Earth’s Spheres
Which sphere includes plants and animals?
biosphere
boundary between land and water
coastline
natural stream of water that flows into another body of water
river
What is runoff?
precipitation that runs down the mountains into the ground and bodies of water
What is precipitation?
rain, snow, sleet, or hail falling from the clouds to Earth
Which sphere contains snow and ice?
cryosphere
pile of sand built up by the wind
dune
landform with both high elevation and high relief
mountain
Name the 3 stages of the rock cycle
magma, solid rock, and erosion
What is erosion in the rock cycle?
solid rock breaks down into small pieces
What sphere makes up most of Earth's mass?
geosphere
landform with both low elevation and low relief
plain
landform made of sand, clay, and sediment that is built up by water
delta
What is evaporation?
liquid water turns into water vapor
What is condensation?
water vapor turns to liquid or solid water and clouds form
In which sphere does weather occur?
atmosphere
landform with high elevation and low relief
plateau
What are Earth's two main sources of energy?
heat from the sun and heat from Earth's interior
Name the 5 processes of the water cycle
evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff
What is magma?
hot molten rock that comes up through cracks in the ground
Name Earth's 4 main spheres
atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere
What is negative feedback?
feedback that slows, stops, or reverses a process
What is positive feedback?
feedback that speeds up or continues a process
How is solid rock formed?
when magma cools and hardens OR when eroded pieces of rock get packed back together
What is transpiration?
a process related to evaporation where water is released from a plant's leaves and turns into water vapor