Mountains and Continents Building Flashcards
Theory that Earth’s surface is broken into rigid moving plates
plate tectonics
equilibrium between continental crust and the denser mantle below it
isostasy
downward vertical motion of Earth’s surface
subsidence
upward vertical motion of Earth’s surface
uplift
the force action on a surface
stress
squeezing stress
compression
stress that pulls something apart
tension
parallel forces acting in opposite directions
shear
change in the shape of rock caused by stress
strain
does not permanently deform rock
elastic strain
causes a permanent change in the shape of a rock
plastic strain
rocks break rather than just changing shape
rock failure
a constant recycling of rock materials as new rocks are created and existing rocks are destroyed or changed
rock cycle
Mountains are gradually _____ through the actions of weathering and erosion
worn down
Mountain ranges are produced by _____
plate tectonics
Mountain and valleys form where tectonic plates _____
collide or converge
The rigid tectonic plates on Earth’s surface move horizontally because Earth’s upper mantle is _____
fluid
Continents rise above the seafloor because continental crust is made of rocks that are ______ than Earth’s mantle
less dense
A continent floats on top of the mantle because the mass of the continent is _____ the mass of the mantle it displaces
equal to
part of the continental crust sinks deeper into the mantle when the crust becomes ______
thicker
Rocks break or change shape at plate boundaries because motion of the plates exerts compression, tension, or _________
shear
Layers of rocks thicken and fold through _____ caused by converging tectonic plates
compression
rocks keep moving through the ______ through the forces of plate motion, uplift, and subsidence
rock cycle
_____ states Earth’s surface is made of a number of rigid ____ that move on top of the fluid upper mantle
Theory of plate tectonics
plates
____ and ___ form where plates collide, move away, or slide past each other
mountains and valleys
understand the _____ that act on Earth’s plates to understand how they can _____ to form mountains
forces
rise vertically
plates float on the surface of Earth’s _____ for similar reasons as icebergs float on the surface of __________
mantle
water
Plates are less _____ than the fluid rock of the mantle, and part of the continental crust floats above the surface of the ___________
dense
mantle
___________ displaces some of the mantle below it until equilibrium is reached which is called __________
continental crust
isostasy
If crust gets thicker it will ______ deeper into mantle, but mantle will push up on the thicker ______ until a(n) ______ is reached
sink
crust
balance
Weathering and ______ remove the top part of a mtn. Then the crust rises to maintain ________
erosion
isostasy
Mountain stops moving when mass of mountain equals mass of the ____ it displaces
mantle
20,000 years ago part of earth’s crust was covered by _____ which pushed down on crust forcing it to sink into the _____ in a process called _____
glaciers
mantle
subsidence
the melting of glaciers and draining of water upset the _____ balance, and crust started moving ___ in response in a process called ____
isostatic
upward
uplift
A force acting on a surface is called _____
stress
._______ occurs when stress acting on rocks causes the rocks to change shape.
strain
. In the upper crust, the rocks are_______, and forces cause the rocks here to ____ rather than to change shape.
more brittle
break
When strain breaks rocks rather than just changing their shape, it is called ______
failure
Fractures, or _____, form when rocks fail.
faults
Rocks are always moving through the ______ , both vertically and horizontally
rock cycle
Together, _____ motion, ________,
and subsidence keep rocks moving through the rock cycle.
plate
uplift
Uplift brings ______ and _______ rocks
from deep in the crust up to the surface, where erosion breaks down rocks into _____)___.
igneous
metamorphic
Buried sediment becomes _____ rocks, which with pressure and temperature eventually become ____ rocks.
