Terms 1
The innermost layer of the earth’s interior
Core
The middle layer of the earth, between the crust and the core
Mantle
Molten rock within the earth
Magma
The natural features of the earth’s surface
Topography
Magma that flows onto the earth’s surface
Lava
The breakdown of rocks on the earth’s surface
Weathering
The wearing down of the earth’s surface by running water, waves, wind, and glaciers
Erosion
The depositing of eroded material to form new landforms
Deposition
A map that uses color coding to show elevation
Physical map
A deposit of soil and sand at the mouth of a river
Delta
The climate of a small area where the average conditions differ from those of the surrounding region
Microclimate
A type of storm cloud with a flat base
Cumulonimbus
The leading edge of an air mas
Front
The temperature at which condensation occurs
Dew point
Thin, acidic soil
Podzols
A high-altitude wind that flows around the earth in both hemispheres at heights of 9-12 km
Jet stream
The area on the leeward side of a mountain that receives little precipitation
Rain shadow
The theory that the earth’s continental plates are moving
Continental drift
Regions classified by the characteristics of the rocks and and shape of the landforms within them
Landform regions
A graph that shows monthly temperatures as a line graph and total monthly precipitation as a bar graph
Climograph
The rate of change in temperature with elevation
Environmental lapse rate
An area of the earth’s crust where one plate slides beneath another
Subduction zone
The theory that the earth’s plates interact to produce mountains, trenches, earthquakes, and volcanoes
Plate tectonics
The shape of the land together with its cover of vegetarian, water, ice, and rock; it also includes the activities of humans and other animals
Landscape
The current in a fluid, such as magma, that circulates as the flud is heated and cooled
Convection currents