UNIT4 VOCAB

3. The process where one tectonic plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle.
4. waves Vibrations that travel through Earth, produced by earthquakes or explosions.
5. The layer of gases that surrounds a planet, such as Earth.
8. The process where Earth’s lithosphere is pulled apart, forming a rift valley.
10. Primary seismic waves that are the fastest and travel through solids, liquids, and gases.
12. The transfer of heat through the movement of fluids such as liquids or gases.
13. The process by which plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food.
14. A supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, comprising all the Earth’s landmasses.

1. decay The process by which unstable atomic nuclei lose energy by emitting radiation.
2. The amount of mass per unit volume of a substance.
5. A natural light display in Earth’s sky, typically seen in polar regions, caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the atmosphere.
6. The thick layer of rock between Earth’s crust and core.
7. Effect The apparent deflection of moving objects caused by Earth’s rotation.
9. effect The warming of Earth’s atmosphere caused by gases trapping heat from the sun.
10. tectonics The theory explaining the movement of Earth’s plates and the activity at their boundaries. Oblate spheroid: A sphere that is slightly flattened at the poles and bulged at the equator, like Earth.
11. Secondary seismic waves that are slower than P-waves and only travel through solids.