The rock cycle
What type of rock forms when magma cools and solidifies?
Igneous Rock
What single supercontinent existed about 260 million years ago that later split into modern continents?
Pangea
What are the large rigid pieces of Earth's crust called?
tectonic plates
What happens when ocean plates move apart from each other?
New crust is formed at places called mid ocean ridges.
Name two primary energy sources that drive Earth’s systems and the cycling of matter
sun and gravity
Which rock type is formed by heat and pressure changing an existing rock (but not melting it)
Metamorphic Rock
Name one type of evidence that supports the idea that continents were once connected.
Fossil evidence
Glacial grooves
The continents fit together like a puzzle piece
What is the name of the boundary where two plates move apart and new crust forms?
Divergent boundary
Two plates collide and one is pushed upward
Mountains form because of the uplift of material
Define convection current in one sentence and state where it occurs inside Earth.
A convection current is the circular movement of heated material rising and cooler material sinking, and it occurs in Earth’s mantle
Sedimentary rocks often show layers. Name two processes that create sediment deposited in layers
Weathering, erosion and deposition
How do matching mountain ranges on different continents support plate movement over time?
Matching mountain ranges on different continents show that the continents were once connected and have drifted apart, supporting the theory of plate tectonics
What process happens when one tectonic plate sinks beneath another into the mantle?
Subduction
Ring of volcanoes that form round the edges of the continents and encircle the Pacific Ocean where plates are moving together.
Ring of Fire
Explain how density differences in the mantle cause plate motion
Hot mantle material is less dense and rises, while cooler, denser material sinks, creating convection currents that move tectonic plates
Explain how weathering and erosion contribute to the formation of sedimentary rock (use science vocabulary)
Weathering breaks down rocks into smaller particles, and erosion transports these sediments, which are then deposited, compacted, and cemented to form sedimentary rock
Using fossil distribution, explain why scientists infer that South America and Africa were once joined
They had similar fossils on both continents even though they are far apart
what is the primary mechanism (inside Earth) that drives plate motion?
Convection currents in the mantle
Continental plates move apart from each other
identify two ways cycling of matter and energy flow cause changes at Earth's surface
Erosion and weathering reshape the surface, and volcanic eruptions or earthquakes release energy that changes landforms
Describe a full simplified pathway in the rock cycle that starts with igneous rock and ends with metamorphic rock, naming the processes involved.
Igneous rock is buried and subjected to heat and pressure, causing it to change into metamorphic rock through metamorphism
Give a short explanation (2–3 sentences) of how continental fit, fossil evidence, and rock similarities together strengthen the hypothesis of past continental connection.
Continental shapes fit together like puzzle pieces, fossils of the same species are found on distant continents, and similar rock types appear across continents. Together, this evidence shows that continents were once joined. This supports the idea of past continental connections and plate movement
What type of boundary is the San Andreas fault and what is happening?
Transform. The two plates are sliding past each other and in 11 million years, Los Angeles and San Francisco will be next to each other.
Two plates collide and one is pulled underneath the other. The plate that is pulled under melts creating magma that rises.
Subduction occurs and Volcanoes form along the edge of plate boundaries
When two plates converge, which plate would be subducted? Oceanic or continental?
Oceanic (The thinner, more dense plate)