Solar System Formation
This theory explains how the solar system formed from a cloud of gas and dust.
Solar Nebula Theory
The outermost solid layer of Earth
crust
The type of boundary where plates move apart
What is a divergent boundary
Rocks formed when magma or lava cools and hardens
igneous rocks
Volcanic ash can improve this by adding nutrients
soil fertility
The Sun formed in the center of the solar nebula because of this force.
gravity
The thickest layer of Earth where convection currents occur.
mantle
The type of boundary where plates slide past each other
transform boundary
Weathering that breaks rocks into smaller pieces without changing composition
mechanical weathering
The breaking down of rock into sediment helps form this
soil
These planets are small, rocky, and closest to the Sun.
terrestrial planets
This layer is liquid and made mostly of iron and nickel.
outer core
This feature commonly forms where oceanic plates converge
trench
Water freezing in cracks and expanding is called this
frost wedging
Plants help reduce this process by holding soil in place
Soil erosion
These large planets are made mostly of gas and are farther from the Sun.
Jovian planets
The hottest and densest layer of Earth
inner core
Volcanic island arcs form at this type of plate boundary
convergent boundary
The process that moves weathered material from one place to another
erosion
Why does volcanic ash often increase soil fertility after eruptions
because ash contains minerals and nutrients that enrich soil
According to Kepler’s second law, planets move fastest when they are ____ to the Sun.
closer
Heat transfer through moving material inside the mantle is called this
convection
The process where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another
subduction
This type of weathering changes the chemical composition of rock
chemical weathering
This soil component is formed from decayed organic matter
humus