Earth Science Notes PDF

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Vocabulary of Earth Science...

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~Earth Science Notes~ Abrasion A type of mechanical weathering caused by the scraping and scratching of rocks by loose particles that are transported over the rocks by wind, water, glaciers, etc.

Absorb to take in matter or energy (related word: absorption)

Acid Any substance with a pH less than 7; acids turn blue litmus paper red (related word: acidic)

Acid Rain Rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm, typically to forests and lakes. The main cause is the industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels, the waste gases from which contain sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which combine with atmospheric water to form acids.

Action Movement; something that happens (related words: move, moving)

Ancient extremely old

Animal an organism that is made of many cells, cannot make its own food, and can move during at least part of its life; a member of kingdom Animalia

Anus The opening at the end of the digestive track where feces exit the body

Asteroid A small object made of rock or metal that orbits the sun

Asthenosphere The layer of soft but solid mobile rock found below the lithosphere. The asthenosphere begins about 100 km below Earth's surface and extends to a depth of about 350 km; the lower part of the upper mantle.

Barrier (Island) Offshore land area parallel to the coastline

Bedrock The layer of solid rock located beneath the soil on Earth

Blood Tissue that brings oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body and removes wastes from the cells of the body

Blood Vessels Tubes in the body through which blood flows

Breathe to take in air and let out air (related words: breath, breathing)

Canyon A deep valley carved by flowing water

Carbon Dioxide A colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air (about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis

Cave Chamber or cavern, typically formed underground by natural processes

Cell The basic unit of all living things (related word: cellular)

Cell Division The process in which a cell splits in two; part of the process in which cells reproduce

Chemical A substance that has a unique composition and properties; it may exist as a solid, liquid, or gas

Chemical Weathering Changes to rocks and minerals on Earth's surface that are caused by chemical reactions

Chlorophyll a green pigment that traps energy from the sun

Chromosome A tightly wound bundle of DNA and proteins found in the nucleus of most living cells

Circulatory System The system that transports blood and other fluids throughout the body

Climate the current or past long-term weather conditions characteristic of a region or the entire Earth.

Cloud a collection of water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere

Comet A body of ice and dust that travels in a long, narrow orbit around the sun

Continent A continent is a large continuous mass of land. There are seven continents on Earth. From largest to smallest, they are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Europe and Asia are sometimes considered a single continent called Eurasia. The shapes and sizes of the continents vary. All of the continents except Antarctica are wider in the north than they are in the south.

Continental Drift the movement of Earth's continents relative to each other

Core the innermost layer of Earth, made up mainly of iron and nickel (related terms: inner core, outer core)

Cycle A depression in the ocean floor that ranges from a few feet to several miles in depth

Cytoplasm The liquid in the inside of a living cell

Data measurements or observations (related word: datum)

Delta A fan-shaped mass of mud and other sediment that forms where a river enters a large body of water

Depend to rely on

Dependent Variable a factor, trait, or condition that is affected when another factor, trait or condition is changed in a scientific experiment

Deposit An amount of rock or soil that has been laid down in an area; to drop.

Digestion The process by which the body breaks down food so that it can be used for energy (related word: digest)

Digestive System The body system that breaks down food into tiny pieces so that the body's cells can use it for energy

Dissolve To add a solid material to a liquid in such a way that its particles completely disperse

into the liquid, usually becoming invisible within the liquid (related word: dissolution)

DNA Found in the nucleus of a cell, a long nucleic acid molecule containing the genetic instructions for the development and functioning of all living organisms; abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid

Earth The third planet from the Sun; the planet on which we live (related words: earthly; earth - meaning soil or dirt)

Ecosystem All the living and nonliving things in an area that interact with each other

Egg An animal's female reproductive cell (related word: ovum)

Energy Transfer The transfer of energy from one organism to another through a food chain or web; or the transfer of energy from one object to another, such as heat energy

Environment All the living and nonliving things that surround an organism

Erosion The removal of weathered rock material. After rocks have been broken down, the small particles are transported to other locations by wind, water, ice, and gravity.

Esophagus A muscular tube that helps move food from the mouth to the stomach

Evaporation The process in which matter changes from a liquid to a gas (related word: evaporate)

Exfoliation a mechanical weathering process in which thin layers of rock on the outer surfaces of outcrops or other rock features break off, often creating dome-shaped patterns

Fault a crack in a body of rock that the rock can move along (related word: faulting)

Fluid a substance that can flow when pressure is put on it

Force A pull or push that is applied to an object

Fossil Fuels A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Fossil Record the information about Earth's history that can be gathered from fossils

Function The kind of action or activity specific to a thing or person

Gametes The reproductive cells: egg (female) or sperm (male)

Gene The basic unit of heredity in a living organism; a segment of DNA or RNA

Glacial Striations Long scratches or grooves caused by a moving glacier

Glacier A large mass of ice resting on, or overlapping, a land surface

Granite a coarse-grained, intrusive, felsic igneous rock composed primarily of quartz, mica, and feldspar

Gravity A force that exists between any two objects that have mass (related word: gravitational)

Groundwater Water stored below Earth's surface in soil and rock layers

Heart The muscular organ of an animal that pumps blood throughout the body

Heat the transfer of thermal energy

Hurricane a storm with strong winds and rain that forms over tropical waters (related term: typhoon, tropical cyclone)

Hypothesis a prediction based on background knowledge saying what is expected to happen in an experiment; an explanation as to why something happened based on what was observed

Igneous Rock A type of rock that forms when melted rock cools and hardens

Independent Variable in an experiment that is a fair test; the variable that a scientist changes

Landform A large natural structure on the earth's surface such as a mountain, a plain, or a valley

Latitude angular distance north and south of the equator

Lava melted rock on Earth's surface

Limestone a kind of sedimentary rock: Some kinds of limestone are made from ancient sea shells.

