Earth's Layers
What are Earth's 3 main compositional layers?
Crust, Mantle, Core
How do scientists detect seismic waves?
Seismographs all around the planet detect and record ground motion.
Which layer of Earth is made of plates that can move?
Lithosphere
Who proposed the hypothesis of continental drift?
Alfred Wegener
mid-1900s
Which two of Earth's layers are made of metals and cause Earth's magnetic field? (BONUS +100 label if they are solid or liquid)
Outer (liquid)and Inner Core (solid)
Fill in the blank: Seismic waves are waves of ________.
Energy
Which layer of the Earth is made of magma and has convection currents that move the magma in a cycle motion?
Mantle
What is the hypothesis of continental drift?
That today's continents were once part of a single landmass.
Define subduction.
The process by which one tectonic plate is pulled beneath another plate.
What happens to temperature, density, and pressure as you move from the crust down to the inner core?
Temperature, density, and pressure all increase as you move from the crust down to the inner core.
What causes seismic waves?
Earthquakes and explosions
RESEARCH QUESTION - DAILY DOUBLE (600 POINTS)
What are the three mechanisms that cause plate movement?
Mantle convection, Ridge push, and Slab pull
What is the name of the scientist that first observed that continent's coastlines seem to match up?
Abraham Ortelius
What is sea-floor spreading?
The process by which new sea floor forms.
What are Earth's 5 physical layers?
lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core
DAILY DOUBLE (600 points)
What has the study of seismic waves revealed about Earth's interior?
P and S waves travel through the Earth differently. Studying them has revealed locations and properties of Earth’s layers!
Ex. density, state of matter, thickness, and location!
What is the theory of plate tectonics?
The theory of plate tectonics states that Earth’s surface is made up of giant, moving slabs called tectonic plates.
Coal deposits and past glacial movement fall under what category of evidence for continental drift? (the section's red heading)
Climatic Evidence
Rock further away from mid-ocean ridges is older or younger that rock near mid-ocean ridges?
(Properties of the sea floor)
older
Research Question! 4 MINUTES
How did Earth's layers form?
Earth's spherical core and concentric layers around it formed by the process differentiation.
List two methods and/or data that add to our understanding of Earth’s interior (besides seismic waves).
Mantle rocks from volcanic eruptions, meteorites from space, and Earth’s density and magnetic field.
What is the name of the supercontinent that existed 300-200 million years ago?
Pangaea
Summarize how rocks and fossils are supportive evidence of continental drift.
Subjective.
Magnetic reversals, volcanic activity, and earthquake zones are all evidence of _.
The theory of plate tectonics.