Science Flashcards
all the continents on Earth were actually one huge “supercontinent” surrounded by one enormous ocean. This gigantic continent was called ___________
Pangea
What was the name of the ocean surrounding the supercontinent?
Panthalassa
When did the supercontinent start breaking apart?
200 million years ago
This is the German scientist who proposed the hypothesis on continental drift in 1912.
Alfred Wegener
Tectonic is a term derived from the Greek word __________ which means carpenter or builder
Tekton
This is the layer of the Earth that lies below the lithosphere. It is a layer of solid rock where the extreme pressure and heat causes the rocks to flow like liquid.
Asthenosphere
How far do the plates move per year?
1 to 15cm
This is the idea that the continents move around the Earth’s surface.
Continental Drift
Magnetism resulting from the cooling of magma mirrors the existing magnetism of the earth.
Paleomagnetism
The theory that the Earth has been shaped by sudden, often unpredicted, events that are short-lived but impactful.
Catastrophism
The theory that changes in the earth’s crust during geological history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform processes.
Uniformitarianism
Heat can be transferred from one place to another through a process known as convection, a method of heat transfer that is usually observed among fluid molecules.
Mantle Convection Current
This theory states that gravity and plates themselves are the ones responsible for the place tectonics through subduction process.
Slab Pull Theory
This is a location where two tectonic plates meet.
Plate Boundary
These are tectonic borders where tectonic plates pull away from each other and form a new crust. They’re also known as constructive boundaries.
Divergent Plate Boundaries
Where can Divergent Boundaries be found?
Some are located on land but most divergent boundaries are found at the seafloor
Give some examples of Divergent Boundaries
East African Rift zone
Iceland ridge
Mid-Atlantic ridge
The Southeast Indian ridge
Red Sea
This is a place where two plates move toward each other, its also referred to as destructive plate boundaries. Its also where subduction zones are created.
Convergent Plate Boundaries
What are the three types of Convergent Boundaries?
- Continental-Oceanic
- Oceanic-Oceanic
- Continental-Continental
When a continental and an oceanic plate collide at the convergent boundary of the two plates, subduction zones often develop.
The thinner and denser oceanic plate usually subducts below the thicker and less dense continental plate.
Continental-Oceanic
Give examples of Oceanic-Oceanic convergent plates.
Japanese Islands
Aleutian Islands
Caribbean Islands
Philippine Islands
This occurs when two continents meet head on.
This is subjected to extensive faulting and folding of the rocks within the two plates that are colliding with each other.
Continental-Continental
This is a zone between two plates that slide horizontally past one another. This is also called conservative boundary.
These are generally vertical and parallel to the direction of movement, they form fracture zones and faults.
Transform Plate Boundary
This connects two segments of a divergent plate boundary, plate movements are in opposite directions between the ridge crests.
Ridge-Ridge Transform Fault
