Lesson 1 Vocab.
To circle around something.
Orbit
A large, unbroken mass of land.
Continent
A flat area of land that rises above the surrounding land.
The process in which water is used and reused on Earth, including precipitation, collection, evaporation, and condensation.
Water Cycle
The average weather in an area over a long period of time.
Climate
A complete trip of Earth around the sun.
Revolution
An event in which the ground shakes or trembles. It's caused by the collision of tectonic plates.
Earthquake
A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas.
Isthmus
A long, narrow band of volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
Ring of Fire
A large body of ice that moves slowly across land.
Glacier
One of two days of the year when the sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost point.
Solstice.
Earth's rigid crust is made up 16 enormous pieces called these.
Tectonic Plates
A long, narrow, steep-sided cut on the ocean floor.
Trench
An area that receives reduced rainfall because it is on the side of a mountain facing away from the ocean.
Rain Shadow
The process by which Earth's surface is worn away by natural forces.
Weathering
An imaginary line that runs through Earth's center from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Axis
The process by which weathered bits of rock are moved elsewhere by water, wind, or ice.
Erosion
An area where sand, silt, clay, or gravel is dropped at the mouth of a river.
Delta
Water contained inside Earth's crust.
Groundwater
How is the ocean floor similar to the surface of dry land?
The ocean floor has some of the same landforms as land, such as mountains, cliffs, trenches, valleys, and huge flat areas that are similar to plains.
One of two days each year when the sun is directly overhead at the Equator.
Equinox
A giant ocean wave caused by volcanic eruptions or movement of the earth under the ocean floor.
Tsunami
The result of water vapor turning into a liquid or solid state.
Condensation
Rain that contains harmful amounts of poisons due to pollution.
Acid Rain
What causes the erosion of rocks on Earth's surface?
The action of wind, moving water, and moving or expanding ice all cause erosion of rocks.