A. Earth’s layers
B. Continental drift
C. Sea Floor Spreading
D. Theory of plate tectonics Category
E. California Geology
100
What is the densest layer of the Earth?
The Inner Core
100
Who first came up with the hypothesis for continental drift?
Alfred Wegener
100
Is ocean crust denser or lighter than continental crust?
Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust and since it is denser, oceanic crust is underwater.
100
What are the three kinds of plate tectonic boundaries?
Divergent, convergent, and transform.
100
What is the major fault system in California?
The San Andreas Fault System
200
What is the lithosphere made of?
Tectonic plates
200
What was the supercontinent and its ocean called?
Pangaea & Panthalassa
200
Why does the Earth usually stay the same size?
Earth stays the same size because new crust is being destroyed the same time it is being created.
200
What is a break in Earth’s crust where rocks have slipped past each other?
A fault
200
What type of boundary forms the San Andreas Fault?
A Transform Boundry
300
What are the two types of Earth's crust?
Oceanic and continental
300
About how long ago did the super continent exist?
245 million years ago
300
Does transform boundaries destroy or raise the crust?
Transform boundaries do not destroy or raise the crust because the plate edges slides and scrape each other.
300
What is subduction?
Subduction is where one plate sinks beneath another
300
What caused the formation of the Sierra Nevada batholith?
Magma from the subduction of the Farallon Plate solidified into the mass of granite called the Sierra Nevada batholith.
400
Why is the outer core a liquid if the inner core is a solid?
Outer core has lower pressure, inner core has more intense pressure
400
What were the first two landmasses the supercontinent broke up into called?
Laurasia & Gondwana
400
How are mid-ocean ridges formed?
Mid-ocean ridges are formed when convergent boundaries push against each other and the crust is raised into mountains.
400
What is a convergent boundary?
A convergent boundary is where plates push together.
400
Which mountain range in California has an east-west orientation instead of a northwestern orientation?
The Transverse Ranges
500
How did scientists study Earth's layers if no one could see them?
By studying energy from earthquakes
500
What evidence is there for continental drift explain?
fossils- the fossil of an ancient reptile had been found on both south America and western Africa. climate- Iceland is now in the Arctic circle, but fossils of tropical plants can be found on its shores. Geology- rocks in brazil were the same as the ones in western Africa
500
How would you explain transform, divergent, and convergent boundaries?
Transform boundaries slide horizontally past each other. Divergent boundaries move the plates away from each other. Convergent boundaries destroy crust where plates are sub ducted. Sometimes the plates go under each other.
500
What is the difference between the three plate tectonic boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform?
A divergent boundary- two tectonic plates separate A convergent boundary- two tectonic plates collide A transform boundary- two tectonic plates slide past each othe
500
The Juan de Fuca plate is the remnant of what ancient plate?
The Farallon Plate