosphere
This imaginary line divides Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Equator
These rigid pieces of the lithosphere move slowly across Earth’s surface.
tectonic plates
Rocks that make up Earth’s crust are made of ...
minerals
These scientists study earthquakes.
Seismologists
This sphere is the gas blanket that surrounds Earth and is the least dense sphere.
atmosphere
These horizontal lines measure distance north or south of the Equator.
Latitude lines
This type of plate boundary forms mountains when plates push together.
convergent boundary
This type of rock forms when magma or lava cools and hardens.
Igneous rock
This is the point on Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake’s focus.
Epicenter
This sphere includes all living things and the places they live.
biosphere
This imaginary line divides Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Prime Meridian
Divergent boundary creates these when plates move apart.
rift valleys or ocean ridges
This process breaks rocks into smaller pieces.
weathering
This instrument measures earthquakes.
Seismograph
This sphere includes Earth’s rocks, soil, and layers like the crust and mantle.
geosphere
This Earth layer is the hottest and most dense.
Inner core
Transform boundary often causes earthquakes because plates scrape past each other causing this kind of stress
shear stress
This process moves broken rock and soil to a new location.
erosion
These fuels come from plants and animals that lived long ago.
Fossil Fuels
This field of science studies how Earth’s spheres work together in things like weather and the water cycle.
Earth Science
This solid outer layer made of crust and upper mantle is broken into tectonic plates.
lithosphere
This process of moving hot and cool molten rock helps move tectonic plates.
This type of rock forms when heat and pressure change a rock without melting it.
metamorphic rock
This type of energy source does not run out and can be replaced naturally, like wind or solar power.
Renewable Energy