plate tectonics & GTS

Question 1

what layers are the earth divided into from the surface?

Answer 1

crust, mantle, lithosphere, asthenosphere, core

Question 2

crust

Answer 2

solid, low density, brittle, forms the continents adn ocean floor

Question 3

mantle

Answer 3

consists of hot, dense, semi-solid rock, broken into layers

Question 4

lithosphere

Answer 4

upper part of the mantle plus crust, is cooler and more solid than lower sections

Question 5

asthenosphere

Answer 5

softer, mobile zone in the mantle that lithosphere floats on

Question 6

core

Answer 6

outer - liquid

inner - solid

Question 7

as the earth rotates, the liquid core spins, and does what?

Answer 7

creating the earth’s magnetic field

Question 8

what are the driving force behind plate movement

Answer 8

convection currents

Question 9

how are convection currents formed

Answer 9

as liquid part of the mantle heats from radioactive decay in core, and rises then cools and sinks

Question 10

divergent plate boundaries

Answer 10

magma surging upward to the surface pushes two plates apart creating new crust as it cools and spreads

ex: ridges, volcanic activity, earthquakes

Mid Atlantic ridge, african rift valley

Question 11

convergent plate boundaries

Answer 11

when two plates collide; trenches, volcanic arcs, earthquakes

ex: Mariana’s trench

Question 12

subduction occurs when

Answer 12

one plate slides under another, which usually occurs when denser oceanic crust slides underneath a lighter continental plate underneath forming a trench.

The subducted crust heats to magma.

Magma may erupt as volcanoes near plate boundary

Question 13

equal density

Answer 13

both oceanic or continental; mountain ranges

ex: Himalayas (2 conti) & Japan (2 ocean)

Question 14

Transform

Answer 14

the boundary between two plates sliding past one another; earthquakes and faults

ex: San Andreas fault

Question 15

topography

Answer 15

earth’s landforms

Question 16

tectonics builds _____which creates ______ and that shapes _____ by ____,____,___

Answer 16

mountains, topography, climate, altering patterns of rain, wind, currents, heating, cooling, thereby affecting the locations of biomes, influencing where animals & plants live

Question 17

what is the focus of an earthquake

Answer 17

point of rock fracture

Question 18

where is the focus always

Answer 18

underground

Question 19

what is the place on the surface directly above ground

Answer 19

epicenter

Question 20

a tsunami occurs after an?

Answer 20

earthquake or volcano displaces a large volume of water

Question 21

hot spots

Answer 21

stationary mantle plumes deep within asthenosphere is molten rock which rises and melts through the lithospheric plate forming a large volcanic mass at a hot spot

Question 22

global dimming

Answer 22

a decrease in the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the earth, believed to be caused by pollution in the atmosphere

Question 23

what is an earthquake and how is it caused

Answer 23

sudden shaking of the ground and occurs when stress overcomes a locked fault, releasing stored energy.