Plate Tectonics
What conclusions did Alfred Weneger draw from the evidence he gathered from other scientist's discoveries? Page 7
Present day continents had been joined as one huge land mass long ago.
Explain the relationship between weathering and erosion.
Weathering happens when wind and water wear away the earth. Erosion happens when wind and water carry away the earth as a result of weathering.
What causes earthquakes?
Earthquakes happen when tectonic plates slide past each other, , slam into each other, one slides under the other (subduct), or when they move apart.
How is igneous rock formed? Page 54
Magma erupts onto Earth's surface as lava. The lava cools and hardens into rock.
How do scientists know sea levels used to be higher? Page 4
They found layers of rock on mountain peaks that contained fossils.
What is the process called when the continents broke apart and drifted away from each other? Page 12
Continental Drift
Explain how a glacier can cause weathering and erosion. Page 69
When a glacier melts it moves carrying shrubs, trees, and rocks with it wearing away the earth in its path.
Why do volcanoes often happen where earthquakes occur?
Tectonic plates allow pressurized lava and water to escape causing an eruption. Tectonic plates are also where earthquakes happen.
How is metamorphic rock formed? Page 58
When igneous or metamorphic rock are exposed to extreme heat or pressure, they change or become metamorphic.
What does an underwater earthquake cause?
A tsunami
Name the layers of the earth. Page 14
Crust, Mantle, Outer core, Inner Core
Explain how tree roots can cause weathering. Page 63
Tree roots squeeze into the cracks in rocks, they grow, wedge into the cracks, forcing the crack to get wider and break apart.
What is the deepest trench in the ocean? Page 88
Mariana Trench. It is over 36,000 feet beneath the ocean's surface.
How is sedimentary rock formed? Page 56
Tiny bits of rock and sand combine with fossils. Layers form one top of each other. Over long periods of time layers are squeezed together. Sediments become glued together.
How are underwater mountains (seamounts) formed? Page 87
Seamounts are formed from underwater volcanoes.
How is it possible for large pieces of Earth (tectonic plates) to drift apart. Page 15
The slow moving material in the middle of the mantle contributes to the crust movement.
What is the difference between chemical weathering and physical weathering?
Physical weathering is created by nature such as wind, water, and animals. Chemical weathering is caused by acid rain; rain mixed with oxygen and/or carbon dioxide.
What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
The Pacific Ring of Fire is where there are more than 450 active volcanoes on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Name one of each type of rock from the rock cycle: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
Igneous: granite, basalt, obsidian
Sedimentary: limestone, sandstone
Metamorphic: gneiss, marble
How do hydrothermal vents form?
As seawater sinks down through cracks, the water is heated to incredible high temperatures which dissolve basalt minerals and billow out of the ground.
The theory that Earth's crust and the solid top part of the mantle are broken up into sections that fit together but move against each other. Glossary
Plate tectonics
What created the Grand Canyon? Page 70
Weathering and Erosion. Wind and water carved the Grand Canyon (weathering). Wind and rain carried the sediments away (erosion).
What is a fault?
A fracture or crack in the Earth's crust.
What determines the texture (how grainy or smooth the rock becomes) of igneous rock? Page 54
How quickly or slowly the lava cools determines how grainy or smooth the rock becomes.
What living things live near hydrothermal vents?
Tube worms, white crabs, clams, blind shrimp.