continental drift
What is the supercontinent called?
Pangaea
What happens at divergent boundaries?
tectonic plates are moving away from each other
What is the thinnest layer of the earth?
the crust
What causes earthquakes?
earthquakes are the result of sudden movement along faults within the Earth (when stress is released, it causes an earthquake)
What allows tectonic plates to move?
a convection current in the mantle
Who invented/came up with the theory? (first and last name)
Alfred Wegener
Transform boundaries create...
earthquakes
What is the largest layer of the earth?
the mantle
What tool do scientists use to measure earthquakes?
a seismograph
What are the two types of tectonic plates?
oceanic and continental plates
What is the theory of continental drift?
it's a theory explaining that continents shift position on the earth's surface
The process where the ocean floor sinks back into the mantle at a deep-ocean trench is called...
a subduction zone
What layer of the earth is made up of liquid iron and nickel?
the outer core
Name two of the differences between primary waves and secondary waves.
- primary waves are faster than secondary waves
- primary waves are compressional and secondary waves are shear waves
- primary waves move straight out and secondary waves move back and forth
- primary waves are parallel and secondary waves are perpendicular
- primary waves can move through liquids, solids, and gases, but secondary waves cannot move through liquids
What layers of the earth make up tectonic plates?
the crust and a tiny piece of the mantle
What was the main reason continental drift was rejected?
there was no proof of how tectonic plates could move
When two Continental plates converge at a boundary it results in what formation?
mountain ranges
What layers of the earth make up the lithosphere?
the crust and a little bit of the mantle
What is the difference between the epicenter and the focus of an earthquake?
the focus is the place inside the earth's crust where the earthquake originates, and the epicenter is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus.
What tectonic plate are we currently on?
What year was continental drift invented/thought of?
1912
The San Andreas Fault was formed by what type of plate boundary?
transform plate boundary
What layer of the earth do tectonic plates float on?
aesthenosphere
What three places do volcanoes form?
divergent boundaries, convergent boundaries, and hot spots
About how many tectonic plates are there?
14-17