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| A region of Earth’s outer shell beneath the lithosphere. The asthenosphere is of indeterminate thickness and behaves plastically. |
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| Gases that envelop Earth. |
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| All of the living or once-living material on Earth. |
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| A concept suggesting that continents move over Earth’s surface. |
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| A boundary between two plates that are moving toward each other. It is useful to describe convergent boundaries by the character of the plates that are involved: ocean-continent, ocean-ocean and continent-continent. |
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| The central zone of Earth. |
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| The outer layer of rock, forming a thin skin over Earth’s surface. |
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| What scientists regard as facts. |
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| Boundary separating two plates from moving away from each other. |
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| Study of Earth by analyzing how its component, or subsystems, interrelate. |
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| Material is in equilibrium if it is adjusted to the physical and chemical conditions of its environment so that it does not change or alter with time. |
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| The physical removal of rock by an agent such as running water, glacial ice, or wind. |
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Definition
| The scientific study of the planet Earth. |
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| Geosphere (solid Earth system) |
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Definition
| Solid earth system. The rock and other inorganic material that make up the bulk of the planet. |
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| The water on or near Earth’s surface. |
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| A rock formed or apparently formed from solidification of magma. |
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| Concept of vertical movement of sections of Earth’s crust to achieve balance or equilibrium. |
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| The rigid outer shell of Earth, 70 to 125 or more kilometers thick. |
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| Molten rock, usually mostly silica. The liquid may contain dissolved gases as well as some solid materials. |
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| A thick shell of rock that separates Earth’s crust above from the core below. |
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| A rock produced by metamorphism. |
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| A giant mountain range that lies under the ocean and extends around the world. |
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| A theory that Earth’s surface is divided into a few large, thick plates that are slowly moving and changing in size. Intense geologic activity occurs at the plate boundaries. |
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Definition
| A means of gaining knowledge through objective procedures. |
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| Loose, solid particles that can originate by (1) weathering and erosion of preexisting rocks, (2) chemical precipitation from solution, usually in water, and (3) secretion by organisms. |
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Definition
| Rock that has formed from (1) lithification of any type of sediment, (2) precipitation from solution, or (3) consolidation of the remains of plants or animals. |
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Definition
| Elongate region in which subduction takes place. |
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Definition
| The sliding of the sea floor beneath a continent or island arc. |
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| Forces generated from within Earth that result in uplift, movement, or deformation of part of Earth’s crust. |
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| An explanation for observed phenomena that has a high possibility of being true. |
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Definition
| Boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other. |
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