Internal Forces
This is the innermost layer of the Earth, made mostly of solid iron and nickel.
What is the Inner Core?
This natural force uses moving air to shape landforms by eroding and transporting small particles.
What is wind?
This sphere includes all of Earth’s water, from oceans and lakes to groundwater and ice.
What is the Hydrosphere?
This type of plate boundary occurs when two plates move away from each other, allowing magma to rise and form new crust.
What is a Divergent Boundary?
This sudden shaking of the ground is caused by the movement of rocks along faults in Earth’s crust.
What is an Earthquake?
The Earth’s crust and upper mantle make up this rigid outer shell that moves in pieces.
What is the Lithosphere?
Water, wind, ice, and gravity working together to break down rocks into smaller pieces is known as this process.
What is Weathering?
The layer of gases surrounding Earth, including oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, belongs to this sphere.
What is the Atmosphere?
At this type of boundary, two plates slide past each other horizontally, often causing earthquakes along the way.
What is a Transform Boundary?
These openings in Earth’s surface release molten rock, ash, and gases from the mantle.
What are Volcanoes?
These massive slabs of rock move slowly over the asthenosphere and cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.
What are Tectonic Plates?
This external force involves the movement of rock and soil from one place to another by wind, water, or glaciation.
What is Erosion?
This sphere is made up of all living things—plants, animals, and even microscopic bacteria.
What is the Biosphere?
When two plates collide and one is forced under the other into the mantle, forming deep ocean trenches and volcanic arcs, this process occurs.
What is Subduction?
When underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions displace large amounts of water, they can create these massive ocean waves.
What are Tsunamis?
When two continental plates collide, they can push up land to form these large geological features.
What are mountain ranges?
When large space rocks strike Earth’s surface, they can release massive energy and leave behind round depressions in the ground called these.
What are Craters?
Mountains, rocks, and soil are part of this solid outer layer of Earth.
What is the Lithosphere?
This type of boundary occurs when two continental plates collide, causing the land to crumple and rise.
What is a Convergent Boundary?
Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur along these lines where tectonic plates meet.
What are Plate Boundaries?
This type of boundary occurs when two plates move apart, allowing magma to rise and create new crust.
What is a Divergent/Spreading boundary?
When glaciers move slowly over land, they carve out deep valleys and leave behind hills and ridges known as these.
What are Moraines?
When plants take in carbon dioxide from the air to make food, this sphere is interacting with this other sphere.
What are the Biosphere and th Atmosphere?
The bending and buckling of rock layers due to extreme pressure at a convergent boundary is called this.
What is Folding?
Many of the world’s most active volcanoes are located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where rising magma creates eruptions that can form mountains, islands, and lava flows. This process is called what?
What is a Volcanic Eruption?
At this type of boundary, one plate is forced beneath another into the mantle, often creating deep ocean trenches and volcanic arcs.
What is a Subduction Zone?
This cycle, driven by the sun, moves water through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, shaping the Earth's surface over time.
What is the Water Cycle?
Rain falling from clouds and soaking into the ground shows an interaction between these two spheres.
What are the Hydrosphere and the Lithosphere?
Cracks in Earth’s crust along which movement occurs, producing earthquakes, are known as this.
What are Faults?
Tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions often impact countries bordering the Pacific Ocean because of plate movement in this area.
What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
The process by which heat from Earth’s interior causes material in the mantle to circulate, driving plate movement, is called this.
What are Convection Currents?
Over time, rivers can cut through rock layers to create these steep, narrow landforms, often seen in the American Southwest.
What are Canyons?
Volcanic eruptions release gases into the air, showing a connection between these two spheres.
What are the Lithosphere and the Atmosphere?
This process occurs between an oceanic and continental plate. When sediment from the crust is added to a continent, slowly increasing its size over millions of years.
What is Accretion?
Most earthquakes along the Pacific Ring of Fire occur when stress builds up along faults in these zones, where plates slide past or collide with each other.
What are Transform or Convergent Boundaries?
This theory explains how Earth’s lithosphere is divided into plates that move due to forces from within the planet.
What is Plate Tectonics?
This powerful external force shapes coastlines by constantly breaking down rock, transporting sand, and changing beaches over time.
What are ocean waves?
When humans build cities or clear forests, this living sphere is directly changing the others.
What is the Biosphere?
This type of boundary is characterized by plates colliding, subducting, folding, faulting, and often producing the most powerful earthquakes and volcanic activity.
What is a Convergent/Colliding Boundary?
This powerful force is released during earthquakes, travels through Earth, and is measured by magnitude on the Richter or moment magnitude scale.
What are Seismic Waves?