Earth's Structure
What are the three main layers of Earth?
core, mantle, crust
How many plates are there on earth?
12
What is a fault?
a crack in earth's crust (or a crack that forms when rocks break and move past each other)
What is a batholith?
a large mass of igneous rock that forms underground
What two active things can you find on the ring of fire?
earthquakes and volcanoes
What comes out of a volcano before it erupts?
ash
What is continental drift?
the continents slowly movement of continents over Earth's surface
What is the theory of plate tectonics?
Earth's lithosphere is broken into pieces that move slowly over earth's surface
What happens to rocks when they are put under stress?
They break apart, or deform and change shape
(break apart is fine as an answer, but the full answer will be on the test).
What is the famous plate boundary in California?
San Andreas
What are 2 effects volcanoes or earthquakes can have on land?
They can damage trees/wildlife, kill people, destroy buildings and roads, etc.
Why will the earth look different in the future?
Answers vary - because the plates are always moving (something similar to this is acceptable)
What did Alfred Wegner try to prove?
Pangaea - the supercontinent (or continental drift works too)
Where do plates meet? (What is it called?)
Boundaries
Name 2 types of faults.
Reverse fault, normal fault, strike-slip faults (any 2)
What two plates make up the boundary in California?
Pacific and North American
They use submarines or ROVs, they use sound echo equipment to determine how deep it is, etc. (answers can vary)
What did they find that proved the continents could once have been joined together?
fossils on the sides of the continents oceans away from one another
What creates the magnetism on the ocean floor?
minerals
What are the 3 types of boundaries where plates meet?
Transform, convergent, divergent
What are the three types of mountains?
Folded mountains, fault-block mountains, and volcanic mountains
What valuable mineral is found on the foothills of Sierra Nevada?
Gold ore
What is one way earthquakes and volcanoes affect the ocean?
They can cause tsunamis, deep ocean trenches, warm up ocean water from steam coming out of crust (etc. -answers vary)
What can happen if you live along a fault line?
Roads and fences can be disturbed, there can be earthquakes or volcanic activity (either answer or something similar is acceptable)
What is magnetic reversal?
When the poles switch places
What is a convection current?
when hot material rises in the mantle and cold material sinks
What are the 2 types of folds and how are they shaped?
syncline and anticline, one is u-shaped, one is n-shaped (not on the test)
What caused the mountains in California to form?
The plates colliding and causing a lot of compression that pushes up the crust
(plates colliding or compression is acceptable, but you need the full answer for the test)
What are 2 ways scientists study volcanoes and earthquakes?
they collect and study rocks, they use GPS to measure movement of land, they measure seismic activity, they use thermal imaging cameras, (etc. - answers can vary)
Where have our earth's oldest rocks come from?
outer space