Earth Layers and Spheres
The area of specialization focuses on the study of the stars and the universe.
What is Astronomy?
The number of characteristics a substance must have to be considered a mineral.
The mineral group that contains silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) in the chemical composition.
What is a silicate?
The rock that forms from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
What is an igneous rock?
The name of the scientist who proposed Continental Drift.
Who is Alfred Wegener?
The denser crust type
What is oceanic?
The layer of gases surrounding the Earth.
What is the atmosphere?
The way light reflects off the surface of a mineral.
What is luster?
The mineral group that contains carbon (C) and oxygen (O) in the chemical composition.
What is a carbonate?
The conditions rocks are exposed to that cause metamorphism.
What are heat and pressure?
The name of the supercontinent that existed about 200 million years ago.
What is Pangea?
The thicker crust type.
What is continental?
This sphere contains all living organisms on Earth.
What is the biosphere?
A mineral breaks along smooth, flat planes.
What is cleavage?
The mineral group that contains phosphorus (P) and oxygen (O) in the chemical composition.
What is a phosphate?
The location where intrusive igneous rock forms.
What is below Earth's surface?
The pieces of evidence used to support Continental Drift.
Puzzle Piece coast lines, fossil record, geologic features, glacial patterns
The layer the tectonic plates "float" on.
What is the asthenosphere?
This layer of the Earth is liquid.
What is the outer core?
The Mohs Scale is used to measure this property.
What is hardness?
The mineral group that contains sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) in the chemical composition.
What is a sulfate?
The rock formed from an accumulation of sediments.
What are sedimentary rocks?
The reason Continental Drift was rejected.
What is no mechanism to explain?
The primary force driving tectonic plate movement.
What are convection currents?
What is the lithosphere?
The color of a mineral in its powdered form.
What is streak?
The group Galena (PbS) belongs in
What is a sulfide?
Associated with a metamorphic rock with a layered or banded appearance.
What is foliated?
The mechanism discovered in the 1960s.
The boundary where two plates move away from each other.
What is divergent?
The semi-fluid layer where convection currents occur.
What is the asthenosphere?
A mineral breaks with jagged, irregular edges.
What is fracture?
The group Fluorite (CaF2) belongs in.
What is a halide?
The type of metamorphism associated with non-foliated rock.
What is contact metamorphism?
The name of the scientist who proposed seafloor spreading.
Who is Harry Hess?
The boundary where two plates move toward each other
What is convergent?
This layer of the earth is between the outer core and the asthenosphere.
What is the mesosphere?
When minerals form from a supersaturated solution as the liquid evaporates.
What is precipitation?
The group Olivine (Mg2SiO4) belongs in
What is a silicate?
Sedimentary rock can become igneous rock if it...
What is melting?
The name of the geologic feature in the center of all oceans.
What are mid-ocean ridges?
The boundary where two plates try to slide past each other.
What is transform?
The most solid, dense, and hottest layer of the Earth.
What is the inner core?
Minerals forming from cooling magma or lava.
What is crystallization?
The group Corundum (Al2O3) belongs in
What is an oxide?
The reason extrusive igneous rocks usually have small crystals.
What is a fast cooling rate?
The longest mid-ocean ridge.
What is the Mid-Atlantic ridge?
Mid-ocean ridges form at this type of boundary.
What is oceanic-oceanic divergent?
The outermost layer of the Earth.
What is the crust?
These are the five characteristics of a mineral.
Solid, Naturally occurring, Inorganic, Definite crystal structure, Definite chemical composition.
The group Graphite (C) belongs in
What is a native element?
The rock texture with two different cooling rates.
What is porphyritic?
The ocean crust gets __________ the further away from the ridge.
What is gets older?
What is oceanic-oceanic convergent?
The five major spheres of the Earth.
What are the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, Cryosphere?
The property that is the most unreliable way to identify a mineral.
What is color?
The group Celestite (SrSO4) belongs in
What is a sulfate?
The first step in forming a sedimentary rock.
What is weathering and erosion?
The name of the phenomena that explains why the ocean floor has bands of alternating magnetism and is used to support seafloor spreading.
What is paleomagnetism?
Rift valleys form at this type of boundary.
What is continental-continental divergent?