The Rock Cycle
What is the process called that describes how rocks change from one type to another?
The Rock Cycle
What is the primary characteristic of transform plate boundaries?
Tectonic plates slide past each other in opposite directions.
What occurs at convergent plate boundaries?
Tectonic plates collide
What happens at divergent plate boundaries?
Tectonic plates move apart
Who proposed the theory of continental drift?
Alfred Wegener
Name the three main types of rocks involved in the rock cycle.
Metamorphic, Igneous, and Sedimentary
Name a geological feature commonly associated with transform plate boundaries.
A Fault Line
List the three different convergent plate boundaries.
Oceanic-oceanic, oceanic-continental, & continental-continental
Name a geological feature formed by divergent boundaries.
Mid-ocean ridge, rift valley
What is the name of the last super continent?
Pangaea
How does weathering & erosion contribute to the rock cycle?
The breaking down rocks and then transporting the sediment elsewhere
Name a geological event that is associated with a transform plate boundary?
Earthquakes
What geological features are formed at convergent plate boundaries?
Deep trenches, volcanic arcs, mountain ranges.
Explain how new oceanic crust is formed at divergent boundaries.
Tectonic plates move apart, allowing magma from the Earth's mantle to rise, erupt, and solidify into new crust
Name the layers of the Earth involved in plate tectonics.
lithosphere & asthenosphere
Explain how igneous rocks can become sedimentary rocks.
Through weathering, erosion, deposition, and lithification (compaction and cementation)
Provide an example of a transform plate boundary.
The San Andreas Fault
How does subduction occur at convergent boundaries?
When a denser oceanic plate collides with a less dense continental plate, the oceanic plate bends and sinks beneath the continental plate.
What role do divergent boundaries play in the theory of plate tectonics?
Tectonic plates move apart, leading to the creation of new crust through seafloor spreading.
What evidence did the main scientist of continental drift use to support his theory?
The fit of the continents, the distribution of ancient fossils, matching rock formations, and evidence of past climates.
Describe the role of heat and pressure in the formation of metamorphic rocks.
Transforms existing rocks (igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic) into new metamorphic rocks by causing changes in mineral composition, texture, and structure.
Explain how transform boundaries can affect the movement of tectonic plates.
Where tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other, primarily affect plate movement by causing lateral displacement, but do not create or destroy crust.
Discuss the impact of convergent boundaries on the Earth's crust.
Oceanic crust is forced down into the Earth's mantle and begins to melt, or continental crust is pushed up. Destructive plate boundary
Discuss the significance of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Its discovery led to the theory of seafloor spreading and general acceptance of Wegener's theory of continental drift.
Explain why the theory of continental drift was initially rejected by many scientists.
Inability to provide an adequate explanation of the forces responsible for continental drift and the prevailing belief that the earth was solid and immovable