Grade 3 - Geology Test

Oceans

5 large bodies of water that are connected and make up most of the Earth's water

Continents

Earth's 7 largest landmasses

Magma

melted rock in the mantle

Tectonic Plates

Large areas dividing the Earth's surface

Earthquakes

Shaking of land that occurs when a fault moves suddenly

Faults

large cracks in the Earth's surface

Focus

Exact place where an earthquake occurs

Epicenter

Place on the surface of Earth directly above the focus

Tsunami

Large mass of moving water caused by a strong earthquake under the ocean

Volcano

Releases magma, cinders, ash and gases

Fossils

Formed when animal tracks and imprints of plants are made in sediment

Weathering

breaking apart of rocks

Erosion

Natural process of moving rocks and sediment

Soil

Mixture of rock, sediment and organic matter

What are the 3 ways tectonic plates move?

Collide, slide and separate

Crust

outermost layer of Earth

Mantle

layer just below crust

Outer Core

third layer of Earth

Inner Core

center of Earth

Organic layer

made up of decaying plants and animals

Topsoil layer

mixture of humus and sediment; worms, insects and animals live here

subsoil layer

has less humus and fewer living things

rock layer

last layer; mixture of loose rock and clay; no humus

Metamorphic rock

Formed by heat and pressure

Sedimentary

formed when sediment builds up and presses on lower layers of sediment

Igneous

formed when magma cools and hardens below the Earth's surface or after a volcano erupts