Plate Tectonics
What is the name for the giant pieces of Earth's outer shell that slowly move?
Tectonic Plates
What is the term for the shape and features of Earth's surface, including mountains, valleys, and hills?
Topography
What natural event creates seismic waves when energy is suddenly released inside Earth?
Earthquake
What is the name of the scientific timeline that shows major events in Earth's history?
Geological Time Scale
What is the name of the force that pulls objects toward the center of Earth?
Gravity
What is the name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago?
Pangaea
What is the name for the height of land above sea level?
Elevation
What instrument records seismic waves from earthquakes?
Seismograph (or seismometer)
What is the name of the era when dinosaurs dominated Earth?
Mesozoic Era
Which layer of Earth is made mostly of liquid iron and nickel?
Outer Core
What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates move away from each other?
Divergent Boundary
On a topographic map, what do contour lines connect?
Points of equal elevation
Which seismic waves travel the fastest and arrive first at a recording station?
P-waves (Primary Waves)
What is the name of the current geological era, sometimes called the "Age of Mammals"?
Cenozoic Era
If you find a fossil of a sea creature on top of a mountain, what does that tell you about the mountain's history?
The rock was once underwater and was later uplifted.
What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates slide past each other?
Transform Boundary
On a topographic map, do contour lines that are very close together show steep or flat land?
Steep land
Which seismic waves can travel through solids but not liquids?
S-waves (Secondary Waves)
Put these three eras in order from oldest to most recent: Cenozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic.
Paleozoic ---> Mesozoic ---> Cenozoic
Scientists discover matching rock layers on two continents separated by an ocean. What does this suggest about the continents?
The continents were once connected.
When two tectonic plates collide and one sinks underneath the other, what is this process called?
Subduction
Two points on a topographic map have elevations of 200 meters and 650 meters. What is the difference in their elevations?
450 meters
Scientists discovered Earth's outer core is liquid because which type of seismic wave cannot travel through it?
S-waves
What major event happened approximately 66 million years ago, marking the end of the Mesozoic Era?
If tectonic plates suddenly stopped moving, name TWO geological processes or events that would be affected.
Mountain building, earthquakes, volcanic activity, seafloor spreading, or subduction.