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Plate Tectonics Flashcards

1
Q

What is the lithosphere?

A

The solid outer part of the Earth, consisting of part of the upper mantle and the crust

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2
Q

What is the athenosphere?

A

The layer below the lithosphere, it is plastic, meaning its a weak solid, with some properties of a liquid

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3
Q

How do we know that sea floor isn’t flat?

A

Harry Hess used sonar to detect it

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4
Q

Who came up with the theory of continental drift?

A

Alfred Wegner

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5
Q

What is continental drift?

A

A theory that the continents weren’t fixed, but they were moving, and that they had once formed Pangea, a super continent.

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6
Q

How did Alfred Wegner come up with the continental drift theory?

A

The close geographical fits of the different continents which he described as like a torn newspaper, narrow mountain belts restricted to continental margins and the distribution of fossils

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7
Q

What was the massive difference between the continental drift theory and the previous theories?

A

They all said the continents were fixed, but continental drift said they moved around

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8
Q

What is the structure of the Earth?

A

Crust(solid), upper mantle(solid), lower mantle(plastic), outer core(liquid) and inner core(solid)

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9
Q

What is the difference between plate tectonics and continental drift?

A

The continental drift theory said that the continents were moving, where as with plat tectonics the continents are on moving plates

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10
Q

How did we come up with the theory of plate tectonics?

A

Alfred Wegner noticed that South America and Africa was like a torn newspaper, that narrow mountain belts were restricted to continental margins and that the distribution of fossils on different continents. Harry Hess found out about sea floor spreading and the dating of rocks from the sea floor.

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11
Q

Which are denser, oceanic or continental plates?

A

Oceanic

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12
Q

What are the three types of boundaries?

A

Divergent, convergent and transform

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13
Q

What is a divergent boundary?

A

Two plates move apart, and a crack is made which is called a rift valley, and volcanic eruptions then create new crust. They are also called constructive boundaries

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14
Q

What are convergent subduction boundaries?

A

When an oceanic plate and a continental plate move towards each other, and the oceanic plate, being denser, sinks under the continental plate. A deep trench is formed, earthquakes are felt along the boundaries and volcanoes form

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15
Q

What happens at a convergent island chain boundary?

A

When 2 oceanic plates collide subduction occurs, and the faster moving moves under the other. A deep trench is formed, earthquakes are felt, and newly formed volcanoes create islands

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16
Q

What happens at convergent mountain range boundaries?

A

Two continental plates collide, and the force pushes both plates upwards. A high narrow belt of mountains is formed

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17
Q

What happens at a transform boundary?

A

Two plates slide against each other. It causes earthquakes

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18
Q

What does convection and plate tectonics have to do with each other?

A

Convection in the asthenosphere moves the plates

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19
Q

What is slab pull?

A

The plate at subduction zones are denser then those near mid ocean ridges, so gravity pulls the heavy, dense plate downwards into the subduction zone. This then pulls the plate into the trench and away from the ocean ridges. The end result is that the plates are pulled apart.

20
Q

What is ridge push?

A

Since the new ocean crust is forming at the ridges it is above the rest of the crust, gravity pulls the new crust downwards. This would push on the older crust below it and to its sides. This force may be enough to move the plate sideways.

21
Q

What are rifts?

A

The cracks down the middle of diverging plates

22
Q

What is the Great Global Rift System?

A

The under water mountain system

23
Q

What is rifting?

A

The theory for how the continents broke up; the crust cracked and subsided and water filled the gap.

24
Q

What happens at transform boundaries to cause earthquakes?

A

Slow moving plates suddenly slip past past each other quickly

25
Q

What do GPS ground systems do?

A

Send messages to satellites about how far the Earth moves and in which direction.

26
Q

How do divergent boundaries create volcanoes?

A

They create weaknesses in the crust and magma find its way through the weaknesses

27
Q

How does subduction cause volcanoes?

A

The plates are weakened and a lot of heat is created, so volcano chains form

28
Q

Where do hotspots occur?

A

Where the crust is weak

29
Q

What are earthquakes measured with?

A

Seismometers, which draw waves by having a pen that moves with vibrations and draws a seismograph

30
Q

What are earthquakes waves?

A

Seismic waves?

31
Q

What are the different types of seismic waves?

A

Primary(P-waves), secondary(S-waves) and surface waves

32
Q

What are primary waves?

A

Longitudinal body waves that travel fast through the Earth. They travel deep under the ground and then bend upwards to reach the surface of the crust. They shake the Earth up and down and refract as they pass through liquid

33
Q

What are secondary waves?

A

Transverse body waves that travel slightly slower than P-waves through the Earth. They travel deep under the Earth and bend back up to reach the surface of the crust. They shake the Earth back and forth(sideways). They don’t travel through liquids.

34
Q

What are surface waves?

A

They are the slowest seismic waves and cause the most destruction. They travel along the crust near the surface. The closer they are to the surface the more destructive they are. Love and rayliegh waves are surface waves

35
Q

What is the focus?

A

Where an earthquake starts. It may be 100s of kms into the earth

36
Q

What is the epicentre?

A

The point directly above the focus.

37
Q

How do we know the structure of the Earth?

A

After studying the behaviour of different seismic waves, we know that S-waves can’t travel through liquids, and using this we have found out that the outer core is liquid

38
Q

What are body waves?

A

P and S-waves

39
Q

What are love waves?

A

Surface waves that travel quickly and move side to side?

40
Q

What are Rayleigh waves?

A

Rolling waves that are very deatructive

41
Q

Why are folds and faults caused?

A

As the plates move the strata is put under immense pressure all through the plate not just at the boundaries. These forces make pressure in 3 different directions, tension, compression and shear

42
Q

What are folds?

A

Compression makes them. Syncline folds go down, anticline go up.

43
Q

What is a fault?

A

If the strata of a rock breaks along a line, it’s a fault. Normal faults(one slips under the other) are caused by tension, reverse faults/thrusr faults(one rises) are caused by compression

44
Q

What is graben and horst?

A

Graben is multiple normal faults, and Horst is multiple reverse faults

45
Q

What are strike slip faults?

A

Faults caused by strike slip faults(they look kinda like transform boundaries)

46
Q

What are seismic vibrators?

A

Things that make earthquakes to measure the waves

47
Q

What are deep ocean buoys?

A

Buoys that measure information on underwater earthquakes and tsunamis

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