Earth's Movement/Layers
True or false: Continents move because they are floating above the ocean.
False! It is due to the movement of tectonic plates underneath them moving.
True or false: Plates slide past eachother at transform boundaries.
True!
What are some ways earthquakes can affect people at that location?
Injuries, deaths, destruction, government needs to pay lots of money for repairs.
What is the center of the Earthquake?
Focus
What are some ways volcanoes can affect people nearby?
Lava and ash can destroy land/homes, people can be injured or killed, etc.
BONUS!- Eruptions are GOOD because the ash make the soil nearby great for growing crops. (This good fact is cool, but not on test)
List the order of Earth's layers, from outside to inside.
Crust, Mantle, Inner Core, Outer Core
What type of plate boundary do SUBDUCTION ZONES happen at?
Convergent Plate Boundaries! One plate slides under another
Why do most earthquakes happen more frequently in specific places (such as California of Japan)?
Because they are near plate boundaries, where the tectonic plates might MOVE: converge, diverge or transform.
How fast are tsunamis?
Tsunamis travel at incredible speeds, often exceeding 800 kmh
What is the Ring of Fire?
A place on Earth where tectonic plates meet, where most of the world's volcanoes are located.
Which layer of Earth is a solid ball of iron and nickel, that is as hot as the surface of the sun?
Inner Core!
What are two natural things that occur at CONVERGENT plate boundaries?
Any 2 of these: earthquakes, tsunamis, trenches, volcanoes, mountains.
What happens to the SPEED and HEIGHT of a tsunami wave as it reaches shore?
It gets taller but slows down!
What is the name of the scale to measure the strength of an Earthquake?
What is the difference between magma and lava?
They are both molten rock, but lava is when it is above the surface and magma is when it is under the surface.
Fill in the blank using the answer key below:
When _______ moves hot rock in the mantle, the _________ above it moves, which causes _______ Drift above.
Key: Tectonic Plates, Convection Currents, Continental
When CONVECTION CURRENTS moves hot rock in the mantle, the TECTONIC PLATES above it moves, which causes CONTINENTAL Drift above.
Name one natural event that can happen at each of the 3 plate boundaries.
One of each :)
Convergent- earthquakes, tsunamis, mountains, trenches, volcano formations
Transform- Earthquakes/tsunamis
Divergent- Earthquakes/tsunamis, mid ocean ridges, volcanoes
What causes a tsunami? Explain in detail.
An underwater earthquake: the tectonic plates under the ocean floor shift, creating an earthquake which displaces water, sending waves in all directions.
What happened in 2004?
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - 230,000 people died
Why are most of the Earth's volcanoes found by the Ring of Fire? Explain.
The Ring of Fire is where tectonic plates meet. Here, they can diverge or subduct, causing stress in the ground. Magma then rises up and causes a volcanic eruption. This process has formed volcanoes.
What explains why tectonic plates move? Describe!
Convection Currents! Rocks in the mantle move in a loop, moving the plates above them.
What happens to tectonic plates to form a mid ocean ridge? Explain in detail.
This happens at a DIVERGENT plate boundary, where plates under the ocean floor separate, magma comes through the opening, solidifying and forming mid ocean ridges.
What are seismic waves and what do they have to do with earthquakes? Explain in detail.
When stress builds at a fault line (crack in the Earth), the rocks break or slip, sending waves of energy through the ground. We feel these seismic waves as shakes.
Explain why volcanoes are made up of many layers of cooled rock. In detail please!
When tectonic plates converge or diverge, magma can rise through the surface and erupt. This magma cools and forms a new layer of a volcano. This happens many times, each time creating a new layer of cooled rock.