Plate tectonics

Question 1

Lithosphere

Answer 1

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
“the lithosphere comprises a number of plates”

Question 2

Asthenosphere

Answer 2

the upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.

Question 3

Mesosphere

Answer 3

the region of the earth’s atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude.

Question 4

inner core

Answer 4

is the Earth’s innermost part

Question 5

outer core

Answer 5

of the Earth is a fluid layer

Question 6

Seismic waves

Answer 6

an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means

Question 7

Oceanic crust

Answer 7

the relatively thin part of the earth’s crust which underlies the ocean basins.

Question 8

density

Answer 8

the degree of compactness of a substance.

Question 9

Alfred Wegener

Answer 9

was a German polar researcher, geophysicist and meteorologist.

Question 10

Continental drift

Answer 10

he gradual movement of the continents across the earth’s surface through geological time.

Question 11

Convergent Boundary

Answer 11

is a type of boundary where two plates meet together and start to push against one another.

Question 12

Divergent Boundary

Answer 12

is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.

Question 13

Transform Boundary

Answer 13

is a plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal.

Question 14

Sea-floor Spreading

Answer 14

the formation of new areas of oceanic crust, which occurs through the upwelling of magma at midocean ridges and its subsequent outward movement on either side.

Question 15

Pangaea

Answer 15

was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.

Question 16

Laurasia

Answer 16

When Pangaea broke up, the northern continents of North America and Eurasia became separated from the southern continents of Antarctica, India, South America, Australia and Africa.

Question 17

Gondwana

Answer 17

was an ancient supercontinent that broke up about 180 million years ago. The continent eventually split into landmasses we recognize today: Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula.

Question 18

Mesosaurus

Answer 18

is an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America.

Question 19

Glossopteris

Answer 19

fern that grow in Antarctica