Continental Drift
Random Stuff
Plate Tectonics
Layers of the Earth
Grab Bag
100
The scientist who first thought about continental drift.
Who is Alfred Wegener?
100
In what direction do transform boundaries move?
They slide past each other.
100
What causes tectonic plates to move.
The convection of the mantle causes plate tectonics.
100
Name the 4 main layers of the Earth from least dense to most dense.
crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
100
What is density?
The measurement of how compact matter of an object is.
200
Why is the oceanic crust subducting under the continental crust?
The oceanic crust is denser and thinner than the continental crust.
200
What pattern do we see when we map the location of earthquakes and volcanoes?
Earthquakes and volcanoes mostly occur near plate boundaries.
200
What is a tectonic plate?
A tectonic plate is a big chunk of the Earths crust.
200
Which layer has heat convection that moves the tectonic plates?
The mantle.
200
Glossopteris (a plant fossil) is found on many different continents. What is this evidence of? Why?
The continents used to be together when this plant was around, but the plates have moved. Their fossils are evidence of plate tectonics.
300
The name of the supercontinent that Wagener identified.
What is Pangaea?
300
When you take the test and there is a passage with a question, where can you find the answers to the questions?
In the passage
300
What geologic feature happens at convergent plate boundaries?
Mountain building, like the Himalayas.
300
Which layer is liquid iron?
The outer core.
300
The Nazca Plate converges into the South American Plate. What type of convergent boundary is this? And what structures would it form?
Convergent-Subduction
Ocean Trench
Mountains
Volcanoes
400
Name 3 pieces of evidence that the continents use to be combined but have drifted apart.
Fossil and rocks on different continents
earthquakes and volcanoes on plate boundaries
the formation of mountain ranges
observations - they fit like a puzzle
formation of Hawaiian Islands
formations of mid-ocean ridges (seafloor spreading) on the ocean floor
400
What is seafloor spreading?
When tectonic plates spread apart (divergent boundary) and new rock is formed.
400
What happens as the sea-floor spreads at a mid-ocean ridge?
Magma is forced up and cools which creates new rock and pushes the plates out.
400
Which layer is the thinnest and least dense?
The crust.
400
Which layer is responsible for Earth's magnetic field? Why?
Outer core, it is liquid iron that creates a magnetic field.
500
The name that scientists call continental drift now.
Plate Tectonics
500
What is the main difference between s-waves and p-waves?
S-waves do not go through liquids.
500
Name the three types of plate boundaries and explain what direction they move.
Convergent; plates move toward each other.
Bonus: name the two types & explain.
Divergent; plates move away from each other.
Transform; plates slide past each other.
500
How have scientists determined that the different layers of Earth have different densities?
Scientists mapped seismic waves that refracted (bent) as they passed through the different densities of the Earth.
500
This is created in the ocean where two plates are diverging.
What is a mid-ocean ridge?