Earth’s Changing
System
System
the outermost shell of a terrestrial planet.
crust
A mixsure of gasses that surrounds a planet
atmosphere
an invisible force that pulls objects toward each other
gravity
anything that takes up space and can be weighed
matter
the energy an object has because of its motion
kinetic energy
a supercontinent that incorporated almost all the landmasses on Earth.
Pangea
describes how high something is.
altitude
a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems.
galaxy
a unit of measurement that describes the amount of matter that makes up an object.
mass
the energy contained within a system that is responsible for its temperature.
thermal energy
molten rock that is underground.
magma
A violently rotating column of air touching the ground.
tornado
a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one
orbit
the amount of space occupied by a sample of matter
volume
the energy which is stored in the bonds of chemical compounds (molecules and atoms).
chemical energy
a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties.
minerals
the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.
climate
very long-period waves that move through the ocean in response to the forces exerted by the moon and sun.
tides
the measurement of how tightly a material is packed together.
density
when an object stores energy as a result of its position, making it capable of doing more work.
potential energy
the preserved remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sediments, such as sand and mud, under ancient seas, lakes and rivers.
fossils
the common term for the high concentration of ozone that is found in the stratosphere around 15–30 km above the earth's surface.
the ozone layer
an astronomical event where the view of an object is temporarily obscured, completely concealed, or cast into a shadow.
eclipse
the qualities and characteristics of a substance that describe and identify it.
property's
a form of energy released from the nucleus, the core of atoms, made up of protons and neutrons.
nuclear energy