Glossary of Terms

Amber- A hardened resin made of old and dried tree sap

Asthenosphere- A plastic, or flowing, layer of earth within the mantle
Cast- A fossil that has minerals and/or rock materials that replaced the organic material
that decomposed.
Crust- Brittle and rocky outer layer of the earth
Crystal- A solid material where the molecules fit together in a repeating pattern causing
different types of unique shapes.
Crystallization-The process of forming crystals
Crystal Shape- The visible external shape of the material.
Erosion- When rocks are broken down into smaller fragments
Facets- Flat surfaces of the crystals
Fossil- The remains or impressions of a prehistoric organism.
Fossilization- The process of replacing organic material with mineral or rock substances
Igneous rock- Rock that is formed through the cooling and solidifying of magma or lava.
o Extrusive Igneous- Rock that is formed when magma rises to the earths surface
and hardens.
o Intrusive Igneous- Rock that is formed when magma cools and hardens below the
earths surface.
Imprint- Fossils that no longer have material where the original organic material used to
be
Inner Core- Dense metallic center of earth (liquid)
Lithosphere- The rigid layer of the earth that includes the crust and the uppermost mantle
Magnetosphere- The outer part of the earths magnetic field
Magma- Liquid rock
Mantle-The thick middle layer in the solid part of the earth.
Metamorphic- Rock that was one of the other two forms but due to heat and pressure has
been changed into a different rock form.
Mixture- A non-chemical combination of two or more materials
Mold- A fossil that was once exposed but decomposed and left a print in a rock
Nickel- a specific type of metal.
Outer Core- Dense metallic center of earth (solid)
Petrified- Organic matter that has been changed into a stony substance
Sedimentary- Rock that is formed by deposits of sediment being solidified together by
water, glaciers, or wind
Trace Fossil- Fossils made of plants or any non-living remains of an animal
Weathering- The process of rock fragments being moved by a force of nature.