MI-STAR 7.2b Vocab

Front

What are gradual changes?

Back

Changes that may be continuously occurring but are so small that they are barely noticed over short time scales but could be measured/observed over very long time scales.

Front

What is the atmosphere?

Back

The layer of gas that surrounds the Earth.

Front

What is weathering?

Back

The breaking down of rocks and minerals on Earth's surface, often due to physical and chemical processes.

Front

What natural process can change the amount of rock matter over time?

Back

Surface weathering can remove material from the rock.

Front

What is the hydrosphere?

Back

The parts of Earth that are water.

Front

What is erosion?

Back

The process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by natural processes such as wind or water.

Front

What is deposition?

Back

The process by which sediments, soil, and rocks are added to a landform or land mass.

Front

What is the biosphere?

Back

The global sum of all ecosystems; it is the zone of life on Earth.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

The rigid outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Front

What is a longshore current?

Back

A current that moves parallel to the shore, caused by waves hitting the shore at an angle.