sedimentary
metamorphic
______ takes all types of rocks deep into Earth, where they can melt and become new ____ or ______ rocks.
subduction
igneous
metamorphic
Weathering or _____ can remove all or part of a mtn
erosion
when plates _____ at a plate boundary a combination of folds faults and uplift create mtns
collide
mtns stop increasing in size when _____ at a convergent plate boundary stops increasing
compression
continents are continuously changing because Earth’s tectonic plates are always _____
moving
The Appalachian Mtns were created through a cycle of repeated ____ and rifting
collisions
The Appalachian Mtns are much ____ than the Rockies
older
_____ rocks that formed deep below the surface are exposed on the top of mtns as a result of erosion and uplift
Metamorphic
Rocks fold rather than fault when there is enough _____ or pressure
heay
the folds in folded mtns are _____ to the direction of the compression that created them
perpendicular
Fault-block mtns result when _____ stresses pull crust apart at faults
tension
uplifted mtns form when large regions _____ vertically with very little deformation
rise vertically
Granite in the Sierra Nevada mtns originally formed below Earth’s surface and was then _____ through erosion and uplift
exposed
Volcanic eruptions can build huge _____ when molten rock hardens on the surface after many repeated eruptions
mountains
This describes elevation in most continental interiors
a few hundred feet above sea level
Many rocks in continental interiors are of these types
old igneous and metamorphic
These add igneous rock and cause continents to increase in size
volcanic eruptions
These can create large plateaus
volcanic eruptions
These can collide and push fragments of one continent onto another
tectonic plates
This is an extensive area of level or rolling land
plain
These are located near the edges of continents
highest elevations
These are areas of subsidence and regions with low elevation
basins
These accumulate in basins
sediments
Most of our energy resources come from these areas
basins
This is a flat region with high elevations
plateaus
- Mountain ranges form ______ , and they ______
slowly, over millions of years.
slowly
change
Because many different _____ occur to form the mountains,mountains are made up of many different kinds of _______.
plate collisions
rocks
The processes of ______ and ______ can
carry away all or parts of mountains.
weathering
erosion
When plates at a(n) ________ , a
combination of folding, faulting, and ______ form mountains.
plate boundary collide
uplift
The ______ that originally brought the plates together can become ______ after many millions of years.
forces
inactive
When the plate ______ is no longer active, one new _____ is formed from the two old continents.
boundary
continent
With no ______ at a(n) ______ plate
boundary, the mountains stop growing.
compression
convergent
The movement of Earth’s tectonic _______ causes the
_______ to always be changing.
plates
continents
A(n) ______ plate boundary that forms on a continent often forms close to the place where two plates first _______ .
divergent
collided
First a large split, or ______ , forms; as it grows, water flows into it, forming a(n) _______.
rift
ocean
________ has rounded the peaks and lowered the elevations of
the Appalachian Mountains.
weathering
As a mountain _______ , the root under it must rise to restore the balance between what is left of the mountain and how it floats on the ______.
erodes
mantle
______ deep under continents rise slowly toward Earth’s
surface.
rocks
b. In old mountain ranges,_______ rocks that formed deep below the surface are exposed on the top of ______ .
metamorphic
mountians
Plate movements can change the ____ of rocks within a
mountain range.
position
____ mountains are made of layers of rock that are folded
folded
when ______ removes the upper part of the crust, ______ are exposed on the surface
erosion
folds
the folds are _____to the direction of the force of _____ that created them
perpendicular
compression
parallel ridges that form where blocks of crust move up along faults are called _____ mountains
fault-block
if the ______ that caused the mountains to form pulled in an east-west direction, the mountains will form ridges oriented in the ______ direction
tension
same
fault-block mountains have a high _____ next to a(n) ______; between these two landforms is a(n) ______ where the movement that caused the landforms occured
ridge
valley
fault
_____ mountains form when large regions of land rise with very little deformation
uplifted
one idea of how uplifted mountains form involves sinking _______ pulling the crust ______, which causes the crust near the surface to become compressed and thicker
mantle
and creates compression closer to the surface
as the crust thickens the upper part of the crust rises to maintain _____; sometimes the crust rises high enough to create tall _____
isostasy
mtn ridges
_____ are special kinds of mountains
volcanoes
volcanic mountains form when molten rock _____ onto earth’s surface and _______
erupt
harden
volcanic mountains that are ______ have not erupted in a long time, but they might ______ again someday
dormant
erupt
in most continents, the higher elevations are located close to the ______ of the continent.
