Earth Spheres & Structure
Sphere that includes all water on Earth?
Hydrosphere
Who proposed continental drift in 1912?
Alfred Wegener
Decade when plate tectonics theory emerged?
1960s
Instrument that records earthquakes?
Seismograph
Volcano type with gentle slopes, formed by fluid basaltic lava?
Shield volcano
Most common rock type in the mantle?
Peridotite
Name of the supercontinent Wegener described?
Pangaea
Process where one plate sinks beneath another?
Subduction
Point on Earth's surface directly above the focus?
Epicentre
Term for a volcanic mudflow from melting snow/ice?
Lahar
Name of the boundary between crust and mantle?
The Mohorovičić Discontinuity
Study of past climates, used as evidence for Pangaea?
Paleoclimatology
Type of boundary where plates slide past each other?
Transform boundary
Which seismic wave arrives first – P wave or S wave?
P wave
Term for volcanic activity caused by a stationary mantle plume?
Hot spot
What two metals make up Earth's core?
Iron and nickel
Term for continents' coastlines fitting together like puzzle pieces?
Coastline fit
Type of boundary that forms fold mountains like the Himalayas?
Convergent (continental-continental) boundary
Term for the sudden release of stored energy in rock during an earthquake?
Elastic rebound
Term for fragments of rock and ash ejected during an eruption?
Pyroclastics
Name of the mantle layer directly below the lithosphere where convection currents occur?
Asthenosphere
What could Wegener NOT explain, which delayed acceptance of his theory?
The mechanism/force causing the continents to move
Which plate subducts when an oceanic and continental plate converge?
oceanic plate
Which Chinese dam was linked to the 2008 magnitude 7.9 earthquake?
Zipingpu Dam
Which island chain formed from a hot spot under the Pacific Plate?
The Hawaiian Islands