Landforms & Plate Tectonics
Which of the following 3 items is NOT a landform? Appalachian Mountains, Statue of Liberty, the Mariana Trench
Statue of Liberty
Weathering or erosion? Pieces of rock breaking off and falling down the side of a mountain
Erosion: the carrying away (MOVEMENT) of weathered soil, rock and other materials on the earth's surface by wind, gravity (falling down) and/or water
Why do people need to change the land and/or change/destroy landforms for building homes and other buildings?
It is easier to build on flat land
What causes earthquakes?
What in the world is land reclamation?
Land reclamation is the process of creating (from scratch) or restoring (taking back) new land from oceans, riverbeds, waterlogged areas (like swamps or marshes), or lakes.
The outer, solid layer of Earth, made up of the plates that move due to tectonic forces is called...
the lithosphere
What are the two types of weathering?
Physical (by wind, water) and chemical (acids in water)
What is one way that a construction crew might alter/destroy a landform to build roads or railway tracks?
Cut down/blast part of a mountain, fill in a valley, etc.
What are two separate, specific dangers of earthquakes?
buildings (like houses) destroyed, debris falling on people - injuring/killing them, tsunamis
What are three reasons for land reclamation?
more room for housing, airports, roads, agricultural (farming) land
resolve natural disasters like floods and storms that cause the loss of land to water (water covers previously dry land)
to make artificial islands (more room for businesses, and for recreational use - like going to the beach/on vacation)
What theory came first? Plate tectonics or Continental drift
Continental drift, because plate tectonics is a modern update to the theory of continental drift
A fjord is most likely to be caused by what type of erosion?
Ice erosion (sometimes called glacial erosion)
What is the MAIN, OVERALL reason that people change/destroy landforms?
To meet their basic needs (food - farming, water - access to drinking water, shelter - places for homes)
What tool is used to detect and measure earthquakes?
The seismograph
Various answers. Example: pumping out excess water and filling areas with sand and other materials
The soft, weak layer under the lithosphere that the plates move on top of is called...
the athenosphere
What type of erosion can result in the formation of plains (large, flat areas of land, typically without trees)?
Water erosion:
When moving water reaches a lake or sea, it slows down. Any eroded material it carries settles in the waterway. It builds up at the bottom of the lake or sea.
Sometimes the action of plate tectonics pushes this flat underwater layer of land above sea level. It becomes a plain.
What are two ways in which mining can affect landforms?
Deep pits dug in the ground, huge piles of material (sand, rock, etc.) dug from pits left behind in places, and sometimes the blowing up of parts of mountains to access ores and other resources
What is 1 way that humans have adapted to the occurence of earthquakes?
What are two dangers of land reclamation?
Earthquakes, flooding
What type of plate boundary is most likely to result in the formation of a ridge, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
Divergent plate boundary
What type of erosion created the Grand Canyon?
Water erosion (the Grand Canyon is a large valley)
What are two reasons that humans engage in mining activities?
People need resources from Earth, such as minerals, in order to make tools, cars, computers, buildings, and other useful items.
True or false: there are approximately 10,000 MAJOR earthquakes per year
Each year, here are about 10-20 earthquakes that would be classified as major on the Richter scale.
Lower magnitude (smaller) earthquakes are far more common than high magnitude earthquakes (which is good!!)
What are two ways in which land reclamation can affect the environment?
change natural coastline, reduce air/water quality, loss of habitat