Term 3 Vocab

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Across
  1. 4. a layer of silicate rock between the crust and the outer core; it is predominantly solid, but on geologic time scales it behaves as a viscous fluid
  2. 6. galaxy a galaxy exhibiting a central nucleus or barred structure from which extend curved arms of higher luminosity
  3. 11. the system of gases that surrounds Earth
  4. 14. the system on Earth that contains all the living things below, on the surface, above the ground, and in the water and the biotic and abiotic factors required for life; made of all the ecosystems on Earth
  5. 16. a minor planet of the inner Solar System; any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not resolve into a disc and does not have characteristics of an active comet such as a tail
  6. 18. cyclone an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds (74 mph or greater), and heavy rain
  7. 20. the various patterns of movement of water and air driven by interactions among the geosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), and atmosphere (air), with inputs of energy from the sun
  8. 21. a mature tropical cyclone that develops the Northeast Pacific Ocean
  9. 24. All the surface and ground water in a area draining to a particular body of water.
  10. 25. tide a tide just after a new or full moon when there is the greatest difference between high and low water
  11. 27. rock rock that is created by cooling lava on Earth's surface (extrusive) or magma that cools or solidifies in the crust of Earth (intrusive)
  12. 28. tide a tide just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is least difference between high and low water
  13. 29. current horizontal and vertical streams of circulation in ocean waters that are produced by gravity, wind friction, temperature differences, and water density variation in different parts of the ocean
  14. 32. tectonics the generally accepted scientific theory that describes the process by which tectonic plates of Earth's lithosphere are slowly moving and interacting due to convection currents in the mantle; provides an explanation for the current and former positions of continental landmasses, earthquakes, and volcanoes
  15. 33. the weather conditions prevailing in an area over multiple decades
  16. 36. water in a watershed, natural water that is at the surface or has not penetrated much below the surface of the ground; drainage water
  17. 37. the system on Earth that contains all of the liquid and frozen water on Earth's surface as well as groundwater below the surface and water vapor in the atmosphere
  18. 38. a thin layer on the outside of Earth, accounting for less than 1% of Earth's volume
  19. 39. core the innermost geologic layer of planet Earth; it is primarily a solid ball believed to be composed of an iron-nickel alloy with some other elements
Down
  1. 1. spot a place in Earth's upper mantle where hot magma from the lower mantle upwells to melt through the crust usually in the interior of a tectonic plate to form a volcanic feature
  2. 2. the action or process of clearing of forests
  3. 3. the geologic law that states that sedimentary layers are deposited in a time sequence, with the oldest on the bottom and the youngest on the top
  4. 5. system system consisting of the Sun and a collection of objects of varying sizes and conditions—including planets and their moons—that are held in orbit around the Sun by its gravitational pull on them
  5. 7. cycle the process that moves carbon between plants, animals, microbes, minerals in the Earth, and the atmosphere; the cycle of carbon in Earth's ecosystems in which carbon dioxide is fixed by photosynthetic organisms to form organic nutrients and is ultimately restored to the inorganic state (as by respiration and combustion)
  6. 8. move in a curved path around the central mass of a system
  7. 9. impact result that occurs when a rocky, metallic, or icy body that had been orbiting the Sun passes through the atmosphere and hits the Earth's surface
  8. 10. gases gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, specifically carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases
  9. 12. rock rock that has been modified from existing rock by heat and pressure
  10. 13. a mature tropical cyclone that develops over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean
  11. 15. core a fluid layer about 2,260 km thick, composed of mostly iron and nickel, that lies above Earth's solid inner core and below its mantle
  12. 17. galaxy a galaxy that has a generally elliptical shape and that has no apparent internal structure or spiral arms
  13. 19. the system on Earth that contains the solid land and is subject to plate tectonics
  14. 22. galaxy a galaxy that does not have a distinct regular shape
  15. 23. in a watershed, water that seeps through the ground and is stored below the Earth's surface
  16. 26. mass a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content
  17. 30. a small rocky or metallic body in outer space, also called meteoroids, that are significantly smaller than asteroids and range in size from small grains to one-meter-wide objects
  18. 31. rock rock that has formed through the deposition and solidification of sediment through the processes of compaction, cementation by heat, and pressure
  19. 33. a careful preservation and protection of something
  20. 34. Way galaxy the spiral-shaped galaxy of which the Sun and Earth's Solar System are located and contain the myriads of stars that create the light of the Milky Way
  21. 35. an icy, small solar system body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases that produce a visible atmosphere, or coma, and sometimes also a tail