Topography
What is topography
The shape and features of Earth's surface, including hills, valleys, mountains, and plains.
What happens at divergent plate boundary?
Plates move apart from each other, creating new crust
What are the four main layers of the Earth, from the outside to the center
Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
What is a volcano
An opening in Earth's crust through which magma, gases, and sometimes ash escape
What is a fault
A fracture in Earth's crust where rocks move
What is elevation, and how is it measured
Elevation is the height of a location above sea level. It is usually measured in meters or feet.
The San Andreas Fault in California is famous for frequent earthquakes, but it does not produce volcanoes. What type of boundary is this?
Transform Boundary
Which layer is the thinnest
The crust
What is the difference between magma and lava
Magma is molten rock underground; lava is molten rock at Earth's surface
What causes most earthquakes
The sudden movement of rocks along faults
On a topographic map, what do contour lines represent
Contour lines connect points that have the same elevation.
What major geological feature is most commonly formed when two continental plates collide at a convergent boundary?
Fold Mountain, like the Himalayas
What is the difference between the outer core and inner core?
The outer core is liquid metal; the inner core is solid metal.
What are the three main types of volcanoes
Shield volcanoes, cinder cone volcanoes, and composite volcanoes
What type of stress pulls rocks apart
Tension
If contour lines are very close together, what does that tell you about the steepness of the land
The land is steep because the elevation changes significantly over a short horizontal distance.
When an oceanic plate and a continental plate collide, the oceanic plate always subducts beneath the continental plate. What is the fundamental property responsible for this?
Density difference
How do temperature and pressure change deeper inside Earth?
Both generally increase with depth.
Why do some volcanoes produce more explosive eruptions than others
Magma with high silica content is often more viscous and traps gases, increasing pressure
What is the difference between a normal fault and a reverse fault
In a normal fault, one block moves down; in a reverse fault, one block moves up
A topographic map has contour lines labeled 100 m, 120 m, 140 m, and 160 m. If a hilltop is between the 140 m and 160 m contour lines, what can you conclude about its elevation, assuming no other contour information is available
The hilltop is between 140 m and 160 m above sea level, assuming those contours bracket the hilltop.
The Andes Mountains in South America feature high peaks alongside an active volcanic arc and offshore deep-earthquake zones. What specific tectonic setting produces this complex geography?
Subduction of an oceanic plate beneath a continental plate
How does movement in the outer core create Earth's magnetic field
Moving liquid metals generate electric currents that produce the magnetic field
How can tectonic plate boundaries cause volcanoes to form
At subduction zones, melting produces magma; at divergent boundaries, rising mantle material can melt and form magm
Two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other. What type of fault is likely present, and what hazard can occur
A strike-slip fault; earthquakes can occur