Earth's Layers
What is the outermost layer of the Earth called?
Crust
Plates move away from each other at which type of boundary?
Divergent
Which boundary type forms when plates slide past one another?
Transform
What type of plate boundary commonly forms volcanoes?
Convergent
What was the name of the supercontinent proposed by Wegener?
Pangaea
Which Earth layer is the thickest?
Mantle
Which type of crust is more dense and gets pulled below the other at a subduction zone?
Oceanic crust
What forms when magma reaches Earth’s surface?
Lava, (igneous rocks OK too)
What term describes the movement of continents over time?
Continental drift
What layer is made mostly of liquid iron and nickel and generates Earth's magnetic field?
Outer Core
What type of boundary often forms mountain ranges?
Convergent (continental-continental)
What pattern on the ocean floor shows new crust forming?
Seafloor spreading
The process of one plate sinking beneath another is called what?
Subduction
Matching fossils on different continents are evidence of what?
Continental Drift
Which layer is solid despite extreme temperatures and pressure?
Inner Core
Where do mid-ocean ridges form?
Divergent boundaries
What causes stress to build up along faults before an earthquake occurs?
Tectonic plates moving but becoming stuck due to friction along faults.
Which plate boundary type produces the strongest earthquakes but little to no volcanism?
Transform Boundaries
The rigid outer layer of Earth is called what?
Lithosphere
Name the two main types of crust.
Continental crust and oceanic crust
What type of plate boundary does California sit ontop of?
DAILY DOUBLE: Can you name the fault line?
A transform fault boundary, specifically the San Andreas Fault
Why do earthquakes often occur in long, narrow patterns along Earth’s surface?
Because they follow plate boundaries and fault lines where plates interact.
Why are volcanoes often found in chains or arcs rather than as single isolated mountains?
Because they form along plate boundaries or over hotspots as plates move.
Heat transfer that drives plate movement is called what?
Convection currents