Rock Cycle and Plate Tectonics Flashcards
What is the name of the supercontinent?
Pangaea
How long ago did the Earth’s supercontinent split?
200 mya
What causes the plates to move?
Convection currents beneath the plates
Who is Alfred Wegener?
German researcher who started the term “continental drift”
Who is J Tuzo Wilson? And what did he do?
J Tuzo Wilson expanded on Wegener’s ideas and proved continents move on parge plates or crust sections
What are the 3 types of Plate Tectonic movements?
Transformation Plate Boundary, Divergent Plate Boundaries and Convergent Plate Boundary
What is the Divergent Plate Boundaries and what is an example of it?
Movement of plates in opposite directions; Mid Atlantic Ridge
What are the 2 types of Convergent Plate Boundary, what are they and an example for each?
Can be classified as mountain building ( ex. Himalayas )or Subduction Zone ( Western Canada ). Subduction zone is when 1 plate goes under the other and mountain building is when both plates get pushed up.
What is the Transformation Plate Boundary and what is an example of it?
Movement or Slide of plates back and forth along each other. San Andreas Fault in California
What is the rock cycle?
The rock cycle is used to explain how the three rock types change into each other.
What are the 3 types of rocks?
Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic
What are Igneous Rocks?
Any rock formed through the cooling of lava or magma
What are some examples of Igneous Rocks?
- Granite
- Basalt
- Obsidian
- Diabase
What is the difference between Magma and Lava?
Magma is any sort of liquid Earth that is inside the earth, as soon as it is on the surface of the Earth, it’s called lava.
What happens when Igneous Rocks go through weathering and erosion.
It turns into Sediments
What happens when Igneous Rocks go through heat and pressure?
It turns into a metamorphic rock
What happens when Igneous Rocks go through melting?
It turns into Magma
What are Metamorphic Rocks?
Metamorphic Rocks are ones that come from heat and pressure
What are some examples of Metamorphic Rocks?
- Gneiss
- Quartzite
- Marble
What happens when Metamorphic rocks go through melting?
It turns into Magma
What happens when Metamorphic rocks go through weathering and erosion?
It turns into Sediments
What are Sedimentary Rocks?
Sediments are deposited together and are “cemented” to form a sedimentary rock.
What are Sediments?
Sediments can be anything that are broken down, transported and deposited
What are some examples of Sedimentary Rocks
- Shale
- Coal
- Limestones
- Sandstone
What happens when Sedimentary Rocks go through weathering and erosion?
It turns into Sediments
What happens when Sedimentary Rocks go through heat and pressure?
It turns into Metamorphic Rocks
What happens when Magma goes through cooling?
It turns into Igneous Rocks
What happens when sediments to through compaction and cementation
It becomes Sedimentary Rocks
What causes the rock cycle?
Plate tectonic movement is responsible for cycling rocks through the rock cycle
How many years ago was pangea formed?
Pangea was formed 300 mya
