Which layer of planet earth is the hottest?
The core
What happens when 2 plates move, stick, and release causing a jolt of the earth's crust?
An earthquake
A vent, crater, magma chamber, and conduit are parts of _____.
a volcano
Tectonic plates move about __________ distance per year.
One or a few centimeters a year
When the mountain falls into the empty magma chamber this is formed.
Volcanic crater
The first complex ocean animals (such as jellyfish) first appeared on the planet during which era?
Precambrian Era, 500-600 million years ago
When plates move toward each other, crashing into one another in slow motion (which can form mountains), it's called a __________ plate boundary
When tectonic plates move away from each other, it's called a ______ plate boundary.
Divergent
In which geologic ERA are we currently living?
Cenozoic Era (in the quaternary period)
Name the three types of volcanoes.
Shield, Composite, and Cinder-cone volcanoes
How old is Planet Earth?
Approximately 4.5 billion years old
What causes the tectonic plates to move?
Heat! Magma in the mantle rises up and then moves downward again, causing a circular pattern of movement underneath the crust which pushes / pulls the plates slowly.
When two tectonic plates move past each other in opposite directions, scraping together as they go, it is called a ____________ plate boundary.
Transform
Which is longer: an era or a period of geologic time?
An era is longer than a period.
In which time period did mammals first appear on the planet?
Late in the Triassic period, alongside some species of dinosaurs