Continental Drift Theory
How did the mountains provide evidence for the Continental Drift Theory?
It can show how different mountain ranges line up on other continents.
What is subduction?
The process that recycles the oceans floor by gravity pulling down the oceanic crust.
When was the Earth formed?
4.6 billion years ago
What are mid-ocean ridges?
They are the longest chain of underwater mountains
Where is the youngest rock material in the seafloor found.
Along a ridge
What was Alfred Wegener's hypothesis (the continental drift)?
That all of the continents were once joined together in a single landmass and have slowly drifted apart
What is sonar?
A method that scientists used to map the mid-ocean ridges.
What are the 3 types of Plate Boundaries?
Divergent, Convergent, and Transform boundaries
Where are volcanoes found?
What are the three types of convergent boundaries?
Oceanic Crust vs. Oceanic Crust
Oceanic Crust vs. Continental Crust
Continental Crust vs. Continental Crust
Why was Wegener's theory rejected?
He didn't identify the cause of the continental drift
What is sea-floor spreading?
When new material is continually being added to the ocean floor
What are the two crust types?
Oceanic Crust (more dense) and Continental Crust (less dense)
What are Abyssal Plains?
They are wide, flat areas on the ocean floor
How was the evidence of pillow-shaped rocks formed?
When magma hardens quickly underwater.
What is the force that pushes or pulls tectonic plates?
Convection Currents
What are seismic waves?
They are waves that spread through Earth's interior
What is the inner core made out of?
Solid iron
How are rift valleys formed?
When divergent plate boundaries move apart.
What is an example of an earthquake-prone area
San Andreas Fault
What was the evidence that Wegener used?
Mountains, fossils, and the climate
What is convection?
The type of heat transfer that is caused by differences of temperature and density within a fluid.
What elements make up the Mesosphere?
Iron, Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, and Oxygen
What is formed by plate movement?
Mountains, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Deep Ocean Trenches
How is new crust formed?
When plates move apart, magma erupts from the mantle and cools in order to create new crust.