Hazardous Earth Flashcards
(304 cards)
What is a moho ?
mantle - crust boundary is marked by this
what two layers is the upper mantle made from ?
asthenosphere
lithosphere
what is the asthenosphere ?
layer that extends from 100km to 300 km solid but flows under a pressure
what is the lithsophere ?
lies immediately above the asthenosphere
rigid layer sandwiched between crust and astenosphere
what is the thickness of the crust ?
continental =
mean = 35km
min= <30 km
max = 70km
oceanic - 5-10km
what is the thickness of the mantle ?
to a depth of 2900km
what is the density of the crust ?
continental = 2.6-2.7
oceanic = 3.0
what is the density of the matle ?
3.3 @moho
5.6 @core
what is the mineral composition of continental crust ?
mainly granatic, silicon , aluminium
what is the mineral composition of the oceanuc crust ?
mainly basaltic, silicon and magenisum
what is the mineral composition of the mantle ?
rich in magnesium and iron
who invented the continental drift theory ?
Alfred Wegener
when did Alfred Wegener invent the continental drift theory ?
1912
what is the continental drift theory ?
carboniferous period, 250 million years ago, large single continent , pangaea existed
slowly broke apart into two land masses
moevemtn continued to the present day as the continents seperated and spread across globe.
why was wegener’s theory rejected ?
rejected by academic geologists who dismissed the evidence , preffering their own dominant ‘fixed earth’ paradigm
what is the geological evidence of the continental drift theory ?
fit of continents like S america and africa
evidence from about 290 million years ago of the effects of contemporaneous galciation in S Africa, Australia, S America, India and Antartica . Suggesting that these land masses were joined at this time, located close to south pole
- mountain chains and some rock sequences on either side of oceans show great similarity e.g. NE Canada and N Scotland
what is the biological evidence of continental drift theory ?
-similar fossil brachiopods (marine shellfish) found in Australian and Indian limestones
- similar fossil animals found in S America and Aystralia , especially marsupials
- fossil from rocks younger than the carboniferous period, in places such as Australia and Inidia, showingfewer similarities, suggesting that they followed different evolutionary patterns
what is another word for a divergent boundary ?
constructive
what is another name for a convergent boundary ?
destructive
where do divergent plate boundaries occur ?
locations where plates diverging (moving apart) are rising through the asthenosphere and forcing its way to the surface
what is especially notable at a mid ocean ridge ?
plumes of rising material
what is a mid ocean ridge ?
most spectacular relief feature on the planet but remain hidden at an average of 2.5km below ocean surface
very long chains of mountains - in places 3000m above the sea bed
added together these submarien mountain chains have a comibned length of 60,000 km
are mid ocean ridges contionuos or non-continuous ?
not continuous
how are frequent intervals of mid ocean ridges broken into segments ?
by transform faults