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APES Geology 1

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206324403Cenozoic Era"Age of Mammals" 65 mya - present; characterized by rapid radiation of mammals
206324404Paleozoic Era543 mya - 252 mya; rapid radiation of fish and amphibians
206324405Mesozoic Era"Age of Reptiles" 252 mya - 65 mya; reptiles were dominant life form, ended after Cretaceous Period with mass extinction of dinosaurs
206324406geologic time scalethe division of Earth history into blocks of time--eons, eras, periods, and epochs. The time scale was created using relative dating principles.
206324407eraa geologic time unit; a subunit of eocs, and composed of multiple periods
206324408Precambrian Era4.6 billion to 544 million years ago; life developed as bacteria and softbodied, multicelled organisms. First mass extinction probably occurred near the end of the Precambrian
206324409corethe central part of the Earth; containing both the inner and the outer core
206324410mantlethickest layer of the Earth; contains the plastic asthenosphere and a solid portion where convection currents are found
206324411crustthe thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle
206324412lithospherethe solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle
206324413asthenosphereThe solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere; made of mantle rock that flows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it
206324414igneous rockrock formed by the solidification of molten magma
206324415sedimentary rockA type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together
206324416metamorphic rockrock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions
206324417erosion(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
206324418weatheringthe decomposition and disintegration of rocks and minerals at the earth's surface by a mechanical and chemical process
206324419tectonic platea piece of the lithosphere that moves around on top of the asthenosphere
206324420continental driftthe gradual movement and formation of continents (as described by plate tectonics)
206324421seafloor spreadingthe process that creates new sea floor as plates move away from each other at the mid-ocean ridges
206324422pangaea(plate tectonics) a hypothetical continent including all the landmass of the earth prior to the Triassic period when it split into Laurasia and Gondwanaland
206324423plate boundarythe region where two tectonic plates are in contact
206324424convection currenta current caused by the rising of heated fluid and sinking of cooled fluid
206324425fault(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
206324426circum-pacific ring of firea zone of intense eartquake and valcaanic activity that that encircles the Pacific ocean basin; also calle the Circum-Pacific Belt.
206324427transform boundarythe boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally
206324428convergent boundaryboundary between two colliding plates, often associated with mountain building ocean trenches and volcanic islands
206324429divergent boundaryboundary between tectonic plates in which the two plates move away from each other, and new crust is created between them
206324430subduction zonethe region where an oceanic plate sinks down into the asthenosphere at a convergent boundary, usually between continental and oceanic plates

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