Social Studies: Planet Earth
Which of the Earth's four spheres is made up of the gases that surround the Earth?
atmosphere
The Earth receives different amounts of energy from the Sun in each hemisphere because __________.
axis is tilted
Which of the Earth's spheres is made up of all living things?
biosphere
Straits, estuaries, and gulfs are all examples of __________.
bodies of water
Which landform is a deep valley with high walls, often formed by the movement and flow of water?
canyon
Lichen and fungi slowly causing rocks to break down is an example of what process?
chemical weathering
At a convergent boundary, two plates __________.
collide
After he observed that South America and Africa fit together like pieces of a puzzle, Alfred Wegener developed the theory of __________.
continental drift
What is the Earth's outermost layer?
crust
As rivers carry sediment to the ocean, they can create triangular plains called __________.
deltas
a landform that is naturally lower than its surroundings
depression
Seafloor spreading and rift valleys occur at __________ boundaries.
divergent
What are the three types of plate boundaries?
divergent, convergent & transform
When is the number of hours between day and night completely equal?
equinox
What is the process of rock and sediment being carried away from its original location?
erosion
Which body of water is formed at the mouth of a river where saltwater and freshwater meet?
estuary
What are the four natural forces that can cause erosion?
gravity, wind, water & ice
Which of the Earth's four spheres is composed of all the water on Earth?
hydrosphere
Which layer of the Earth is extremely hot and completely solid?
inner core
What are the four layers of the Earth?
inner core, outer core, mantle & crust
Which type of landform is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses?
isthmus
Hills, plateaus, and canyons are all examples of __________.
landforms
Continents and islands are examples of large landforms called __________.
landmasses
How were the world's tallest mountain ranges formed?
large pieces of the Earth's crust collided
Which of the Earth's spheres is made up of the Earth's crust and the land on its surface?
lithosphere
Which layer of the Earth is the thickest layer and is a liquid layer made of molten rock
mantle
Which of the following bodies of water is the largest?
ocean
Which layer of the Earth is a liquid made of melted nickel and iron?
outer core
Which of the following physical features is a piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides?
peninsula
Which process is happening to a rock that is slowly breaking down over time due to extreme desert temperature changes that cause stress in the rock?
physical weathering
Tectonic activity happens when changes to the Earth's crust are caused by the movement of the Earth's __________.
plates
The theory of plate tectonics states that the Earth's crust is broken into many pieces called __________.
plates
to move around another object
revolve
to spin around in place
rotate
Small rocks that have been broken down by weathering and erosion are called __________.
sediment
At a divergent plate boundary, two plates __________.
separate
When is the difference between hours of day and night the greatest?
solstice
Equinoxes happen twice each year at the beginning of which seasons?
spring and fall
Which of the following physical features is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water?
strait
when one plate is pushed beneath another
subduction
Solstice days happen twice each year at the beginning of which seasons?
summer and winter
Of the eight major planets, what is the Earth's place in the solar system?
third
What causes Earth's seasons?
tilted axis
a boundary where two plates are sliding past each other
transform
What sculpts the coastline by breaking down rock and delivering sand to beaches?
waves
The slow breakdown of rock into sediment or soil is called __________.
weathering
rocks are slowly broken down into sediment or soil
weathering
