1. Tectonics (Earthquakes and Volcanoes) Flashcards
What are the 4 structures of the Earth?
Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core
What is crust, and describe the properties that make up the two different types.
The outer layer of the Earth.
There are two types:
Continental crust - thicker, older, less dense, made of granite.
Oceanic crust - thinner, newer, more dense, made of basalt.
What are Convection Currents
Heated plumes of magma which create crustal plate movement. Where convection currents diverge, plates move apart. Where convection currents converge,
plates move towards each other.
What is Earth’s crust broken into?
Plates
What is the name for a point where two tectonic plates meet?
A Plate Boundary
How many major plates are there?
7
How many minor plates are there?
8
Where do the majority of Earthquakes/Volcanoes lie?
On / near a plate boundary
What is a hotspot?
A hotspot in geography is a location on the Earth’s surface with high volcanic activity, typically away from plate boundaries. This is were the crust is very thin, i.e. Hawaii.
What is the Ring of Fire?
The largest concentration of volcanoes
is in the Pacific Ocean, known as the Ring of Fire.
What are the 4 types of plate boundaries?
Constructive (plates move apart)
Collison (plates meet together)
Destructive (oc goes under cc)
Conservative (plates rub against each other)
Earthquake
the violent shaking of earth’s crust.
Earthquake magnitude
the strength of an earthquake
Earthquake intensity
the violence of earth
movements produced by an earthquake
Mercalli Scale
scale used to measure earthquake
intensity
