Earth’s Systems
This Earth system includes all parts of the planet where life exists
These are the three major layers of the Earth.
crust, mantle, and core
This term refers to landforms with both low relief and low elevation
plains
This is the name of the supercontinent that began to break apart about 200 million years ago.
pangea
This is the larger major volcanic belt that outlines the Pacific Plate
Circum-Pacific Belt (or Ring of Fire)
Earth is not a perfect sphere; it is slightly flattened at the poles and has a bulge here.
equator
This is the most dense of Earth’s three major layers.
core
Scientists use this term to describe differences in elevation in a geographic area.
relief
This German meteorologist first proposed the scientific hypothesis of moving continents in 1912
Alfred Wegener
This process occurs when a denser tectonic plate descends below a less-dense plate
subduction
These two gases make up the majority of Earth’s atmosphere
nitrogen and oxygen
This rigid layer of Earth is composed of the crust and the uppermost mantle
lithosphere
These landforms have high relief and high elevation and can form from forces that uplift huge blocks of rock
mountains
Wegener used the existence of these in Antarctica to prove the continent was once near the equator.
coal beds
This type of plate boundary is where two plates slide horizontally past each other
transform boundary
This is the largest of the four Earth systems
geosphere
This is the layer of soft rock within the mantle that is able to flow
asthenosphere
This landform is characterized by low relief and high elevation
plateaus
Wegener cited these 300-million-year-old climate clues found on several different continents as evidence that the landmasses were once joined and covered by ice
glacial deposits
These regions are where two tectonic plates are moving apart, often forming rift valleys
divergent boundary
This system includes all water on Earth’s surface, underground, and liquid water in the atmosphere
hydrosphere
Scientists analyzed these to determine that Earth’s outer core is liquid
earthquake waves
This term describes the shape of a geographic area
topography
This fossil plant was found on widely separated continents, providing evidence for continental drift.
Glossoptoris
These unusually hot areas in the mantle, like the one under Hawaii, are far from plate boundaries
hot spots