Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Mountains

Question 1

Evidence of support of the continental drift hypothesis

Answer 1

The fit of the continents, paleoclimatic evidence, fossil evidence, rock type, and structural similarities

Question 2

How old is Pangea?

Answer 2

Around 200 million years old.

Question 3

When did Alfred Wegener propose his hypothesis?

Answer 3

He proposed it in 1915

Question 4

Earthquake

Answer 4

Vibrations of the earth produced by a sudden release of energy

Question 5

Fault

Answer 5

A fracture or zone of fractures in rock along which the two sides have been displaced relative to each other.

Question 6

Focus

Answer 6

The point within the earth along the fault from which earthquake waves originate

Question 7

Epicenter

Answer 7

The point on the earth’s surface directly above the focus

Question 8

What is the Elastic Rebound Hypothesis?

Answer 8

When rocks bend until the strength of the rock is exceeded, then rupture occurs, after that they quickly rebound to an undeformed shape, and the they release energy in waves that radiate outward from the fault

Question 9

What is seismology?

Answer 9

The study of earthquakes waves

Question 10

Body waves

Answer 10

waves that travel in all directions from the focus through the body of the earth, there are two types.

Question 11

Primary waves (p-waves)

Answer 11

a push-pull motion (compression), travel through liquid, solid, and gas. Fastest waves.

Question 12

Secondary waves (s-waves)

Answer 12

Shake motion, travel only through solids, slower than p-waves

Question 13

Surface waves (L and R waves)

Answer 13

complex motion, slowest out of all the waves, the waves we feel during earthquakes.

Question 14

What is a seismograph?

Answer 14

An instrument that records the data collected from the seismic waves of the earthquake.

Question 15

What is a seismogram?

Answer 15

A written record by the seismograph

Question 16

How do you locate an epicenter of a earthquake?

Answer 16

Use the Triangulation Method, which is a mathematical method for locating the epicenter of the earthquake using three or more data sets from seismic station.

Question 17

What are the steps of the Triangulation Method?

Answer 17

First mark the locations of the first p-wave and s-wave, then find the distance (lag-time) between the first p-wave and s-wave to tell you how many minutes the waves are apart, then record the time of the first p-wave and s-wave, finding the difference between the two times, then do that for two other seismic stations. Then find the distance from the seismic stations.

Question 18

What are some factors that determine destruction?

Answer 18

Some factors are magnitude of an earthquake and the proximity to population.

Question 19

What are some destruction forms?

Answer 19

The ground shaking, tsunamis, landslides, fires, and liquefaction.

Question 20

Sheeting

Answer 20

caused by curved joints in large igneous bodies like batholiths

Question 21

Columnar joints

Answer 21

produced in igneous rocks caused by shrinking as magma cools

Question 22

Joints

Answer 22

fractures where no displacement occurs

Question 23

Strike-slip faults

Answer 23

fault planes are nearly vertical, the movement is horizontal (shear)

Question 24

Thrust faults

Answer 24

low angle reverse fault, and they produce the largest mountains. (compressional)

Question 25

Faults

Answer 25

fractures in rocks showing displacement

Question 26

Brittle

Answer 26

breaks or fractures (permanent)

Question 27

Elastic

Answer 27

rock returns to original size and shape when stress is removed (temporary)

Question 28

Plastic

Answer 28

size and shape of rock are altered through folding (permanent)

Question 29

Folds

Answer 29

Rocks bent into a series of waves, caused mostly by compression

Question 30

Anticline

Answer 30

up folded rock layers (arch)

Question 31

Syncline

Answer 31

down folded layers (trough)

Question 32

Dip-slip faults

Answer 32

vertical movement along the fault plane

Question 33

What are the parts of a dip-slip fault?

Answer 33

The hanging wall which is the rock above the fault plane, and the footwall which is the rock below the fault plane.

Question 34

Normal fault

Answer 34

hanging wall moves down (tensional)

Question 35

Reverse fault

Answer 35

hanging wall moves up (compressional)