Restless Earth Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

What are the four layers of the earth?

A

Inner core, outer core, mantle and crust

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

How thick is the crust?

A

10-25miles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is the crust made up of?

A

Soil, water and rock

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are features of oceanic crust?

A
Can subduct
Can be renewed and destroyed
Newer-200million years old at most
Denser
Made of silicone and magnesium (sima)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are features of continental crust?

A
Cannot sink
Connot be renewed or destroyed
Older, mostly over 1500million years old
Less dense
Made of silicone and aliminium (sial)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How thick is the mantle?

A

1800 miles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the temperature of the mantle?

A

500-2000°c

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the two layers of the mantle?

A

Lithosphere and Asthenosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the mantle made of?

A

Partly melted and partly solid iron and magnesium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the outer core made of?

A

Liquid nickel and iron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

How hot is the outercore?

A

5000°c

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How thick is the outercore?

A

1430miles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the radius of the inner core?

A

750 miles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the inner core made of?

A

Solid nickel and iron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What causes plates to move? And what causes these?

A

Convection currents in the mantle which is caused by nuclear decay in the core. Hot material rises and cools at the top which drags the plates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What are the three types of plate margin?

A

Constructive, destructive, conservative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What occurs at constructive plate boundaries?

A

The plates moving away which allows magma to rise SHEILD VOLCANOES

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Where are most constructive plate boundaries?

A

Usually under the sea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is an example of a constructive plate boundary?

A

Mid atlantic ridge in Iceland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What happens at a destructive plate boundary?

A

2 plates move towards eachother, lighter continental crust stays on the top whilst the oceanic crust subducts into the mantle where it melts

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What sort of volcanoes are featured at a destructive boundary?

A

Composite

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What four things are features of a destructive plate boundary?

A

Composite volcanoes
Violent earthquakes
Ocean trenches
Fold mountains

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Which plate margin doesnt feature volcanoes?

A

Conservative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is an example of a conservative plate margin?

A

The San Andreas fault line, north american plate and pacific plates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What are three examples of fold mountains?

A

The Himalayas
The Andes
The Alps

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Explain the formation of fold mountains

A
Rivers carry sediment into a geosyncline
The sediments build up
Convection current drive plates together
Sediments begin to up lift
Fol mountains are formed with sinclines and anticlines
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is the anticline?

A

The uplcline of fold mountains/folded rocks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is a sincline?

A

The down fold of folded rocks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What is an overfold?

A

Where a fold has been pushed over on one side

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What case study is used for human uses of fold mountains?

A

The Alps

31
Q

Where are the Alps?

A

750miles/1200km from the border of Italy

Bordering the countries of France, Austria and Slovenia

32
Q

Which plates are pushing against eachother to form the Alps?

A

The African and Eurasian

33
Q

What is the highest point of the Alps?

A

Mont Blanc 4810m

34
Q

What generates HEP in the Alps?

A

Water run off from melting snow, high precipitation, melting glaciers. They produce fast flowing rivers

35
Q

How much energy does the Grand Dixence provide Switzerland with?

A

70%

36
Q

What is transhumance farming?

A

Letting cattle graze on the mountains in summer then returning them to sheds on the valley floor in winter

37
Q

Why do people visit the Alps in summer?

A

For the lakes, beautiful scenery and hiking

38
Q

What is a disadvantage about winter sports of the Alps?

A

The slopes are being worn down which is increasing the number of bare surfaces and the risk of soil erosion. This can damage local vegetation

39
Q

What is a plentiful resource in the Alps?

A

Wood from coniferous trees

40
Q

What is a dormant volcano? Add example

A

Hasn’t erupted in 2000 years e.g Santorini, Greece

41
Q

What is an extinct volcano? Give and example

A

Unlikely to erupt ever again e.e. Devil’s Tower, Wyoming

42
Q

What is an active volcano? Give an example

A

Has erupted recently and likely to erupt again e.g. Mt Etna, Sicily

43
Q

Where are sheild volcanoes formed?

A

Constructive boundaries

44
Q

How are sheild volcanoes formed?

A

Magama rises between the plates to fill the gap

45
Q

Which type of volcano is more destructive/explosive?

A

Composite

46
Q

Which volcano’s lava is more viscous?

A

Composite

47
Q

Which volcano has gentle slopes with a wide base?

A

Sheild

48
Q

What is a composite volcano made of?

A

Layers of lava and ash

49
Q

What is an example of a sheild volcano?

A

Surtsey Island, Iceland

50
Q

What is an example of a composite volcano?

A

Mt Etna, Sicily

Krakatoa, Indonesia

51
Q

Why do humans live near volcanoes?

A
  • The local soil is very fertile when mixed with volcanic ash
  • The geothermal energy
  • sulfur mining in Indonesia
  • diamond, gold, silver, copper mining
  • tourism like at Mt Fiji in Japan where over 100million tourists visit a year
52
Q

What do people say for why they choose to live near a volcano?

A

‘The positives outweigh the negatives’

53
Q

What is a supervolcano?

A

A colossal volcano that erupts atleast 1000km^3 of material

54
Q

Where is the main distribution of supervolcanoes?

A

The west of the Nort American plate

55
Q

What are some causes of a supervolcano?

A

Destructive plate margin where magma can rise and make a hotspot
The magma rise through a pipe from the mantle to the crust where it gets trapped underneath a layer of rock
As it increases in size, the pressure adds to the crust
Eventually the crust gives in and collapses to form a caldera

56
Q

What escapes through cracks in a caldera?

A

Lava, tephra and pyroclastic flows

57
Q

What are some features that are close to supervolcanoes?

A

Geysers
Fissures
Caldera

58
Q

What is a fissure?

A

An extended opening that along the line of weakness which allows magma to escape

59
Q

Where do earthquakes occur?

A

All three types of plate margin

60
Q

What is the focus of an earthquake?

A

The point at which the earthquake happens beneath the earth

61
Q

What is the epicentre?

A

The location of the focus on the surface of the crust

62
Q

What is a seismic wave?

A

Waves that radiate out in all directions from the focus

63
Q

Why do earthquakes occur?

A

When two plates move past eachother without a smooth movement

64
Q

What causes the pllates to get stuck and what does this cause?

A

Friction then pressure

65
Q

What are the two different scales to measure earthquakes?

A

Richter and Mercalli

66
Q

What is the main difference between the richter and mercalli scale?

A

The Richter uses a mathematical grapher whereas the mercalli scale is based on opinion (subjective)

67
Q

What does the richter scale go up to?

A

10

68
Q

What does the mercalli scale up to?

A

12

69
Q

What is the mercalli scale based on?

A

The impact of the earthquake

70
Q

Who invented the Mercalli scale and when?

A

Guiseppe Mercalli, 1902

71
Q

Who invented the Richter scale and when?

A

Charles Richter, 1935

72
Q

Why is a tsunami seen as a secondary effect?

A

Because an earthquake has to trigger it first

73
Q

How do tsunamis occur?

A
  • Plates push together and get stuck
  • this causes an earthquake from the upward movement of one plate
  • this action displaces water above it in the sea
  • waves build up whilst moving towards land
  • eventually a huge wave drives towards land