according to the theory of continental drift____
according to the theory of continental drift continents don't stay in one place they slowly drift in different directions.
millions of years ago, the continents were all joined together in a super continent called____
Pangaea
what is the definition of tectonic plates.
broken pieces of Earth's lithosphere.
what happened to Pangaea
Overtime, the tectonic plates moved and caused the continents to drift apart.
what is the definition of fossils
traces of organisms preserved in rocks.
Fossils of the same ancient plant and the same fresh water reptile were found in different continents. What does this evidence suggest?
This suggests that separate land masses were once joined together, as part of Pangaea
Overtime, different types of rocks are built up in____
Layers
we can see that different types of rocks have____
Changed over many years
The law of superposition states that____
In undisturbed layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest layer is at the top.
The geosphere is composed of the_____
And it includes____
Rocks, Metals, and minerals that make up most of Earth's mass.
mountains, soil, sandy beaches, and caves.
The Geosphere is broken into four different layers
the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core.
the goesphere layers are made____
metal and rock
the rock cycle is____
the series of processes that occur on Earths surface, crust, and mantle that slowly change rocks from one kind to another
the rock cycle involves____
weathering, erosion, cooling and melting, and cementation and heat and pressure
Earths materials are_____
changed and recycled through the rock cycle.
crust_____
outermost layer.
ranges from 5-70 km thick
lightest, thinnest, most rigid, and coolest layer
Mantle____
layer of hot solid rock
made of iron and magnesium
Earths thickest layer
Differences in the pressure and temperatures between the crust and the mantle can create magma
what is magma
a molten mixture of rock forming substances, gases, and water from the mantle.
Outer core -
composed of molten, or liquid, iron and nickel
under very high pressure but is still liquid because of the extremely high temp.
scientists think that the movement of this liquid creates Earth's magnetic field.
Inner core -
made of solid metal
Earth's densest layer
furthest from the surface
composed of iron and nickel
extreme pressure squeezes atoms of iron and nickel
cant become a liquid
rapid events____
quickly change Earth's surface.
what is the surface?
the the outside of the top layer of earth
what are rapid events?
events such as an earthquake
Volcano -
opening in Earth's surface
erupt or explode suddenly
when lave cools it forms rock
what is an earthquake
shaking of the ground
what can earthquakes cause
the surface of the earth can crack and shift
can cause the ground to rise or fall
these changes are rapid
Density =
mass divided by volume
volume of rock =
final volume minus initial volume