Rock Cycle
What is the process of rock breaking down into small pieces due to wind or moving water?
Weathering
What type of evidence to scientists use to show that Earth has changed over time?
Fossils
Which type of plate boundary is responsible for the formation of mountains?
Convergent
What is the outermost layer of the Earth called?
Crust
How does heat flow and movement of materials within Earth lead to volcanic eruptions?
Movement of material creates pressure that forces magma to the surface
What part of the rock cycle is when small rock particles are squeezed together through pressure?
Compaction and cementation
The relative age of rock layers.
What type of boundary causes earthquakes to occur?
Transform
Which layer of the Earth is composed of dense metallic liquid?
Outer core
What role does the mantle play in the movement of Earth's plates?
What is the difference between physical and chemical weathering?
Physical weathering breaks rocks mechanically; chemical weathering alters their chemical composition
Describe how the law of superposition is used to determine the age of rock layers
Younger layers are found above older layers
Which type of crust is thicker, less dense, forms landmasses, composed mostly of granite, and is generally older than oceanic crust?
Continental crust
Temperature ____________ as you go deeper into the Earth.
Increases
How does heat flow impact the formation of mountains?
Heat flow causes the crust to expand and form mountains
How does a sedimentary rock become a metamorphic rock?
Heat and pressure
How does radioactive dating help determine the age of Earth?
By comparing the decay of radioactive isotopes in rocks
Which type of crust is thinner, more dense, located under oceans and seas, composed mostly of basalt, and is generally younger than continental crust?
Oceanic crust
Which layer of the Earth is liquid iron and nickle?
Outer core
What is a convection current?
The transfer of energy from a region of lower temperature to a region of higher temperature
Identify the rock type: A volcano erupts and sends lava shooting into the air. The lava cools for form a(n)
Igneous Rock
What is relative dating?
Used to determine a fossils approximate age by comparing it to similar rocks and fossils of known ages
What is the scientific theory of plate tectonics?
A well supported explanation of the movement of Earth's plates
What is the thickest layer of the Earth?
Mantle
How do scientific laws differ from scientific theories?
Laws describe phenomena, while theories explain them