Continental Drift Theory
Volcanoes
Landforms
Landforms (continued)
100
Who created the Continental Drift Theory?
Alfred Wegener, a German scientist
100
What happens when plates meet?
When two crustal plates comme together, one is forced on top of the other. The top plate folds, breaks and bends. As the plates slide over each other, the friction creates extremely high temperatures, and forms magma (molten rock) that explodes up through the cracks and breaks in the plates to the Earth's surface, creating a volcano.
100
What is a landform?
Natural physical features of the Earth's surface/land.
100
What are shields? Give an example of one.
Base of an ancient mountain region; the mountain is worn away leaving behind a rocky, rugged landform. An example of a shield would be the Canadian Shield.
200
What is Continental Drift?
Continental Drift is a theory that all continents were once united as one supercontinent called "Pangaea" around 250 million years ago and this supercontinent slowly started to move apart into the continents we know today over millions of years.
200
What is an island arc?
The pattern in ocean volcanoes where volcanic islands form a curved line or arc.
200
What are volcanoes? Give an example of one in the world.
Landforms created by magma escaping from below the Earth's surface. An example of a volcano would be Mount St. Helens in Washington State, U.S.
200
What are valleys? Give an example of one.
A low area/piece of land between mountains or hills, typically with a stream or river running through it. An example of a valley would be the Elora Gorge in Elora, Ontario.
300
Provide three examples of Landform Evidence of Continental Drift.
1) Eastern South American coastline fits into west African coastline like puzzle pieces. 2) Appalachian Mountains end abrutly at Newfoundland coastline but mountains of the same age and form occur in eastern Greenland, Ireland, Great Britain, and Norway. 3) Corallian Limestone can only form in tropical waters but can be found on Manitoulin Island (which suggests that North America must have drifted northward from somewhere warmer, closer to the equator).
300
What is the Pacific plate?
The tetonic plate that lies below the Pacific Ocean.
300
What are fold mountains. Give an example of one in the world.
Created by the action of the continents moving by holding rock layers upwards. An example of a fold mountain would be the Himalayas.
400
What is Fossil Evidence of Continental Drift? Provide an example.
Fossils found at different places around the world suggest that the continents were at one time linked into one large continent. For example, some fossil ferns can be found in all southern land masses.
400
What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
The pattern of volcanoes along the Pacific plate.
400
What are plains? Give an example of one.
A large area of relatively flat or gentry shopping land that usually formed under a large body of water; when the water disappeared, it left the flat bed of the ancient sea exposed. An example of a plain would be the Steppes in Eurasia.
500
Explain the theory provided by the Continental Drift Theory to how exactly continents drift.
Plates (large divisions of the earth's crust) float on the hot, plasticlike top layer of the mantle (the large middle layer of the earth between the crust and core).
500
What are plateaus? Give an example of one.
Land pushed up by continental rift; typically it is a piece of relatively flat high land with steep sides. It is often in between mountain ranges. An example of a plateau would be the central portion of the Western Cordillera.
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