ESSS Unit 1 Vocabulary

Front

Latitude

Back

A geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the Earth's surface.

Front

Longitude

Back

A geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface.

Front

Hemisphere

Back

Half of the Earth, usually divided into Northern and Southern by the equator, or Eastern and Western by the prime meridian.

Front

Compass

Back

An instrument used for navigation and orientation that shows direction relative to the geographic cardinal directions.

Front

Equator

Back

An imaginary line around the middle of the Earth, equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole.

Front

Prime Meridian

Back

The planet's line of zero degrees longitude, which passes through Greenwich, England.

Front

Plate Tectonic Theory

Back

A scientific theory that describes the large-scale motion of Earth's lithosphere.

Front

Magma

Back

Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface.

Front

Lava

Back

Molten rock that has erupted onto Earth's surface.

Front

Mid-ocean Ridge

Back

An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics.