Science
Another name for "mid-ocean ridges":
underwater mountain chains
From the view above Earth, the mid-ocean ridges (underwater mountain chains) look like/resemble:
the stitches on a baseball
Tool used to measure tectonic plate movement:
satellites
Tectonic plates are:
massive slabs of rock
The supercontinent began to break about:
200 million years ago
The deepest parts of the ocean:
trenches
These are responsible for the movement of tectonic plates in Earth's mantle (they move fluid in the mantle in a circular motion to balance temperature)
convection currents
cold water sinking as warm water rises in a circular motion- (boiling pot of water) is an example of this type of heat transfer:
convection
This is a specific example of CLIMATE evidence that proved a supercontinent once existed.
Tropical plant fossils were discovered in very cold places. Originally these plants grew on continents that were near the equator, so they MUST have drifted over time to colder locations.
The tectonic plates move only about:
1-10cm per year (very small movement)
The Pacific Plate region known to have the most volcanic eruptions on Earth is called the ________.
Ring of Fire
The hypothesis that suggested the slow movement of the continents overy time is called:
Continental Drift
The name of the supercontinent:
Pangaea
This type of plate boundary is where the plates come together.
CONVERGENT plate boundary
A logical explanation of events, including how things connect to one another:
theory
The continents must have broken apart slowly due to the movement of _______________.
TPs (Tectonic Plates)
Earthquakes and volcanoes most often occur at _______________.
plate boundaries
This type of plate boundary is where the plates slip past each other and cause a change to the land and ocean floor.
TRANSFORM plate boundary
This individual faced many challenges trying to prove that the supercontinent had broken up over time. This was mostly b/c geologists thought this man knew nothing about the Earth's mantle/crust since he was a meteorologist.
Alfred Wegener
Specific examples of FOSSIL evidence that prove a supercontinent once existed:
1) the same type of fern plant fossils were found on 5 different continents
2) the same reptile fossils have been found on multiple continents
These formed 55-60 million years ago, when India slowly collided with Asia due to TP movement.
Himalayan Mountains
This type of plate boundary is where the plates spread or move apart.
DIVERGENT plate boundary
This is the process where the ocean floor/crust becomes SO dense that it sinks underneath the mantle.
subduction
Specific examples of LAND features that prove a supercontinent once existed:
1) Scientists noticed that mountain ranges found on multiple continents matched up proving that certain continents were once connected
2) Coal desposits with the same plant remains were found in multiple regions that were once connected
As far as a specific location, most earthquakes and volcanoes happen on this plate.
Pacific Plate