Earth's Interior & Plate Tectonics Flashcards
3 main layers that form structure of the earth;
1) Core (inner and outer)
2) Mantle
3) Crust
The place where we live and survive on
Outermost layer of the Earth
Crust
Thick (10-70km)
BUOYANT (less dense)
Mostly old
Continental Crust
Thin (~7km)
Dense (sinks under continental crust)
Young
Oceanic Crust
He suggested and presented evidence on the continents were once a single continent called PANGAEA divided into LAURASIA and GONDWANA LAND
German geophysicist who initiated tectonic plates
Continental Drift theory
Alfred Wegener
The subducted tectonic plate beneath The Ring of Fire
Pacific plate
Large landmass; also known as supercontinent
Pangaea
Fastest type of surface waves
Love waves
Fracture on Earth’s crust
Fault
Point within earth where seismic energy is first released
Focus
Type of force that squeezes rocks together
Compression
Point of Earth’s crust directly above an earthquake’s hypocenter
Epicenter
Layer between the crust and the core
Mantle
Boundary at which two plates move away from each other
Divergent
Solid, dense core of the Earth
Inner core
Rigid layer of the earth; compost of crust and uppermost mantle
Lithosphere
Layer of earth that can deform because of the heat from magma
Asthenosphere
Block of rocks that compromise the crust
Tectonic Plates
Scientist who studies earthquakes and maps Earth’s internal structure
Seismologist
Theory by Alfred Wegener, which states that continents have moved slowly to their current locations
Continental Drift
Bowl-shaped depression at the top of a volcano
Crater
An opening on earth’s surface through which volcanic materials, such as magma, are released
Vent
Boundary at which two plates slide past each other
Transform
Boundary between two colliding plates
Convergent
Large ocean wave that may result from underwater earthquakes
Tsunami
Type of force that pulls rocks apart
Tension
Bending of rock layers to make mountains
Folding
Process where a dense tectonic plate sinks underneath a light one
Subduction
Liquid core of earth
Outer Core
Measure of energy released by earthquake
Magnitude
Deformation of the crust as a consequence of plate interaction
Tectonic
Volcanoes are formed by:
1) Subduction
2) Rifting
3) Hotspots
Hot mantle plumes breaching the surface in the middle of a tectonic plate
Hotspots
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The earth is made up of 3 main layers
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T or F
The surface of the earth is tectonic plates that slowly move around the globe
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Plates are made of crust and lithosphere
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T or F
There are 2 types of plate
Continental
Oceanic
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T or F
There are 3 types of PLATE BOUNDARIES
Divergent
Convergent
Transform
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T or F
Volcanoes and Earthquakes are CLOSELY LINKED to the margins of tectonic plates
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