edges
the lower, flat parts are located close to the ______ of the continent
interior
there are few _______ in the interior of continents
mountains
the interior parts of continents are formed of old ______ and ______ rocks and are the ______ parts of continents
igneous
metamorphic
middle
the middle parts of the continents are ______ because millions or billions of years of ______ have worn the rocks smooth and level
smooth and flat
erosion
continents can grow when _____erupt, adding ______ rock to the surface of the land
volcanoes
igneous
continents can also grow when tectonic ______ carry _____, whole ______-, or continent fragments with them and add them to existing continents
plates
island arcs
continents
when the moving plate that is carrying the piece of land reaches a(n) _______ at a(n) ______ boundary, the less _______ piece of land gets pushed onto the edges of the continent, causing the continent to ______
continent
convergent
dense
grow
continents can change size and shape due to ______ and become smaller due to ______ and erosion
rifting
weathering
rocks neat the center or in the interior of continents are usually flat, _____, very old, and very ______
stable
strong
an extensive area of level or rolling land is called a(n) ________
plain
in north america, most of the central area is called the ______
Interior Plains
the ______ that form the interior plains came from smaller plates that _____ about 1 billion years ago
rocks
collided
shallow ______ once covered these plains, and over millions of years, _____ and ______ have worn the plains so they are nearly flat
seas
weathering
erosion
plate motion and ______ can cause places to sink, or _____
isostasy
rise
____ are areas of subsidence and regions with low elevation
basins
when sediments erode off of mountains, they often collect in ______
basins
animal and plant remains can also get buried in basins and converted by pressure and heat over millions of years into oil, ______ gas, and ______
natural
coal
therefore, ____ are often important places, economically, because they contain valuable ____ resources
basins
natural
______ are flat regions with high elevation
plateaus
______ causes some plateaus, such as the colorado plateau to form
uplift
_____ of lava can also form large plateaus
eruption
earth’s surface is constantly _______
changin
mountains form and _____ away
erode
______ grow, shift, and shrink
continents
equilibrium between continental crust and the denser mantle below it
isostasy
downward vertical motion of earth’s surface
subsidence
upward vertical motion of earth’s surface
uplift
squeezing stress
compression
stress that pulls something apart
tension
parallel forces acting in opposite directions
shear
change in shape of rock caused by stress
strain
deep, underwater troughs created by one plate subducting under another plate at a convergent plate boundary
ocean trenches
curved line of volcanoes that forms parallel to a plate boundary
volcanic arc
tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other, they form
transform faults
area of many fractured pieces of crust along a large fault
fault zone
made of layers of rocks that are folded
folded mountains
parallel ridges that form where blocks of crust move up or down along faults
fault-block mountains
when large regions rise vertically with very little deformation
uplifted mountains
an extensive area of level or rolling land
plain
area of subsidence and regions with low elevation
basins
flat regions with high elevations
plateaus
what is subsidence
downward vertical motion of earths surface
what are the three forces that shape the earth
compression, shear, and tension
what is isostasy
the equilibrium between continental crust and the denser mantle below it
balance between crust and mantle
what is a volcanic arc
made by volcanoes
curved line of volcanoes that forms parallel to plate boundaries
how are volcanic mtns formed
volcanoes erupt ash and lava build up to form a mtn
what are sedimentary basins
- Areas of subsidence and regions with lower ground.
- Gas, coal, and oil are found in sedimentary basins
what is abrasion
- It is the grinding away of rock or other surfaces as particles carried by wind, water, or ice scrape against them.
dune
formed by wind
windblown deposit of sand
Over time, entire fields of dunes can travel across the land as wind continues to blow the sand.
what is a transform zone
-fault that forms where tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other
long shore current
- A long shore current erodes and deposits large amounts of sediment along a shore line
- Long shore currents transports the sand along ocean coasts
- a current parallel to the shore
flood plain
flat land next to body of water that can and will be flooded.
loess
crumbly windblown deposit of sand, silt, and clay. rich in minerals
earth’s crust, mantle, and core
thickest to thinnest mantle core crust densest to least dense core mantle crust inner core solid outer liquid
oceanic crust
-Oceanic crust- The thin crust that underlies the oceans basins
continental crust
-Continental crust- Thicker crust that the continents are made of.
divergent plate
plates that move away from each other
convergent plate
plates that move towards each other and collide
subduction
When two plates collide, one can go under the other and be forced into the mantle in this process
continental drift theory
theory that suggests that continents are in motion and were once all connected in a super continent called Pangea
folds
folded mountain is a mountain made of rocks that are folded.
faults
fault-block mountain is a parallel ridge that forms where blocks of crust move up or down along faults
collisions and rifting
continents often collide
- when a continents split apart, that is a rift
- continents often break apart close to there they first collided
- mountain ranges form when continents collide
what are the different types of mtns
folded mtn
fault-block mtn
uplifted mtn
volcanic mtn
what is a folded mtn
mountain made of layers of rocks that are folded
what is a fault-block mtn
: Parallel ridge that forms where blocks of crust move up and down along faults.
what is an uplifted mtn?
mountain that forms when large regions rise vertically with very little deformation
what is an oceanic trench
A deep, underwater trough created by one plate subducting under another plate at a convergent boundary `
what is a fault zone
:an area of many pieces of fractured crust along a fault line
