Vocabulary
What is the definition of a plate?
A plate is one of the very large sections of hard, solid rock that make up Earth’s outer layer.
What do fossils help scientists understand?
Fossils help scientists understand what Earth was like thousands or even millions of years ago, and they can be used to explain what happened to rock where the fossils were found
What is the name for the place where two plates meet?
A plate boundary
What is the relationship between plate motion and earthquakes?
Plates move, which can cause earthquakes
What is Earth's outer layer made of?
Hard, solid rock
What is the definition of cross section?
a diagram that shows what the inside of something looks like
What can geologists use to better understand Earth?
Geologists look for patterns in landforms and geologic events.
A divergent plate boundary
How did the South American Plate and African Plate move in relation to each other?
They moved apart
What is the state of the mantle?
The mantle is a soft, solid layer of rock
What is the definition of trench?
a long deep indentation in the ocean floor formed when two plates move together.
Earth's plates move on top of the soft, solid layer of rock called the what?
Mantle
What type of plate boundary is defined by plates moving toward each other?
A convergent plate boundary
What evidence can be used to identify the type of plate boundary between the South American and African plates?
Evidence about landforms, earthquakes, and volcanic activity
How do Earth's plates move?
Earth’s plates move on top of a soft, solid layer of rock called the mantle
What is the definition of volcanic activity?
any of the processes (such as eruptions and lava flows) in which gas, lava, and ash are pushed out on the surface of Earth.
True or False?
At divergent plate boundaries, one plate moves underneath the other plate and it sinks into the mantle.
False!!
What landform is created when plates move away from each other?
When plates move away from each other, a mid-ocean ridge or a volcano forms
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a landform that is a result of what type of plate boundary?
A divergent plate boundary.
How does the hardness of the mantle affect plate motion?
When the mantle is softer, the plates move, but when the mantle is hard, the plates do not move.
What is the definition of Mesosaurus?
An extinct reptile that lives 300 million years ago or the fossil we learned about in class.
True or False?
Earth plate travel at at rate too slow to be experienced by humans?
True!!
What landform is created when one plate moves under another?
When one plate moves under another, a trench forms.
According to the slides, what is a key piece of evidence that plates are in motion?
There is a pattern of earthquakes along plate boundaries, which provides evidence of plate motion
What is the primary reason plate moves?
Convection Currents