Layers of the Earth
This is the outermost layer of the Earth where we live.
What is the crust?
This type of rock forms when lava cools and hardens.
What is igneous rock?
This large, flat area of land is often found in the middle of continents.
What is a plain?
The Earth's crust is broken into large pieces called this.
What are plate tectonics?
This natural force causes sand and rocks to blow around and wear down surfaces.
What is wind?
This layer of the Earth is made of molten rock and flows beneath the crust.
What is the mantle?
This type of rock forms from layers of sediment that are pressed together over time.
What is sedimentary rock?
These tall landforms are created by tectonic plate movements or volcanic activity.
What are mountains?
These occur when tectonic plates slide past each other.
What are earthquakes?
This natural process happens when water freezes in cracks, expands, and breaks rocks apart.
What is ice wedging?
This layer is made mostly of liquid iron and nickel and surrounds the inner core.
What is the outer core?
This type of rock forms when heat and pressure change one type of rock into another.
What is metamorphic rock?
This deep valley is often formed by rivers eroding rock over millions of years.
What is a canyon?
The Ring of Fire is a region around this ocean where many earthquakes and volcanoes occur.
What is the Pacific Ocean?
Over time, rivers can carve these deep grooves into the land.
What are valleys?
This solid layer at the center of the Earth is the hottest layer.
What is the inner core?
This process breaks rocks into smaller pieces without changing what they are made of.
What is weathering?
This type of landform is created when magma reaches the surface and cools.
What is a volcano?
The process by which one tectonic plate is pushed under another is called this.
What is subduction?
This is the process by which soil and rock are moved from one place to another by water, wind, or ice.
What is erosion?
The Earth's layers are divided by their density. This is the term for the boundary between the crust and the mantle.
What is the Mohorovičić discontinuity (or Moho)?
A naturally occurring solid material made of one or more minerals is called this.
What is rock?
These are the long, narrow ridges of sand formed by wind or water on beaches or in deserts.
What are dunes?
This is the term for the slow movement of continents over millions of years.
What is continental drift?
These are large, slow-moving masses of ice that can carve out valleys as they move.
What are glaciers?