Misc.
Supercontinent that included all current land masses, and believed to have been in existence before the continents broke apart during the Triassic and Jurassic Periods.
Pangaea
Theory that continents move slowly along the ocean floor and were at one time together forming Pangaea
Continental Drift
The large broken sections of the lithosphere that cover the earth.
Plates
Theory that chunks of the earth’s lithosphere slowly move around- Replaced Continental Drift Theory.
Plate Tectonics Theory
Tool used to measure the intensity of an earthquake
Seismograph
A graph or record on paper measuring the movement of land during an earthquake or shaking of the land.
Seismogram
A fault in which two or more plates are colliding
Convergent Boundary
A fault in which two or more plates are spreading apart
Divergent Boundary
A fault in which two or more plates are sliding past each other
Transform Boundary
When an oceanic plate collides with & goes under a continental or oceanic plate destroying the oceanic plate.
Subduction
Movement of magma due to temperature differences. (Hotter material rises, cooler material sinks)
Convection Currents
Lithosphere or plate that is thick with low density that is made from the crust and solid part of the mantle
Continental Crust
Lithosphere or plate that is thin with high density that is made from the crust and solid part of the mantle.
Oceanic Lithosphere
Regions thought to be fed by the mantle and through which magma reaches the surface forming volcano chains.
Hot Spots
Natural physical features on earth’s surface created by various forces of nature such as tectonic plates, wind, water & ice.
Landform
Based upon Wegener's idea of Continental Drift, which of the following would he most likely have disagreed with?
The ocean floor was changing its position over time.
Look at the piece of evidence below then choose the best response.
"Fossils of the Glossopteris fern-like plant were found in southern Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India."
This evidence supported both continental drift and Plate Tectonics Theory.
Which of the following was probably the most important in helping the idea of continental drift to become changed to Plate Tectonics Theory?
The technology became better and gave clearer evidence.
When the crustal plates move they sometimes push into each other causing the land to thicken and become taller. What type of geologic landform might this form?
Mountains might be forming.
What is one difference between Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics?
Plate tectonic theory said that the plates moved, but continental drift said that the continents moved across the ocean floor
True or False:
Most scientists finally believed Wegener's idea of continental drift once they understood convection.
False
True or False
Convection states that warm material becomes less dense and rises.
True
True or False:
All or nearly all of the evidence that Wegener used to support continental drift was used to support plate tectonic theory.
True
If two plates are moving away from one another at a boundary, what is likely to be true about the convection currents under the two plates?
The convection currents under the right plate is rotating clockwise, but the one on the left is rotating counter-clockwise
Which of the statemets below would it be reasonable to expect if two sections of continental crust were being pressed into (toward) each other?
There would not be any subduction at the boundary, but there would likely be mountains forming