PLATE TECTONICS Flashcards
PLATE
rigid section of the earths crust
LITMOSPHERE
top of mantle and the crust
FOLD MOUNTAINS
destructive
VOLCANOES
destructive & constructve
EARTHQUAKES
constructive & conservative
OUTER CORE
iron & nickel, semi molten
INNER CORE
^6000 degrees, solid
MANTLE
semi molten, convection currents
OCEANIC
mainly basalt, subducts
CONTINENTAL
older than oceanic
DESTRUCTIVE
oceanic under continental
continental folds up & oceanic melts due to heat and pressure
magma rises and explodes as lava
CONSTRUCTIVE
plates diverge, magma rises & quakes
magma reaches surface = new land
creates undersea mnts & v.noes
these rise & break apart = islands
CONSERVATIVE
plates in opp directions/ same at diff speeds
friction builds up = earthquakes
FOCUS
point where energy is released
EPICENTRE
point on surface directly above focus
HAZARD
phenomenon which can cause loss of life, injury economic/ environmental damage
ACTIVE VOLCANOE
erupted in last century
DORMANT VOLCANOE
not erupted for ventures but may erupt again
EXTINCT VOLCANOE
not expected to erupt again
LAVA BOMBS
chunks over 65mm diameter
ASH CLOUD
small pieces of pulverised glass and rock less than 2mm diameter
TEPHRA
all fragments of volcanic rock blasted into air
LAHARS
mud flow, rock and water ^50km/hr
+ ice and water = 10x original size
NUEE ARDENTE
viscous magma erupts at certain conditions = glowing cloud
PYROCLASTIC FLOW
ground hugging avalanche or hot ask, rock and gas
AFTERSHOCKS
tremors that occur after large earthquakes
SEISMIC WAVE
way in which energy travels through crust during earthquake
RICHTER SCALE
logarithmic scale used to express earthquake magnitude
TSUNAMI
large wave generated by tectonic movements in ocean floor
