Alfred Wegener/Evidence
The title given to the super-continent formed 300 million years ago, which means "all land"
Pangaea
Which two layers make up a plate?
How deep have humans reached in miles?
lithosphere and upper most mantle
approximately 7.6 miles
What are the three main types of tectonic plate boundaries, and how does each type move?
Convergent boundaries – Plates move toward each other.
Divergent boundaries – Plates move apart.
Transform boundaries – Plates slide past each other horizontally.
Hawaiian Islands: Describe boundary and plates involved
-formed by a fixed hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate, not at a plate boundary.
- Pacific Plate moves northwest over this stationary, deep-mantle plume
-7 to 10 cm per year, creating a chain of volcanoes that age from southeast to northwest, stretching over 1,500
When one tectonic plate slides under another in the mantle, volcanic activity results.
subduction
What are tectonic plates?
Tectonic plates are large pieces of Earth's lithosphere that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere and move slowly over time.
What are the two elements found in the core?
iron and nickel
What happens at a convergent plate boundary (continental-continental) and what major landform or natural events can it create?
Mountain formation — A famous example is the Himalayas, formed by the collision of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate.
Andes Mountains: Describe the boundary, how they formed; plates involved
-continental volcanic arc formed
-convergent boundary
- subducting oceanic Nazca Plate and the South American Plate.
The slow movement of tectonic plates is driven primarily by this process, where hot material rises and cooler material sinks in the mantle.
What is mantle convection?
Why did Wegener receive criticism for his continental drift theory?
He had no idea how? or the mechanism that created the force to move the continents
Which layers of the Earth are solid?
The Lithosphere and the Inner Core
Describe what happens when two oceanic plates pull apart and a consequence.
When plates move apart, magma rises from the mantle to fill the gap and cools to form new crust. This creates features such as mid-ocean ridges (like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and rift valleys.
Great African Rift Valley; describe the boundary; how it formed; minor plates involved
-divergent tectonic boundary
-continental/continental plate moving apart
-Nubian and Somali plates pull apart
GPS measurements show two granite plates moving toward each other at 5 cm per year. Over millions of years, this movement is most likely to produce this large-scale geological feature.
mountain ranges
What year did he propose continental drift? What is the title of Wegner's book? What year was the first edition published, which was revised in 1924 and not accepted until 1950?
1912 - theory proposed
Book- The Origin of Continents and Oceans- 1915
Which layer of the Earth is composed of a soft plastic material?
Asthenosphere
What are 2-3 things on both sides of an oceanic ridge due to sea-floor spreading
New oceanic crust;
Bands of magnetic patterns;
Underwater mountains and rift valleys
Youngest rocks closest to the ridge
Iceland; how it formed; plates involved; consequences on landmass
-divergent tectonic plate boundary and a mantle plume (hotspot)
-making it a rare
-Mid-Atlantic Ridge (location)
-the North American and Eurasian plates
-volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, geysers, geothermal energy
An earthquake occurs at a depth of 15 km near a transform boundary, while another occurs at 300 km within a subduction zone. Based on their depths, which one is likely to cause more surface shaking, and why?
What is the shallow earthquake (15 km) causes more surface shaking because shallow-focus earthquakes release energy closer to the Earth’s surface, whereas deep-focus earthquakes’ energy is absorbed by overlying rock and causes less surface damage?
Name the four pieces of evidence to support Alfred Wegener:
Was he alive to receive credit?
1) jigsaw fit of continental shelves
2) fossils of the same species on different continents.
3) rocks of the same age/type found on both sides of atlantic ocean
4) glacier evidence left on continents near the equator
5) Coral reef evidence found in cold climates
No
Which earth layer contains the convection currents and drives plate movement?
How would you describe the composition of this layer?
middle mantle
Solid, but capable of flowing due to extreme pressure and temperature
Plates slide past one another without creating or destroying crust. The friction between plates often causes earthquakes. What is a well-known example? Which plates are involved? and why is this area due for a massive earthquake in the near future?
San Andreas Fault
Pacific and North American
Longer faults have the potential to produce bigger earthquakes
More length = more area of the fault that can slip during an earthquake.
More stored energy can be released over a larger section.
Explain all the correlations with the Hawaiian Islands based on: erosion and age
Two earthquakes of the same magnitude strike: one in a high-income country and another in a low-income country. Which country is likely to experience higher economic loss relative to its population, and why?
What are some variables that contribute to high loss?
What is a low-income country? Weaker infrastructure and limited disaster preparedness cause more widespread damage and higher relative economic losses, even if the earthquake’s magnitude is the same.
and higher population density