Name given to the top portion of Earth's mantle.

A sudden, natural event where change and destruction can occur without any prior knowledge such as an earthquake or volcano.

When minerals bind together to form sedimentary rock.

Breaks rock down by creating new substances.

How minerals break in unique ways.

When sediments are buried deeply placing them under a lot of pressure and pushing them together tightly to form sedimentary rock

The least dense layer of Earth.

Theory that Earth's continents were once joined in a super-continent called Pangaea and slowly moved over time.

The transfer of heat in fluids with different densities such as in Earth's mantle and core.

Where two lithosphere plates collide creating mountains, earthquakes and/or volcanoes.

Dense layer made up of solid metals such as iron and nickle.

Dense layer made up of liquid metals

Outermost, least dense, and solid layer of Earth.

This is a measure of mass mass per unit volume or how close atoms are within a substance.

Process where wind, water or ice adds a layer of sediments to make sedimentary rocks.

A geologic event that occurs when rock moves violently due to the forces of tension, compression or shearing.

The movement of sediment or rock by wind, water, ice or gravity.

The formation of rock by the rapid cooling of magma.

Forms when two continental plates collide and push rock and fold them upward such as the Himalayan mountains

Nonrenewable resources that burn to produce energy.

Volcanic Islands formed far from plate boundaries due to a rising mantle plume such as Hawaii.

Rock formed by melting and cooling of magma.

The formation of rock by the slow cooling of magma forming crystals.

Types of terrain found on Earth's surface such as mountains, volcanic arcs, trenches, or ridges.

Describes magma that has left the Earth's interior.

Solid outermost layer of Earth that includes both the crust and upper mantle.

Molten rock located beneath the surface of the Earth

Thick layer of Earth that surrounds the Earth's core and lies beneath the crust and made up of molten rock.

When rocks are broken down without any chemical change.

Rocks formed by heat and pressure

Natural solid substance

Thinner more dense layer of Earth's lithosphere

A natural resource mined because it is useful.

Theory that the Earth's crust is in large sections and are in motion due to the movement of the Earth's mantle.

Landform found along mid ocean ridges at divergent plate boundaries

Tectonic plate boundary in the Pacific Ocean where volcanoes and earthquakes are very common.

Model that shows the changes rocks continuously undergo.

Occurs at mid-ocean ridges where new crust is formed and slowly moves away from the ridge.

Formed by the weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction and cementation of sediments.

Area where two tectonic plates move towards one another and one slides underneath the other

Steep canyon in the ocean caused by subduction at some convergent plate boundaries.

The physical or chemical breakdown of larger rocks into smaller sediments.

Observations about a substance that do not chance the substance such as luster, conductivity, color and texture.

Observations about a substance that do change the substance such as the ability to burn to produce energy, or reactivity to acids.

Force pulling apart

Force pushing together

Force pushing and pulling from side to side

Lithospheric plates moving across one another causing only earthquakes.

Created by divergent plate boundaries creating new crust.

An ancient super-continent where all the continents were once believe to be connected.

Cracks in Earth's crust caused by tension, compression, and shearing.

Energy released by earthquakes

Created by converging oceanic, oceanic crusts

Created by converging continental, oceanic crusts

This is an example of a hot spot located in the middle of the Pacific Ring of Fire

An example of a transform plate boundary in California

Forms from the deposition of sediment carried by a river where it enters an ocean or sea.

Smaller grains of rock created by weathering that form sedimentary rock.

A wearing away or rubbing away by friction.

A well tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.

To give a picture of; to describe.

Display information using diagrams or a logical form.

To include; contain.

Important and meaningful.

To confirm, support, corroborate.