Plate Tectonics
What do we call the broken pieces of Earth's outer shell that move around?
Tectonic plates (or plates of Earth's crust).
What kind of information can scientists learn from a satellite picture that is hard to see from the ground?
Global weather patterns and cloud movement (satellite view).
What is the process called when rocks and soil are broken down into smaller parts?
Weathering.
What is land at the mouth of a river made of sediments called?
Delta.
On the Richter scale map, larger squares represent larger measurements of what earthquake property?
Magnitude/strength (the Richter scale measures earthquake magnitude).
What is molten rock called when it is below Earth's crust?
Magma. (magma below crust; lava when it reaches the surface)
Wetlands are shallow areas covered by water. Wetlands are able to absorb a tremendous amount of water. Which weather hazard could be reduced by preserving and restoring coastal wetlands?
Floods.
Which process moves materials from one place to another by wind, water, ice, or gravity?
Erosion.
What are sheets of very old ice the size of states called?
Glaciers.
When earthquakes happen underwater, what dangerous wave can result?
Tsunami.
What name is given to the area where two or more tectonic plates meet and show movement?
Fault (or plate boundary).
Which measurement device is used to record and study earthquakes?
Seismographs (seismometer).
Which human activity listed here causes erosion: planting trees, covering soil with vegetation, building offshore levees, or cutting down trees to make a road?
Cutting down trees to make a new road.
Which island chain was formed by repeated volcanic activity?
Hawaii was formed by volcanoes.
How many seismometers are needed at minimum to determine the epicenter of an earthquake?
Three seismometers.
What happens when tectonic plates suddenly slide past each other?
An earthquake occurs.
How are homes near the coast built to help prevent flooding from hurricanes?
They are built on stilts.
What is the name of the process where sand is dredged from the ocean and deposited back onto beaches to reduce erosion?
Beach reclamation (dredging and depositing sand).
Which landform forms when glaciers deposit till and create a pile of sediments?
Moraine.
Which common agent causes mudslides, landslides, and avalanches? (ice, water, gravity, wind)
Gravity (common agent for mudslides, landslides, avalanches).
What is the term for a chain of volcanoes and frequent earthquakes around the edges of the Pacific Ocean?
The Ring of Fire.
How can the damage caused by flooding be reduced?
Storm drains, levees, dams, etc.
Which of these is NOT a landform caused by deposition: moraine, rift valley, barrier island, or delta?
Rift valley is NOT caused by deposition.
How could a levee be changed so it would protect a town from higher flood waters?
Make the levee taller (increase height).
What is the purpose of a GIS map that helps planners and scientists?
A map of volcano and earthquake sites, or map of potential hazard zones for flooding.