Lithosphere
Name the 4 layers of the Earth.
Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core
What type of rock forms after lava cools and hardens?
Igneous rock forms when lava cools and hardens
What is the main source of energy that powers the water cycle?
The Sun
What form of water makes up most of Earth’s freshwater supply?
Glaciers/Ice Caps
How do volcanoes connect the lithosphere to the atmosphere and hydrosphere?
They release gases (atmosphere), create new rock (lithosphere), and sometimes cause tsunamis or hot springs
What/where is the lithosphere?
Rigid outer layer of Earth (crust + uppermost mantle), broken into tectonic plates
What do tectonic plate boundaries cause on Earth’s surface?
Earthquakes, mountains, and volcanoes
What do we call water underground that fills spaces in soil and rock?
Answer:
Groundwater
What do we call water that collects on Earth’s surface, like rivers and lakes?
Surface water
How does the water cycle connect to the lithosphere?
Water weathers rocks, erodes land, and deposits sediments, shaping Earth’s surface.
The word igneous comes from the Latin word meaning ________.
Igneous Latin origin → “Fire” (ignis)
What layer of the Earth do we live on?
The crust
When water vapor cools and forms clouds, what process is happening?
Condensation
What process pulls water into the ground to become groundwater?
Infiltration
If you removed the Sun, what would happen to the water cycle and the lithosphere over time?
The water cycle would stop (no evaporation), and the lithosphere would freeze and change as weathering slowed.
Sedimentary rocks are formed by which process: Weathering, Erosion, or Deposition?
Sedimentary rocks form through all 3! Weathering (breaking down existing rocks), erosion (transporting the smaller pieces), deposition (settling of sediments in layers),
How do tectonic plate movements connect to the lithosphere?
Tectonic plate movement → Lithosphere is divided into plates that move, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building
What do we call the movement of water down mountains into rivers and streams?
Runoff
Which part of the water cycle happens when water leaves the ocean and turns into vapor?
Evaporation
Which type of rock often contains fossils — igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic
The word metamorphic comes from two Greek words: meta meaning _______ and morphos meaning _______.
Metamorphic = Meta = change, Morphos = form
What do we call the slow process that recycles rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic forms?
The Rock Cycle
Water that plants and animals release into the atmosphere is called what?
Transpiration
When water falls back to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, what is that called?
Precipitation
If the Sun suddenly gave Earth half as much energy, which stages of the water cycle would slow down the most, and why?
Evaporation and transpiration, because less heat means less water vapor entering the atmosphere.