EARTHQUAKE!!!!!
What causes an earthquake to happen?
Rocks along a fault move suddenly and release energy.
This hypothesis was modified into what we now know as the theory of plate tectonics
Continental drift
The three tectonic plate boundaries are known as this, that, and this... No relation to Optimus Prime
Convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries
Studies of the sea-floor revealed underwater mountain belt called these...
Mid-ocean ridges
A cloud of gas and dust, called this, pulled together and began to rotate some 4.6 billion years ago
Solar nebula
The theory of plate tectonics states that the Earth's surface is made of giant slabs called this
tectonic plates
This type of seismic wave can travel through the lithosphere, asthenosphere, and mesosphere but stops before reaching Earth's outer core
S waves
This person is responsible for presenting the hypothesis of continental drift
Alfred Wegener
This type of stress is likely to occur at convergent plate boundaries...
This is similar to the method Boa Constrictors use to kill their prey...
Compression
This is the process by which one tectonic plate is pulled under another.
Subduction
These three scientific processes were responsible for raising the temperature of Earth early on in its formation. I bet it saved a ton of money on its heating bill....
Collisions, gravity, and radioactive decay
Differences in temperature and pressure within this layer causes materials to slowly move
Asthenosphere
Most earthquakes happen at or near these
Plate boundaries
The super continent presented in the hypothesis of continental drift is known as this
Pangea
Two types of landforms, one continental and one oceanic, that form as a result of tectonic processes, but that occur far from plate boundaries would be...
continental: Tension can form fault-block mountains away from plate boundaries.
Oceanic: Volcanic island chains (Hawaii/Galapagos Islands) as a result of hot spots.
This process results when magma escapes from mid-ocean ridges and solidifies.
Sea-floor spreading
This is the process in which gravity pushes higher density materials downward and pulls less dense materials upwards.
Differentiation
The theory of plate tectonics states that continents aren't actually drifting but rather, that they are parts of this
Giant moving plates
Seismic waves travel faster through ridged rock than through flexible rock.
How can we expect seismic wave speeds to change from the asthenosphere to the mesosphere?
Overall, both P waves and S waves would increase in speed.
This is the main supporting evidence for the hypothesis of continental drift.
Interlocking shapes of present day coastlines
This type of stress is found at divergent boundaries
Tension
This process is the result of magnetic minerals in newly formed sea-floor aligning with the Earth's poles. Hopefully, Santa Claus has a compass...
...not that it would do him much good...
Magnetic reversal
Which process generated heat during Earth's formation that is still a source of heat in Earth's interior?
Radioactive decay
Tectonic plates are part of the lithosphere. The plates move however because of this physical layer
The Asthenosphere
Earthquakes can happen along different types of plate boundaries. Explain why and how an earthquake takes place along a transform boundary.
As two plates move past one another, rocks are deformed. When the rocks return to their shape through elastic rebound, energy is released, causing waves in the crust.
The Atlas Mountains located in Africa are part of the same mountain chain as the Appalachian Mountains in North America.
How does this evidence relate to the theory of plate tectonics?
This evidence shows that they were once a single mountain range when the continents were connected and were later separated as the continents drifted apart.
This type of landform can be formed at divergent plate boundaries. Want to climb them?
Fault-block mountains
Studying and dating the sea-floor has confirmed this idea, which also lends strong support to the theory of plate tectonics
Sea-floor spreading
How is the formation of the solar system similar to the differentiation of Earth into layers?
Earth's core contains the densest materials in the planet, and the sun and inner planets contain the densest materials in the solar system.
The theory of plate tectonics explains how plate motion relates to geological processes like this and this
Earthquakes and Volcanoes