Chapter+2+Terms

Hydrosphere- Oceans, lakes ,rivers, and other bodies of water make up part of the earth The earth has a very big hydrosphere. Lithosphere Land on the Earth Humans live on the lithsophere of the Earth. Biosphere-The part of Earth that supports life. Humans can live because of living in the biosphere. Continental Shelf- An underwater extension of the coastal plane. Fish can live on the continental shelf. Mariana Trench-A narrow trench Many breeds of fish live in the mariana trench.

· Accretion-A process in which pieces of the Earth’s crust come together slowly. · Accretion was how the marina trench was formed.

· Spreading-Another process in which sea plates pull apart. · Spreading can result in a deep sea trench.

· Folds- when plates squeeze together until the surface buckles. · Folds are bends in layers of rocks.

· Faults-Faults are when plates grind past each other. · The San Andreas is a very famous fault line in California.

Mantel- thick middle layer of the Earth’s interior structure, consisting of dense, hot rock ** The mantel began to crack underneath the Earth’s surface causing a volcano to form. ** Continental Drift- the theory that continents were once joined and then slowly drifted apart ** The Continental Drift states that Africa and North America were once connected millions of years ago. ** Plate Tectonics- the term scientists use to describe the activities of continental drift and magma flow, which create many of earth’s physical features ** The plate tectonics soon formed a volcano underneath the ocean surface. ** Magma- molten rock that is pushed up from the Earth’s mantle ** The magma from the volcano oozed from the top, and formed rocks after cooling. ** Subduction- a process by which mountains can form as sea plates dive beneath continental plates ** The mountain range underneath the ocean was formed by subduction. **

Ring of Fire: this is an area of volcanic and earthquake activity surrounding the pacific ocean. Weathering: this is the chemical or physical processes, such as freezing, that breaks down rocks. Erosion: this is the wearing away of the earth’s surface by wind, flowing water or glaciers. Glaciers: these are large bodies of ice that move across the earth’s surface.