Geology

Question 1

Seismic waves

Answer 1

Waves of energy that travel through the Earth’s crust, caused by earthquakes

Question 2

Pangaea

Answer 2

A super-continent that existed 225 million years ago. All of the landmasses that existed at this time were joined together to form a super-continent.

Question 3

Continental Drift

Answer 3

Movement of the plates of the Earth’s crust in relation to each other

Question 4

Panthalassa

Answer 4

The vast sea surrounding the super-continent of Pangaea

Question 5

Plate Tectonics

Answer 5

Theory concerning the movement of continental plates

Question 6

Mantle

Answer 6

Thick layer inside the Earth below the crust. Most of the mantle is solid rock although the upper part is molten rock caller magma.

Question 7

Convection current

Answer 7

Circular movement that occurs when warmer, less dense fluid particles rise and cooler, denser particles sink.

Question 8

Continental crust

Answer 8

Plates of the earth’s crust that make up the land

Question 9

Oceanic crust

Answer 9

One type of earth’s crust that makes up the outer layer. It is thinner than continental crust and made up of dense, heavy rocks such as basalt.

Question 10

Subduction

Answer 10

When two tectonic plates push against each other and oceanic crust sinks below the less dense continental crust.

Question 11

Destructive plate boundaries

Answer 11

Convergent boundary where two plates collide

Question 12

Constructive plate boundaries

Answer 12

Plates that create new land from cooling magma

Question 13

Oceanic ridges

Answer 13

An area where the tectonic plates move apart allowing magma from the mantle to rise forming new volcanoes.

Question 14

Hotspots

Answer 14

A localised place where an activity occurs

Question 15

Folding

Answer 15

Buckling of rocks caused when rocks are under pressure from both side

Question 16

Anticlines

Answer 16

Folds that bend upwards

Question 17

Synclines

Answer 17

Folds that bend downwards

Question 18

Fault

Answer 18

A break in a rock structure causing a sliding movement of the rocks along the break

Question 19

Rift valleys

Answer 19

A sunken area where two blocks of crust have dropped down between faults

Question 20

Horst

Answer 20

A block of the Earth’s crust with faults on either side, that has been pushed upward by the forces below

Question 21

Slip fault

Answer 21

A geological feature where movement along a fault is sideways -that is where the blocks of crust slip horizontally past each other.

Question 22

Tremors

Answer 22

Vibration on the Earth’s surface caused by an earthquake

Question 23

Epicentre

Answer 23

The point on the Earth’s centre directly above the site of where an earthquake originates

Question 24

Focus

Answer 24

The point at which an earthquake begins

Question 25

Triangulation

Answer 25

Finding a location using at least three different sources of detection

Question 26

Seismograph

Answer 26

An instrument used to detect and measure the intensity of an earthquake

Question 27

Richter Scale

Answer 27

A scale that measures the amount of energy released during an earthquake

Question 28

Primary Waves

Answer 28

Compression waves that move through the earth the same was sound moves through air

Question 29

S-Waves

Answer 29

Second set of waves to be detected after p-waves. These travel in the form of transverse waves.

Question 30

Body Waves

Answer 30

Waves that travel through the body of the earth

Question 31

Seismologists

Answer 31

A scientist who studies earthquakes

Question 32

Tsunami

Answer 32

A powerful wave triggered by an undersea earth movement

Question 33

Meltdowns

Answer 33

The melting of a nuclear-reactor core as a result of a serious nuclear accident

Question 34

Volcanoes

Answer 34

Natural opening in the Earth’s crust connected to molten rock deep inside the crust

Question 35

Magma

Answer 35

A very hot mixture of molten rock and gases just below the Earth’s surface that has come from the mantle.

Question 36

Lava

Answer 36

A mixture of molten rock and gases that has reached the Earth’s surface from a volcano.

Question 37

Volcanic bombs

Answer 37

Large rock fragment that is blown out of erupting volcanoes; also known as lava bombs

Question 38

Active

Answer 38

Describes a volcano that is erupting or has recently erupted

Question 39

Extinct

Answer 39

Describes a volcano that has not erupted for thousands of years and is effectively daed.

Question 40

Dormant

Answer 40

Describes a volcano that has not erupted for more than 20 years but is not considered extinct.