Earth's Structure
What are the three main layers of the Earth?
Crust, mantle, and core.
What is the point on the Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's origin?
Epicenter
What is the process by which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces?
Weathering
What is the largest division of geologic time?
Eon
What is the layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface?
Troposphere
Crust, mantle, and core.
The asthenosphere
What scale is used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes?
Richter scale
What type of rock forms from the accumulation of sediments?
Sedimentary rock
What period is known for the dominance of dinosaurs?
Mesozoic Era
What is the term for the boundary between two different atmospheric layers?
Tropopause
What is the Earth's outermost layer called?
The lithosphere.
What do you call a volcanic eruption that is characterized by explosive activity?
Plinian eruption
What process transforms sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock?
Metamorphism
What is the term for the process of dating rocks and fossils based on the layers of sediment?
Stratigraphy
In which layer of the atmosphere do most weather events occur?
Troposphere
What is the primary composition of the Earth's core?
Iron and nickel.
What type of volcano has gentle slopes and erupts primarily basaltic lava?
Shield volcano
What term describes the cycle of rocks changing from one type to another?
Rock cycle
What is the significance of the Cambrian Explosion?
It marks a rapid diversification of life on Earth.
What gas is most abundant in the Earth's atmosphere?
Nitrogen
What is the composition of the Earth's mantle primarily made of?
Silicate minerals
What is the name of the volcanic rock formed when lava cools quickly?
Obsidian
What is the main agent of erosion?
water
What is the method of dating fossils by the decay of radioactive isotopes called?
Radiometric dating
What layer contains the ozone layer that protects us from UV radiation?
Stratosphere