Lithosphere the part of Earth which is composed mostly of rocks; the crust and outer mantle

Liver An organ of the digestive system that makes chemicals to help the body break down

fats and rid itself of harmful substances

Lungs Organs of the respiratory system that bring oxygen-rich air into the body and send oxygen-poor air out of the body

Magma melted rock located beneath Earth's surface

Mantle the layer of solid rock between Earth's crust and core

Meiosis The cell division process that creates egg and sperm cells

Metamorphic Rock One of the major types of rock that is created from previously existing rock by the action of intense heat and pressure

Mineral A natural, solid substance found in rocks; each mineral has a specific chemical makeup

Mitosis the process of cell division where one cell splits into two identical cells

Model A simulation of a real thing or process

Molecule

two or more atoms joined together (related word: molecular)

Mouth Part of the digestive system that takes food into the body

Muscle an organ of the muscular system: Muscles can be either voluntary, such as a biceps, or involuntary, such as heart muscle. (related word: muscular)

Natural Resources Resources that are obtained from the earth

Newton's First Law An object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force. It may be seen as a statement about inertia, that objects will remain in their state of motion unless a force acts to change the motion.

Newton's Second Law The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.

Newton's Third Law For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.

Nonrenewable Resource A resource that cannot be replaced in a short period of time or at all.

Nucleous The central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth.

Nucleus The center of an atom containing protons and neutrons (related term: nuclei, nuclear); a region in a cell that is surrounded by a membrane and contains genetic material

Ocean A large body of salt water that covers most of Earth

Ocean Basin A depression in the ocean floor that ranges from a few feet to several miles in depth

Orbit The circular path of an object as it revolves around another object

Oxidation a chemical reaction in which oxygen combines with another substance; for example, when metal rusts

Oxygen An element that makes up about 21% of Earth's atmosphere; a gas in Earth's atmosphere and in water that living organisms breathe

Parasite A parasite is an organism that lives on or in another organism. It takes nourishment from its victim. Some parasites do not harm the host organism. Others may actually cause it to die or become weak and sickly.

Different fungi feed off a host and may cause diseases. These parasites reproduce in the host's body and can overcome its natural defenses.

Pigment A material that reflects a particular color of light; can be used to change the color of other materials (related word: pigmentation)

Plant An organism that is made up of many cells, makes its own food through photosynthesis, and cannot move; a member of kingdom Plantae

Plateau An area of land at a high elevation with a flat surface

Plucking The action of a glacier picking up and carrying away debris from rock surfaces

Precipitation Water that is released from clouds in the sky; includes rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain

Pressure The force per unit area exerted on an object

Protein A nutrient used by animals

Radioactive Dating measurement of the amount of radioactive material (usually carbon 14) that an object contains; can be used to estimate the age of the object

Rain Liquid water that falls from the sky

Renewable Resource A natural resource that can be replaced

Respiration the process of taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide from the body; also the process in which cells use oxygen to get energy from food

Respiratory System The system of the body that brings oxygen into the body and releases carbon dioxide

Ridge a group of connected mountains that form a line or a chain

River A large body of water flowing through land on either side

River big body of water flowing through

Rock Cycle the process during which rocks are formed, change, wear down, and are formed again over long periods of time

Rock Layer a layer or line of rock above or below another body of rock

Saliva A fluid in the mouth that helps digest food

Sea Arch Hoop-shaped structure formed by wave action on cliffs

Sea Cave Hollow or cavern formed by wave action

Sediment Solid material, moved by wind, water, and other forces, that settles on the surface of land or the bottom of a body of water

Sedimentary Rock A type of rock formed by gravity pressing fragments of other rocks and minerals together as they settle on land or under the ocean over a long period of time

Sedimentary Rock a type of rock formed by gravity pressing fragments of other rocks and minerals together as they settle on land or under the ocean over a long period of time

Seismic having to do with earthquakes or earth vibrations

Seismograph an instrument used to detect and measure earthquakes and other ground vibrations

Sinkhole Surface feature resulting from collapse of a cave

Solar System A system of objects that revolve around a star

Solution A mixture in which a solid and a liquid or two liquids are mixed so evenly, that it is not possible to see the separate particles

Space The large, empty part of the universe that doesn't contain any matter

Species a group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can mate with each other to produce offspring

Stalactite Structure descending from the roof of a limestone cave

Stalactites These are icicle shaped drip stone features that hang down from the ceiling of caves formed by groundwater deposition.

Stalagmite Structure rising from the floor of a limestone cave

Stalagmites Steep mounds or spikes of calcium carbonate that grow up from the floor of a cave.

Star A massive ball of gas in outer space that gives off heat, light, and other radiation

Stomach A muscular organ in the body where chemical and mechanical digestion take place

Stream A small body of flowing water

Sugar A chemical compound that organisms use for energy

Sun A star which planets revolve around

Surface The top of an object; the outside of an object; the boundary between two objects or materials

Symbiotic Relationship between organisms in which one depends on the other

System a group of related objects that work together to perform a function

Tectonic Plate one of several huge pieces of Earth's crust

Theory A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or Phenomena

Trachea

the tube in the body through which air moves as it travels to and from the lungs; the windpipe

Tsunami a giant ocean wave (related word: tidal wave)

Valley A low area of land between two higher areas, often formed by water

Vapor Water in the gaseous state of matter

Water A compound made of hydrogen and oxygen

Water Vapor The gaseous form of water; produced when water evaporates

Weathering The physical or chemical breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller pieces or aqueous solutions on Earth's surface

Wind The movement of air due to atmospheric pressure differences...