Lithosphere

Question 1

what makes up lithosphere

Answer 1

the crust and solid upper mantle

Question 2

Earths 3 main layers

Answer 2

the crust, the mantle and the core

Question 3

what are the plates?

Answer 3

huge continental blocks if earths crust

Question 4

what are the plates?

Answer 4

huge continental blocks if earths crust

Question 5

why is the inner core solid

Answer 5

inner core is solid because its so dense

Question 6

what is the outer core

Answer 6

the outer core is molten rock

Question 7

the mantle is what?

Answer 7

the mantle is a layer of molten rock (magma) underneath the crust

Question 8

the crust??

Answer 8

land on the surface in called continental crust (20-60km thick).

Oceans on the surface is called oceanic crust and is thinner (8-25 km thick)

In some places the crust is very thin and molten material shoot up to the surface through these cracks, hotspots

Question 9

what causes the movement of the tectonic plates

Answer 9

heat and pressure within the earth causes the hot magma to flow in convection currents, these currents cause the movement of the tectonic plates

Question 10

what are convection currents

Answer 10

heat driven cycles that occur in the mantle

Question 11

how many major tectonic plates

Answer 11

12 major tectonic plates

Question 12

what are the 3 different boundaries

Answer 12

different boundaries are divergent, transform and convergent

Question 13

what are divergent plates? +example

Answer 13

plates moving away from each other, ex. mid-Atlantic ridge

Question 14

what are transform plates? +example

Answer 14

plates sliding against each other to the same or different direction, ex. Coast of California

Question 15

what are convergent plates? +example

Answer 15

oceanic plate pushing underneath the continental plate when colliding, eg. around the pacific ocean

Question 16

where do the most violent earthquakes occur

Answer 16

they occur near the edges of the plates that make up the earths crust; the llates dont move slowly, they often stick together then jolt apart causing an early

Question 17

what is the focus (in an earthquake)

Answer 17

the starting point of the seismic waves is called the focus

Question 18

what is the point above the focus called

Answer 18

the point directly above the focus on the earth’s surface is called the epicentre

Question 19

what are the two scales used to measure the strength of an earthquake

Answer 19

the mercalli scale and the Richter scale

Question 20

the mercalli scale

Answer 20

measures the amount of shaking and describes the effect

Question 21

the richter scale

Answer 21

measures the amount of energy released

Question 22

what is a seismometer

Answer 22

its an instrument that is used to record the shaking of the earth

Question 23

vegetation zone threats

Answer 23

habitat alteration, natural disasters, overharvest, pollution, etc.