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The thin, outermost solid layer of Earth where we live is called the what?
Crust
The thick layer of hot, semi‑solid rock between the crust and core is called the what?
Mantle
The rigid outer layer of Earth, made of the crust and upper mantle, is called the what?
Lithosphere
The soft, flowing layer of the mantle that tectonic plates move on top of is called the what?
Asthenosphere
The very center of Earth, a solid ball of metal under great pressure, is called the what?
Inner core
The idea that Earth’s continents move slowly over Earth’s surface over time is called what?
Continental drift
Large pieces of Earth’s crust that move slowly over the mantle are called what?
Tectonic plates
Which is denser, oceanic plate or continental plate?
Oceanic plate
The edge where two tectonic plates meet is called a what?
Plate boundary
A sudden shaking of the ground caused by movement along a fault is called a what?
Earthquake
Rock that forms from layers of sediment that are compacted and cemented is called what type of rock?
Sedimentary rock
What instrument is used to record data about earthquakes?
Seismograph
A long, deep, narrow valley in the ocean floor formed at a subduction zone is called a what?
Ocean trench
What is molten rock called when it is outside, and what is it called when it's inside?
It's called magma when it's inside and lava when it's outside
A break or crack in Earth’s crust where rocks move is called a what?
Fault
Wind and rain break a big rock into smaller pieces, but the pieces do not move anywhere yet. Is this weathering or erosion?
Weathering
Wind breaks a rock cliff into smaller pieces, then carries the pieces to a different location. The breaking is weathering; what is the moving of the pieces called?
Erosion
In science class, students learned how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks can each change into the others over time. What is this whole process called?
Rock cycle
Over time, thick layers of sediment build up, and the weight of the top layers presses the lower layers tightly together. What rock‑forming process is this?
Compaction
A river slows down as it enters a lake and drops sand and mud it was carrying. The sediments are being what in the new place?
Deposited
Earth’s rigid plates are made from one layer, but they move because they float on top of a softer, flowing layer beneath them. Name both layers in order from top to bottom.
Lithosphere, asthenosphere
A geologist finds a body of igneous rock that cut through older sedimentary layers and cooled inside the Earth, never reaching the surface. What is this igneous body called?
Intrusion
The longer the magma takes to cool, you form ____ the crystals; the faster it cools, the ____ the crystals.
The longer the magma takes to cool, you form bigger the crystals; the faster it cools, the smaller the crystals.
The process that puts sediments together with minerals to form solid rock is called what?
Cementation
A place in the middle of a plate where hot magma rises and can form volcanoes, like in Hawaii, is called a what?
Hot spot