Plate Tectonics Theory
Earthquakes
Earth's Interior
Volcanoes
Extra Q's
100

the boundary where two plates collide

convergent plate boundary
100
is the sudden movement or vibration of the ground that occurs when rocks slip and slide along enormous cracks in Earths crust called faults.
earthquake
100
a long narrow depression that forms in between the peaks along the mid ocean ridge. This also forms new oceanic crust.
rift valley
100

A common ingredient in most magma. Magmas with high viscosity contain more silica.

silica
100
Thermal energy transfer within Earth's interior create mantle these that give rise to geothermal activity. 
hot spots
200

the boundary between two plates that are moving apart. the mid ocean ridge is an example of this.

divergent plate boundary
200

A crack in the Earths crust along which rock has moved

fault
200

are areas on Earths surface where no seismic waves are recorded.

shadow zones
200

is the measure of a fluids resistance to flow. fluids with LOW viscosity flow more easily than fluids with high viscosity. The viscosity of a fluid decreases as its temperature increases.

viscosity
200
Hess proposed that a MOR is produced by a process called this.
seafloor spreading
300

the name of the process in which the thicker and bouyant continental plate meets a thin and dense oceanic plate, the denser tectonic plate dives beneath the continen

subduction
300

the point of origin for an earthquake

focus

300

the boundary between two layers of material that have different densities

discontinuity 
300
large steep sided often thousands of meters high and tens of kilometers across the base and composed of layers of BOTH: lava and ash. One example of this would be Mt. St. Helens.
composite volcanoes
300
The collision of two plates along a subduction zone can also cause large earthquakes capable of producing these.
tsunamis
400

the type of boundary where plates slide horizontally past each other in opposite directions. The San Andreas Fault in California is an example of this.

transform plate boundary

400
the point on Earths surface directly above the origin
epicenter
400
this is the crust and uppermost mantle, combined. made of solid rocky material.
lithosphere
400

Are small volcanoes that have short eruption cycles. They produce high temperature, gas rich, mafic lava. These products are ejected into the air explosively as a porous dark colored rock.

cinder cone volcano 
400
Earthquakes are most common along which one of the plate boundaries?
transform plate boundaries
500

a system of mountain ranges on the seafloor separated by valleys. It is produced by a process called seafloor spreading

mid ocean ridge

500

this is the energy that gets created from the sudden release of rocks that have been stressed to the maximum that releases along a fault line. This is the energy that produce the seismic waves.

elastic rebound
500

A plastic like layer of the upper mantle. The lithosphere rides on top of the asthenosphere. The tectonic plates move on top of the asthenosphere.

asthenosphere

500
are broad flat structures composed of layer upon layer of lava flows. They form from high temperature, gas poor mafic magmas that can travel far distances.
shield volcano 
500
Have Earthquakes happened in Iowa?

Yes! The largest Iowa earthquake shook Davenport in 1934, and Iowans felt the most recent quake southwest of Shenandoah in 2004. Iowa was one of only four states that did not have an earthquake between 1975 and 1995.

M
e
n
u