Plate Tectonics & Earth’s Structure
The theory that Earth’s outer shell is divided into large moving plates.
Plate Tectonics
The process where liquid water changes into water vapor.
Evaporation
The long-term pattern of weather in a region.
Climate
A large region with a specific climate and types of plants and animals.
Biome
Natural resources that can be replaced relatively quickly (such as wind or solar power).
Renewable Resources
Molten rock beneath Earth’s surface.
Magma
The process of removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable.
Desalination
The warming of Earth caused by gases trapping heat in the atmosphere.
Greenhouse Effect
A community of living organisms interacting with their environment.
Ecosystem
Natural resources that take millions of years to form and can run out.
Nonrenewable Resources
The process where one tectonic plate slides under another plate.
Subduction
Water stored underground in soil or rock.
Groundwater
An area on the dry side of a mountain where little rain falls because mountains block moist air.
Rain Shadow
The variety of different plant and animal species in an area.
Biodiversity
The clearing or cutting down of large areas of forest.
Deforestation
A crack in Earth’s crust where movement occurs.
Fault
An underground layer of rock or sediment that holds groundwater.
Aquifer
Long-term changes in Earth’s temperatures and weather patterns.
Climate Change
When plants and animals lose their natural living spaces.
Habitat Loss
Harmful substances introduced into the environment.
Pollution
A sudden natural event such as an earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption that can cause major damage.
Natural Disaster
A large, slow-moving mass of ice that forms from compacted snow.
Glacier
The breaking down of rocks by wind, water, ice, or plant roots.
Weathering
Protecting and carefully managing natural environments and wildlife.
Conservation
The movement of rock and soil from one place to another by wind, water, or ice.
Erosion