plate movement
process by which magma wells up between oceanic plates and pushes the plates apart.
what is spreading
regular movement of earth’s water from ocean to air to ground and back to the ocean.
what is water cycle
an imaginary line that runs through the center of the earth between the north and south poles.
an inland grassland area
what is prairie
the theory that the continents were once joined, and then slowly drifted apart.
what is continental drift
the process of converting liquid into vapor, or gas.
what is evaporation
in astronomy, the earth’s yearly trip around the sun , taking 365 ¼ days.
what is revolution
water located underground within the earth that supplies wells and springs.
what is groundwater
part of a continent that extends out underneath the ocean.
continental shelf
the process of excess water vapor changing into liquid water when warm air cools.
what is condensation
one of two days, on which the sun is directly above the equator, making day and night equal in length.
what is equinox
underground water bearing layers of porous rock, sand, or gravel
what is aquifer
the process by which oceanic plates dive beneath continental plates, often causing mountains to form on land.
what is subduction
moisture that falls to the earth as rain, sleet, hail or snow.
what is precipitation
one of two days, on which the sun’s rays strike directly on the tropic of cancer or tropic of capricorn, marking the beginning of summer or winter.
what is solstice
small area in a desert where water and vegetation are found.
what is oasis
slow process in which an oceanic plate slides under a continental plate, creating debris that can cause continents to grow.
what is accretion
the removal of salt from seawater to make it usable for drinking and farming.
what is desalination
continuous daylight, a time when the sun is visible at midnight during the summer in either the arctic or antarctic.
what is midnight sun
major type of ecological community defined primarily by distinctive plant and animal groups.
what is biome