How is the Earth Changing? Vocabulary

Front

Seismicity

Back

The location and frequency of earthquakes (where and how often).

Front

Magma

Back

Molten (melted) rock that flows beneath the Earth’s crust.

Front

Lava

Back

Hot molten or semi-fluid rock that erupts out of the ground.

Front

Magma Reservoir

Back

A chamber within or beneath a volcano that fills (and empties) with magma and gas.

Front

Explosive Eruption

Back

A violent eruption that sends lava, ash, gas, and other fragments into the atmosphere.

Front

Effusive Eruption

Back

A relatively calm eruption where lava flows out of the volcano, often along a line called a fissure.

Front

Tectonic Plate

Back

Pieces of the Earth's outermost rigid layer that fit tightly together.

Front

Ocean Trench

Back

A long, narrow deep canyon found in the ocean at tectonic plate boundaries where oceanic crust subducts underneath continental crust.

Front

Mid-Ocean Ridge

Back

An extremely long mountain range found in oceans at tectonic plate boundaries.

Front

Rift Valley

Back

A valley that occurs at the crest (top) of a mid-ocean ridge or on land where two plates meet.