Vocabulary Review

The theory that the crust is divided into large pieces called tectonic plates that slowly move on top of the mantle

A place where two tectonic plates move toward each other and collide

The boundary between two tectonic plates moving toward each other, resulting in volcanic activity when a denser oceanic plate subducts, or moves below, a continental plate or another oceanic plate

form when rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids or, more commonly, some combination of these factors.

the idea that natural processes have operated in the same way throughout the past and present, and will continue to do so in the future.

temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed, and air quality measurements

the process by which rocks and minerals break down at the Earth's surface

The solid layer with plasticity in the upper mantle that is located just below the lithosphere; lithospheric plates “float” and move on this layer

The process of determining an approximate computed age in archaeology and geology

are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation.

This principle states that layers of rock are superimposed, or laid down one on top of another. The oldest rock strata will be on the bottom and the youngest at the top.

the process by which natural forces, like water or wind, wear away and transport materials like soil or rock

the remains of the actual organisms.

a collection of fossils documenting the history of life on Earth.

the kind which form when molten rock cools down to a solid-state.

a geological process that describes the transformation of rocks between the three main types: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary

Any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing of a former geologic age

the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed and found beneath the surface of the Earth

divides up the history of the earth based on life-forms that have existed during specific times since the creation of the planet.

the process of laying down sediment and a phase transition in matter

layers of rock, or sometimes soil

preserved evidence of the interactions between organisms and their environment, such as footprints, burrows, nests, or feces.

the idea that natural processes have operated in the same way throughout the past and present, and will continue to do so in the future.

the preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past.

The process that formed and changed Earth from its beginning to the present