Vocabulary
What is the hypothesis that the continents slowly drifted to their current positions after having been part of a single, giant landmass that broke apart?
Continental Drift
Who first discovered the continents moved?
Abraham Ortelius
What does the term Pangea mean?
"all lands"
What are Earth's three layers?
Mantle, crust, core
True or False: Volcanoes and earthquakes never occur near each other and in certain parts of the world.
False
What is the process by which the rocks on either side of the mid-ocean ridge slowly pull away from each other, allowing molten rock to rise, solidify, and form new seafloor?
Seafloor Spreading
True or False: Everyone believed Wegner's idea of continental drift right away?
False
What two continents were referred to as one continent?
Europe and Asia (Eurasia)
True or False: The core is the hottest layer of the Earth.
True
What is the zone of heavy volcanic and earthquake activity that surrounds the Pacific Ocean?
The Pacific Ring of Fire
What is the scientific theory that the lithosphere is made up of rigid pieces, called tectonic plates, that move across Earth’s surface?
Plate Tectonics
What name did Wegner give the supercontinent that drifted apart?
Pangea
What was kind of fossil was a mesosaurus?
An extinct reptile (dinosaur)
What is the crust beneath the ocean called?
Oceanic crust
True or False: Most of the world’s volcanoes and earthquakes are located along the edges of continents and ocean basins and along island chains.
True
What is the process by which a collision between two tectonic plates forces the denser plate under the less dense plate?
Subduction
Who was Alfred Wegener?
He thought that the continents had once been part of a single landmass.
What kind of fossil was glossopteris?
A plant fossil (fern)
What is the outermost layer of Earth's lithosphere that makes up the planet's continents?
Continental crust
What is the difference between a dormant and active volcano?
dormant volcano: an active volcano that is has not erupted in awhile, but could erupt again
active volcano: a volcano which is either erupting or will erupt soon
What is a prediction or statement based on limited evidence that can be tested by observation and experimentation?
Hypothesis
Who was Abraham Ortelius?
A mapmaker that first noticed that the continents once fit together like a puzzle.
How did Wegner support his theory of continental drift?
He found the same fossils, rock formations, and mountain ranges on different continents.
What is it called where the crust and the rigid outer layer of the mantle form?
Lithosphere
What are seismic waves?
The vibrations caused by earthquakes