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earth science > Earth Science, Tarbuck Chap 4 > Flashcards

Earth Science, Tarbuck Chap 4 Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

The Continental Drift Theory was proposed by

A

Alfred Wegener

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2
Q

Single Supercontinent Composed of all of Earth’s Landmasses

A

Pangaea

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3
Q

What caused Alfred Wegener to pursuit the possibility of Pangaea existing

A

identical fossil organism in the rocks on both South America and Africa

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4
Q

What organisms did Wegener use to support his theory

A

Mesosaurus and Glossopteris

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5
Q

Pangaea was located mostly around

A

South Pole

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6
Q

How did Wegener use Paleoclimate to support his theory

A

Sometime 300 million years ago there was an ice age that covered tropical and subtropical regions today. He showed that most of the land masses had to have been around the South pole in order for this to happen, as there were also Tropical Swamps in the Northern Hemisphere(of today) in the same period

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7
Q

Oceanic Crust is mostly composed of

A

Basalt

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8
Q

The density of Ocean Lithosphere is ____ compared to the Continental Lithosphere

A

Denser

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9
Q

What is the Lithosphere

A

Rigid outer part of the Earth, consists of Crust and Upper Mantle

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10
Q

What is the Asthenosphere

A

Hotter, Weaker region in the mantle beneath the Lithosphere

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11
Q

Rocks in the upper Asthenosphere are mostly

A

Near melting levels, but mostly solid.

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12
Q

How do rocks in the Upper Asthenosphere respond to stress

A

the rocks flow

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13
Q

How do Rocks in the Lithosphere respond to stress by

A

Bending or Breaking

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14
Q

The Lithosphere is ____ from the Asthenosphere

A

Detached

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15
Q

What are the 7 major lithospheric plates

A

North American, South American, Pacific, African, Eurasian, Australian-Indian, Antarctic

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16
Q

What percent of Earth’s surface is covered by the 7 major lithospheric plates

A

94%

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17
Q

Largest Lithospheric plate

A

Pacific Plate

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18
Q

Most divergent plate boundaries are located on

A

Mid-Ocean Ridges

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19
Q

Where does sea floor spreading occur

A

Mid-Ocean Ridges

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20
Q

What is the largest topographical feature on Earth’s Surface

A

Mid-Ocean ridge system

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21
Q

The crest of a Mid-Ocean ridge is often how many kilometers higher than surrounding basins

A

2-3 kilometers

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22
Q

Why is the Crest of a Mid-Ocean Ridge higher in elevation compared to surrounding basins

A

the new ocean crust is less dense than surrounding old ocean crust leading to the new ocean crust to rise

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23
Q

What is the rift valley

A

Canyon-like structure along the crest of the Mid-Ocean ridge caused by the divergent forces pulling the plates apart

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24
Q

What is Sea-Floor Spreading

A

The mechanism acting along Mid-Ocean Ridges that create new Ocean Crust

25
Q

Ocean depth ________ as you move away from the Mid-Ocean Ridge

A

Increases

26
Q

What is Continental Rifting

A

When 2 continental Plates diverge, leading to a continental rift or depression to form. It can also be called a rift valley and if they continue rifting it will form a narrow sea and eventually new ocean basin.

27
Q

The East African Rift is an example of what

A

A continental Rift

28
Q

What happens at Convergent Boundaries that balances the surface area of Earth.

A

Old, dense portions of the Ocean Lithosphere plunges into the Mantle, where it is melted.

29
Q

Convergent Boundaries often have a plate subducting under another one, which plate is the one that subducts

A

Oceanic Plate

30
Q

Old Oceanic Lithosphere is generally _____ compared to the Asthenosphere

A

2% more dense

31
Q

Describe Deep-Ocean Trenches

A

Long, Linear Depressions produced where Oceanic Lithosphere bends as it descends into the mantle as a subduction zone.

