Vocab 1
What was Pangea?
The supercontinent that was once all current continents put together
What are Pillow Basalts?
Bodies of cooled recently formed basaltic rock
What is Magma?
Molten rock materials below the surface of the Earth
What is Lava?
Molten rock that has spilled out onto the surface of the Earth
What is Volcanic Ash?
Very small particles released by a volcano, usually made of granitic lava, and can float in the air for thousands of miles
What are Oceanic Plates?
Tectonic plates that are thinner, more dense, and made of mostly darker colored basaltic rock
What are Continental Plates?
Tectonic plates that are thicker, less dense, and made of mostly light covered granitic rock
What are Fault Block Mountains?
Mountains that form from faulting on a very large scale
What is Lahar?
Destructive mud flows that flow down a volcano such as snow and ice that melts during a volcanic eruption
What are Pyroclastic Flows?
A dense, destructive mass of hot ash, lava fragments, and gases ejected from a volcano and typically flowing downslope at great speed
What is Sea Floor Spreading?
Theory that hot magma is rising up from inside the Earth pushing upward and creating mid-ocean ridges at plate boundaries
What are Rift Valleys?
Valleys that run along the top of the mid ocean ridge
What is a Shield Volcano?
Volcano made from basaltic lava that has very gradual, near flat, sides
What is a Cinder Cone Volcano?
Volcano made from granitic lava that has very steep sides
What are Pyroclastic Bombs?
Larger bodies of lava that are blown out of a volcano, are usually made from granitic lava, and fall next to the sides of volcanos
What are Black Smokers?
Vents where hot gasses are being released from the ocean floor
What are Hotspots?
Places where single plumes of magma push towards the surface of tectonic plates
What is a Volcanic Crater?
The large dish shaped depression formed at the top of a volcano
What is a Volcanic Caldera?
Very large depression that forms when a volcanic crater collapses in on itself due to the pressure being reduced
What is a Composite/Strato Volcano?
Volcano made from altering layers of granitic and basaltic lava that has intermediate steepness for its sides
What is Continental Drift?
Theory that all the continents all began as one super continent and then broke up into the current moving continents
What is Plate Tectonics?
Theory that the surface of the Earth is made of large solid plates that are moved around by magma rising up at the mid ocean ridges
What is Basaltic Magma?
Darker colored magma which contains a large amount of iron and magnesium
What is Granitic Magma?
Lighter colored magma containing more gasses, silicon, and aluminum
What are Cinders?
Small rough particles released by volcano made of granitic lava