Plate Tectonic study guide Flashcards
What is continental drift theory
The idea that continents move over time
What is a convergent boundary|CB
A location where two tectonic plates move toward each other and collide
CB: Oceanic-Continental
Volcanoes
CB:Continental-Continental
Mountains
CB:Oceanic-Oceanic
Volcanic Island Arcs
What is a divergent boundary| DB
Where two tectonic plates divide
DB:Continental-Continental
Rift Valleys
DB: Oceanic-Oceanic
Mid-Ocean Ridge
Transform boundaries
Where two plates slide past each other
Normal Fault
Form when rocks undergo tension.Rocks above the fault surface moves downward in relation to rock below the fault surface.
Reverse Fault
Form from compression forces.Rocks above a reverse Fault surface is forced up and over the rock below the fault surface
Strike-Slip
Produced by shear forces pushing rocks in somewhat opposite horizontal directions
Fossil
Prehistoric petrified organisms
Pangaea
Super continent where all the continents were once joined
Mid-Ocean Ridge
A divergent boundary where molten lava flows out of and creates seafloor spreading in the ocean.
Sea-floor Spreading
The making of new crust which spreads the ocean floor and recycles old crust to make more crust.
Deep-Ocean Trench
A steep trench made by convergent boundaries being the deepest part of the ocean.
Subduction
When two plates collide and the denser one subducts under the less dense one it is colliding with
Plate Tectonics
The theory that Earth sits and moves on plates
Rift Valley
Valley made by divergent boundaries
Plate
A sections of the earth that are always moving
Panthalassa
All Ocean
What did wegener think happens during continental drift
That a huge supercontinent Pangaea once broke up and moved to their current positions
Why are the oldest parts of the ocean floor no older than about 200 million years old?
This is because during seafloor spreading old crust gets recycled through subduction
How does the density of the oceanic crust differ from that of the continental crust? Why is this difference important?
The different densities of the oceanic and continental crust is that the oceanic crust is more dense because it is always being recycled while the older crust on continental is weaker and old. For this reason this is important, this make it so that subduction may occur for seafloor spreading
What is the evidence Wegener used to think that continents moved
Fossils,Rock samples,climates, and landforms
What force causes the movements of Earths plates
Convection Currents
Rocks on either side of a ______ Fault slip pass each other with little up and down motion
Normal
What do the magnetic bands on the seafloor indicate
This indicates how many magnetic reversals the Earth has experienced
What evidence is there for plate tectonics
The geologic events that occur at plate boundaries such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
What happens at subduction zones
Two plates come together of different densities and one sinks under the other and melts
What is the creation of new crust at divergent oceanic boundaries called
Sea-floor Spreading
What are the three main types of plate boundaries that exist
Convergent,Divergent, and Transform
Which boundary is characterized by the creation of volcanic mountain ranges
Convergent boundaries
What type of plate boundary exists in California along the San Andreas fault
Transform Boundary
Which boundary is characterized by the creation of a mid-ocean ridge
Divergent Boundary
The collision between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate caused the formation of the himalayan mountain range
Continental-Continental
The____ __ ____ is an area along the edge of the Pacific ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur
Ring of fire
A(n) _____ is a fracture or break in the rocks that make up Earths crust
Fault
A(n) volcanic _____ ____ is a string of islands created from the volcanoes along a deep ocean trench
Island Arc
Remember to study the…..
diagrams(especially the 10.3 notes)
