Tectonic Plates
convergent, divergent and transform
What are the three types of plate boundaries?
This rock type forms when magma cools.
What is igneous rock?
To turn any rock into an Igneous rock, it must first undergo this process, followed by cooling.
What is melting?
This is the name of the supercontinent that existed about 300 million years ago before the plates drifted apart.
What is Pangea?
Often triggered by underwater earthquakes or landslides, this is a massive series of ocean waves that can travel at the speed of a jet plane.
What is a tsunami?
This occurs when a denser oceanic plate sinks beneath a lighter continental plate and melts back into the mantle.
What is subduction?
These rocks are formed deep underground by intense heat and pressure without actually melting.
What is metamorphic rock?
This is the process in which sediments are compacted together to form rock.
What is lithification?
This German meteorologist is credited with first proposing the theory of Continental Drift in 1912.
Who is Alfred Wegner?
These are volcanic regions, like Hawaii or Yellowstone, that form in the middle of a tectonic plate rather than at the edges.
What are hotspots?
These are the circular movements of heating and cooling magma in the mantle that act like a "conveyor belt" to move the tectonic plates.
What are convection currents?
Because of the way they are formed, this is the only one of the three rock types that can contain fossils.
What is sedimentary rock?
True or False: A Metamorphic rock can turn into a Sedimentary rock without becoming Magma first.
What is TRUE?
Before he had the technology to prove plate movement, Alfred Wegener used these two types of evidence found on separate continents to support his "Continental Drift" theory.
What are fossils/mountain ranges/types of rock etc.?
This 25,000-mile horseshoe-shaped area in the Pacific Ocean is home to 90% of the world's earthquakes and 75% of its active volcanoes.
What is the ring of fire?
This is the specific landform created when two continental plates pull apart at a divergent boundary, such as the famous one in East Africa.
What is a rift valley?
This specific type of igneous rock forms when magma cools inside the Earth, usually resulting in large, visible crystals.
What is intrusive igneous rock?
While most rocks form from minerals, this specific sedimentary rock (often used for energy) is made entirely from the pressurized remains of ancient plants rather than sand or silt.
What is coal?
This specific mountain range in the Eastern U.S. perfectly matches the age and structure of the Scottish Highlands across the Atlantic.
What are the Appalachian Mountains?
This type of tall, majestic volcano (like Mt. St. Helens) is built from alternating layers of lava flows and explosive ash eruptions.
What is a stratovolcano (or composite)?
This is where the youngest rock in the Atlantic ocean lives.
What is the mid-Atlantic rift zone?
This extrusive igneous rock can float on water.
What is pumice?
Given the two types of crust on Earth, this particular type of crust is much OLDER than the other.
What is continental crust?
The main plate boundary that broke apart Africa and Europe from North and South America.
What is the mid-Atlantic rift zone (divergent boundary)?
When a volcano erupts so violently that the magma chamber empties and the top of the mountain collapses inward, it creates this giant, bowl-shaped hole.
What is a caldera?