32
Q

The angle at which an oceanic plate subducts is mostly based on

A

Age and therefore density of the plate(Younger, and less dense, Oceanic Plates subduct at a shallow angle while Older, and Denser, Oceanic Plates subduct at a steeper angle)

33
Q

When a Descending slab of Oceanic Lithosphere subducts into the Asthenosphere, what is triggered within the hot slab of Asthenosphere above it?

A

Melting of the Asthenosphere occurs

34
Q

Why does the introduction of the Oceanic Lithosphere into the Asthenosphere cause the Asthenosphere rocks to melt?

A

Water inside of the Oceanic Lithosphere is forced out as heat and pressure forces the water out. This water causes the surrounding rock to melt at substantially less temperatures than normal, kind of like how salt makes ice melt.

35
Q

What is the process of the melting of Asthenosphere due to the subduction of Oceanic Lithosphere called

A

Partial Melting

36
Q

What happens during partial melting

A

As the melting occurs, the molten rocks(which are less dense) mix with unmelted rock and rise through the lithosphere, which sometimes causes a volcanic eruption.

37
Q

If partial melting does not cause a volcanic eruption, what else could occur

A

The molten rock mixture solidifies at depth and thickens the crust.

38
Q

What are continental volcanic arcs

A

Mountain systems produced by volcanic activity from Partial Melting

39
Q

How are Continental Volcanic Arcs and Island Volcanic Arc(or Island Arcs) different

A

Continental Volcanic Arcs occur at Continental-Oceanic Subduction Zones and Island Volcanic Arcs occur at Oceanic-Oceanic Subduction Zones

40
Q

What happens at Continental-Continental Convergent Boundaries

A

Neither Plate subducts and they ram into each other to form a mountain chain.

41
Q

Where are Transform faults usually found

A

Ocean Floor

42
Q

What are Fracture Zones

A

large linear scars on the ocean floor that are the result of tectonic plate movement

43
Q

Transform Faults cause the Mid-Ocean Ridge to take what type of structure due to displacement

A

Step-like structure

44
Q

What is a mantle plume

A

Cylindrical Upwelling of Hot Rock originating deep within the mantle

45
Q

What is a Hot Spot

A

Area of Volcanism , high heat flow, and crustal uplifting caused by a mantle plume

46
Q

What is the Curie Point

A

the specific temperature at which a ferromagnetic material loses its magnetic properties and becomes paramagnetic(weakly attracted to poles)

47
Q

As Magnetite erupted from Volcanoes Cool, what happens to the grains of the mineral

A

They Align themselves in the direction of current magnetic lines of force

48
Q

Describe Magnetic Reversal

A

When the Magnetic North Pole becomes the Magnetic South pole and Vice versa

49
Q

When rocks exhibit the same magnetism as the present magnetic field, they are said to possess

A

Normal Polarity

50
Q

rocks exhibiting the opposite magnetism are said to have

A

Reverse Polarity

51
Q

What are the main driving force in mantle movements

A

Slab Pull and Ridge Push

52
Q

Describe Slab Pull

A

subduction of cold, dense slabs of oceanic lithosphere

53
Q

Describe Ridge Push

A

a force that pushes tectonic plates apart at mid-ocean ridges

54
Q

Which is Stronger, Slab Pull or Ridge Push

A

Slab Pull

55
Q

What is the Whole Mantle Convection model

A

proposes that the Earth’s entire mantle, from the upper to the lower mantle, is involved in a continuous process of convection, where hot material rises and cooler material sinks, creating a large-scale circulation that drives plate tectonics

56
Q

What is the Layer Cake Convection Model

A

two zones of convection—a thin, dynamic layer in the upper mantle and a thick, larger, sluggish one located below

57
Q

In the Whole Mantle Convection Model, the final destination of the subducting oceanic lithosphere is where

A

Core-Mantle boundary

58
Q

In the Layer cake convection model, the final destination of the Subducting Oceanic Lithosphere is where

A

Depths of no more than 1000 kilometers

59
Q
A

earth science (8 decks)

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