What are the four most common states of matter?
# States of matter
- Solid. In solids, constituent particles are very close to each other. The freedom of movement in solids is less.
- Liquid. Liquids come between solids and gases. The constituent particles in liquids are close to each other.
- Gas. Gases have neither a definite volume nor a definite shape. ...
- Plasma. Plasma is the last fundamental state of matter. ...
What state of matter has the most energetic particles?
Solids:
- have a fixed volume and a fixed shape
- cannot flow, because their particles cannot move from place to place
- cannot be compressed, because their particles are close together and have no space to move into
What state of matter is least compressible?
What states of matter are compressible? In general, Gases are the most compressible and solids are the least compressible. The main reason for this is the intermolecular forces which determine the physical state of a substance by altering the intermolecular spaces.
What is the least common state of matter on Earth?
plasma ___________ is the most common state of matter in the universe, but it is least common form on Earth. electrically; ionized Particles in plasma are _________ charged, or_________.
What is the crust?
crust. Encyclopedic Entry. Vocabulary. “ Crust ” describes the outermost shell of a terrestrial planet. Our planet ’s thin, 40-kilometer (25-mile) deep crust—just 1% of Earth’s mass—contains all known life in the universe. Earth has three layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.
How is continental crust formed?
As with oceanic crust, continental crust is created by plate tectonics. At convergent plate boundaries, where tectonic plates crash into each other, continental crust is thrust up in the process of orogeny, or mountain-building.
What are the most abundant rocks in the Earth's crust?
The most abundant rocks in the crust are igneous, which are formed by the cooling of magma. Earth’s crust is rich in igneous rock s such as granite and basalt. Metamorphic rock s have undergone drastic changes due to heat and pressure. Slate and marble are familiar metamorphic rocks.
What are the layers of the Earth?
Earth has three layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core. The crust is made of solid rock s and mineral s. Beneath the crust is the mantle, which is also mostly solid rocks and minerals, but punctuated by malleable areas of semi-solid magma. At the center of the Earth is a hot, dense metal core . Earth’s layers constantly interact ...
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
Sedimentary rock s are formed by the accumulation of material at Earth’s surface. Sandstone and shale are sedimentary rocks. Dynamic geologic forces created Earth’s crust, and the crust continues to be shaped by the planet’s movement and energy.
Where is the oldest crust in the world?
The oldest existing oceanic crust is in the Ionian Sea, part of the eastern Mediterranean basin. The seafloor of the Ionian Sea is about 270 million years old. (The oldest parts of continental crust, on the other hand, are more than 4 billion years old.)
Where are the cratons found?
These parts of the continental crust are usually found deep in the interior of most continents. Cratons are divided into two categories. Shield s are cratons in which the ancient basement rock crops out into the atmosphere.
What is the crust?
The crust is a thin but important zone where dry, hot rock from the deep Earth reacts with the water and oxygen of the surface, making new kinds of minerals and rocks. It's also where plate-tectonic activity mixes and scrambles these new rocks and injects them with chemically active fluids.
What is the crust of Earth?
The Earth's crust is an extremely thin layer of rock that makes up the outermost solid shell of our planet. In relative terms, it's thickness is like that of the skin of an apple. It amounts to less than half of 1 percent of the planet's total mass but plays a vital role in most of Earth's natural cycles.
Why is the Moho boundary not a perfect boundary?
The Moho isn't a perfect boundary because some crustal rocks and mantle rocks can masquerade as the other.
What is the mantle made of?
However, most of those rocks originated as either granite or basalt. The mantle beneath is made of peridotite.
How much of the Earth's surface is covered by oceanic crust?
Oceanic crust covers about 60 percent of the Earth's surface. Oceanic crust is thin and young -- no more than about 20 km thick and no older than about 180 million years. Everything older has been pulled underneath the continents by subduction. Oceanic crust is born at the mid-ocean ridges, where plates are pulled apart.
How old is the continental crust?
Continental Crust. Continental crust is thick and old -- on average about 50 km thick and about 2 billion years old -- and it covers about 40 percent of the planet. Whereas almost all of the oceanic crust is underwater, most of the continental crust is exposed to the air.
What are the elements that make up the continental crust?
The incompatible elements that end up in the continents are important because they include the major radioactive elements uranium, thorium, and potassium. These create heat, which makes the continental crust act like an electric blanket on top of the mantle.
