Plate Tectonics
What are the three original pieces of evidence for continental drift and Pangea?
Continents fit like a puzzle
Same/similar fossils
Same/similar geological structures
List the three types of plate boundaries and how they move.
Convergent →←
Divergent ←→
Transform ↑↓
Define erosion, sedimentation, and weathering.
Weathering - breaking down rock
Erosion - moving rock
Sedimentation - build up of rock
Why are ocean currents important?
Carries nutrients, gases, heat, and organisms
What are upwellings?
What are the three new pieces of evidence when the theory was revised as plate tectonics?
Seafloor spreading
Paleomagnetic stripes
How the plates move
If you are looking for hydrothermal vents in the ocean, what factors might help indicate its location?
List at least two
Hot temperatures, high acidity, toxic chemical composition, plume coloration
What are the three types of weathering and give an example for each.
Chemical - oxidation, acids, ions
Physical - temp changes, water freezing in rock
Organic - tree roots, lichen, animals hitting or walking over
What is a spring tide and when does it occur?
AND
What is a neap tide and when does it occur?
Spring: Highest high and Lowest low
- Earth, moon, sun in line (New and Full moon)
Neap: Lowest high and Highest low
- Earth, moon, sun at right angle (1st and 3rd quarter)
Describe normal conditions of weather currents
Describe how the tectonic plates move.
Convection currents in the mantle (hot magma rising and cool falling) causes the plates to be pushed and moved
What two structures are usually only found at divergent boundaries?
What is the littoral zone?
What is tidal range?
AND
What three things can cause it to vary?
Height of water between high and low tide mark.
Gravitational pull, environmental factors, physical features of the coastline
Describe what happens during El Nino
Winds stop, warm water doesn't move and builds up by South America, prevents upwellings
Describe what seafloor spreading is and how they show evidence for the theory of Plate Tectonics.
New crust is being made from magma rising out of the mid ocean ridge
Shows a mechanism for how crust is made / crust would all be the same age if there wasn't new being made / Pacific is shrinking and Atlantic is growing
What is a subduction zone and which plate boundary is it found at?
Convergent boundary
The more dense plate gets pushed under the and less dense plate raises on top
List the five littoral zone examples.
Sandy shore
Muddy shore
Delta
Estuary
What causes surface currents?
What causes deep ocean currents?
Surface: Wind and Coriolis effect
Deep: Density differences caused by salinity and temp (thermohaline circulation)
Describe what happens during La Nina
Winds push too strong, warm water and heat disperses, most areas cooler
Describe what paleomagnetic stripes are and how they show evidence for the theory of Plate Tectonics.
The pattern of magnetic stripes on the ocean floor due to Earths change in polarity
If there was no new crust being made, the stripes would all be the same polarity
How does water speed and particle size impact sedimentation rate?
Faster the water = harder for sedimentation to occur
Smaller the particle = harder for sedimentation to occur
Describe the path the Global Conveyor Belt takes.
Starts at Arctic Ocean (Cold, salty water)
Goes all the way to Southern Ocean
Splits to Indian Ocean or Pacific Ocean
Both of them loop and heat up
Meets back together at Southern/Indian Ocean
Goes up to Arctic Ocean (Warm water)
What are three differences of El Nino and La Nina
EL: No wind, hot, less productivity, comes first
LA: More wind, cold, more productivity, comes second