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Earth And Space > Plate Tectonics > Flashcards

Plate Tectonics Flashcards

1
Q

Continental drift theory

A

All present day continents were once part of a single supercontinent (Pangaea)
Proposed in 1918 by Wegener

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2
Q

Wegener’s evidence

A
  • continents fit together
  • fossil evidence (same non-aquatic animals found all over world (matching it shows all the continents fit together))
  • similarities in rock sequence (same thickness and order)
  • pole wandering (WRONG) (pole wanders, continents move)
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3
Q

Plate tectonic theory

A
  • rigid lithosphere floats on semi-rigid asthenosphere
  • lithosphere is broken into plates (about 30)
  • constant movement created by earth’s features
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4
Q

Layers of earth (top to bottom)

A

Crust
Mantle (lithosphere, asthenosphere)
Outer core
Inner core

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5
Q

Lithosphere

A
  • rigid
  • crust + uppermost mantle
  • plate of tectonic plates
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6
Q

Asthenosphere

A
  • part of solid mantle that flows (plastic flow (!))
  • part of convection currents that move lithospheric plates
  • semi rigid
  • much denser than lithosphere and crust
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7
Q

What drives plate movement

A

Convection currents

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8
Q

What is subduction

A

One plate beneath another plate

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9
Q

Eastern Caribbean (St. Lucia, st. Vincent, etc)

A
  • Caribbean + North American plates

- oceanic-oceanic

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10
Q

Andes

A
  • nazca + South American plates

- oceanic-continental

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11
Q

Ring of fire

A

Pacific + lots

-oceanic-continental

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12
Q

Cascades volcanoes

A
  • NA + Juan de fuca plate

- oceanic-continental

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13
Q

Himalayas

A
  • india + Eurasia plates

- continental-continental

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14
Q

Appalachians

A

Ancient NA + Eurasian
-continental-continental
2 plates are now fused together

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15
Q

Results of oceanic-oceanic

A

Volcanoes

Small islands of big enough

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16
Q

Results of oceanic-continental

A

Mountains

Volcanoes

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17
Q

Results of continental-continental

A

NO SUBDUCTION

Mountains (both go up)

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18
Q

Sinai (Red Sea)

A

Eurasian + African plates

Divergent

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19
Q

Mid-Atlantic ridge

A

African + South American
Nor American + Eurasian
Divergent

20
Q

African rift zone

A

African + Indian + Arabian plates

Divergent

21
Q

Sam Andreas fault

A

Pacific + North American plate

Transform

22
Q

Clarion fracture zone

A

Pacific + North American plates

Transform boundary

23
Q

Alpine fault

A

Australian + pacific

Transform boundary

24
Q

Hawaii

A

Hot spot

Pacific plate

25
Q

Iceland

A

Between Eurasian and North American plates

Hot spot

26
Q

Yellowstone

A

North American plate

Hotspot

27
Q

Results of divergent boundaries

A

Plates pull away from each other (new crust)

28
Q

Results of transform boundaries

A

-crust is neither produced nor destroyed as plates slide horizontally past each other

29
Q

Results of hot spots

A

Constant hot pocket

Chain of volcanoes

30
Q

Continental crust

A

Granite has big crystals (cool SLOW in dirt)

  • Granitic rocks
  • relatively lightweight minerals (Quartz + feldspar)
31
Q

Ocean crust

A

Salt has small crystals (cool FAST in water)

  • basaltic rocks
  • denser + heavier
32
Q

Continent + ocean

A

Continental on top (lighter)

33
Q

Continental + continental

A

Both go up

34
Q

Oceanic + oceanic

A

One goes under because they’re so heavy

35
Q

Plate boundaries

A
  • points where different plates meet
  • most beneath oceans
  • earthquakes and volcanoes concentrated there
36
Q

Rift

A
  • place where earth’s crust and lithosphere are being pulled apart
  • NO new crust/lithosphere formed
37
Q

French

A

Hemispheric long but narrow topographic depressions of sea floor

38
Q

Ridge

A

New oceanic crust + lithosphere is created by seafloor spreading
NEW crust/lithosphere formed

39
Q

Fault

A

Layers (cracks) in earth’s crust that are the result of different motion within the crust

40
Q

How can we tell where the plates meet? (Land)

A

Volcanoes
Earthquakes
Mountains

41
Q

How can we tell where the plates meet? (Oceans)

A

GEOSAY satellites map ocean floor

42
Q

Craton

A

Ancient rock at core of continent

43
Q

Terranes

A

Large block of lithospheric plate that has been moved and attached to the edge of a continent
Contributes to the growth of continents
cache creek Terrane in BC Canada

44
Q

How to identify a terrane

A
  • surrounded by major faults
  • rocks and fossils don’t match those of continent
  • magnetic record is different from continent
45
Q

River sediments and continent growth

A

Sediments (eroded rock and soils) build up on edges of containers
Mississippi River delta

46
Q

Igneous rock and container growth

A

Plutons formed from magma that rises beneath the surface and cools
Volcanoes at subduction boundaries eject lava, ash, rock materials (added to edge)
Chains of volcanic islands from subduction zones may be added

47
Q

Modern evidence for plate tectonics theory

A

Arthur Holmes

  1. seafloor spreading
  2. Magma hardens + ferromagnetism - looking at rocks on sea floor shows pole flipping

Earth And Space (10 decks)

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