Glossary
A
- asteroids
- - Smaller bodies in the solar system - planetoids
- atmosphere
- - The layers of gases that surround the earth
- Aurora Australis
- - Southern lights - caused by charged particles in the earth's atmosphere
- Aurora Borealis
- - Northern lights - caused by charged particles in the earth's atmosphere
- axis
- - An imaginary pole that runs through the earth from the north pole to the south pole - earth orbits around it
C
- carbon dioxide
- - Poisonous gas that exists in the atmosphere
- comets
- - A frozen body that orbits the sun
- compass
- - A tool for finding north - uses a magnet
- cones
- - Remnant of a volcano that has a pointed formation
- convection
- - Transfer of heat through the circulation of heated matter
- currents
- - Flow of water in the ocean - river like
D
- domes
- - Remnant of a volcano that has a bowl shape formation
E
- Earth Day
- - April 22 - celebration of the earth
- earthquakes
- - Shifting of tectonic plates causes disturbances in the crust of the earth
- electrons
- - Small particles of an atom
- ellipse
- - Shaped like a flattened circle
- evaporate
- - To change from a liquid into a vapor
G
- geographic pole
- - The geographic location recognized as the north or south pole - never changes - 90 degrees from the equator
I
- inner core
- - The center most portion of the earth
M
- magnetic field
- - An invisible force that reacts with other matter
- magnetic pole
- - The location on the earth that reacts with magnets - attracts a magnet
- mantle
- - Layer of the earth which is molten - lies just below the crust
N
- navigate
- - travel
- Northern hemisphere
- - Northern half of the earth between the equator and the north pole
O
- outer core
- - Layer of the earth between the mantle and the inner core
- oval
- - Shaped like a flattened circle
P
- Pangaea
- - Ancient continent made up of all of the current continents into one large and mass
- perpendicular
- - At right angles to the horizon or
- photosynthesis
- - the process plants use to turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugar energy
- precipitation
- - Rain, snow, sleet, or hail
- protons
- - Small particles of an atom
R
- radiation
- - Energy transferred by the sun or other bodies
S
- solar wind
- - A flow of charged particles from the sun
- Southern hemisphere
- - Southern half of the earth between the equator and the south pole
- sphere
- - A geometric shape like a ball - 3 dimensional circle
T
- tectonic plates
- - Plates of the crust which float on the mantle
V
- volcano
- - An opening in the earth's crust from which lava can flow
W
- water cycle
- - The hydrologic cycle in which water goes through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
