Earthquakes and tectonic plates Flashcards

1
Q

What is a destructive plate?

A

These occur when an oceanic crust meets a continental crust

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2
Q

What is a constructive plate?

A

Where magma rises it creates new ocenic crust. Ocenic plates moving apart

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3
Q

What is a conservative plate

A

Plates move, thats it

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4
Q

What is a collision plate

A

when two continental plates collide

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5
Q

What is the crust made out of

A

Its solid and made out of granite and basaltic rock

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6
Q

What is the matle made out of

A

its a semi- solid and its made of silicate materials

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7
Q

What is the outer core made out of

A

its a liquid and made out of iron and nickel

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8
Q

What is the inner core made out of

A

solid, and its made out of iron and nikel

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9
Q

Where and what is the epicentre

A

epicentre is the place directly above the focus

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10
Q

What causes an earthquake

A
  • when plate margins move past each other and get stuck
  • then they lock causing pressure
  • then the pressure is suddenly removed in a jerky movement which causes an earthquake
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11
Q

P wave

A

not strong usually the foreshock

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12
Q

S wave

A

Secondary wave, strong and is the main earthquake

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13
Q

What is Richter scale

A

the scale on which the strength of the earthquake is measured

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14
Q

What is a seismometer

A

An instrument used to measure the strength of the earthquake

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15
Q

Describe aftershock

A

Smaller earthquakes after the main, larger one

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16
Q

What is magnitude

A

How strong an earthquake is

17
Q

Describe focus

A

The place in the earth where rocks are moving which is directly below the epicentre, energy radiating from the focus forms seismic waves

18
Q

what is the definition of tectonic plates?

A

the crust broken into large sections

19
Q

What are the 2 theories about the movement of tectonic plates?

A

conventional currents and slab pull/ridge push

20
Q

describe the convection currents theory

A

currents that occur within the molten rock in the mantle, created by heat rising and falling, acts like a conveyor belt to the plates to make them move in different directions.

21
Q

describe the slab pull and ridge push theory

A

Slab pull/ ridge push is the idea that gravity is acting on the plates and pulling them apart

22
Q

how are earthquakes measured?

A

On the Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS) on a scale from 0-10 it measures the total amount of energy released by earthquakes

23
Q

Describe and explain the distribution of earthquakes

A

include:
. main plate boundaries (North+ south American, Nazca, centre of the Atlantic and Ring of Fire)
. occurring in a linear pattern
. happen on plate margins as that is where plates move
. movement make earthquakes more likely
. larger earthquakes are on destructive plate boundaries

24
Q

where is the Peru-Chile trench?

A

Along the west coast of South America

25
Where is the mid Atlantic ridge?
Located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, considered an underwater mountain range, reaches from Iceland all the way to the East coast of South America.