Tectonic Hazards (assesment 1) Flashcards
1) What are the 4 layers of the earth? (Add detail)
Crust- the outermost shell of the earth, less than 1% of the Earth’s radius and volume
Mantle- The mostly solid bulk of the earth’s interior
Outer core- It is a fluid about 2260km thick
Inner core- It is the innermost, it is solid and about 2900km
1) What is a tectonic hazard?
1) Tectonic hazards are threats caused by the movement of tectonic plates that have potential to cause damage to life because they cause disasters such as tsunamis, volcanoes and earthquakes.
1) What are earthquakes?
2) How are they caused?
1) The sudden release of strain energy in the Earth’s crust, resulting in waves of shaking that radiate outwards from the earthquake source
2) The 3 main cause of earthquakes are the slipping of tectonic plates volcanic eruptions and collapse of rock formations on the Earth’s surface or underground explosions.
1) What are the 4 different plate boundary?
1) The four different plates are Conservative plates, Destructive plates, Collision plates and Constructive plates.
What is the thickest layer of the earth?
The mantle is the thickest layer of the earth
What is the inner Core made out of?
Solid iron and nickel
Which Tectonic plate do we live on?
Eurasian plate
What is the name of the theory that suggest tectonic plates move?
Continental Drift Theory
Why do Tectonic plates move?
Tectonic plates move because of Convection Currents
Plates slides past each other. This boundary is called?
Conservative
Where do earthquakes occur?
All plate boundaries - They are just larger at some plate boundary types than others
Describe the process of convection currents.
Convection Currents - As magma close to the core heats up it begins to rise. As the rising magma gets closer to the crust it begins to cool and will eventually start to fall back towards the core.It will repeat this pattern over and over causing the magma in the mantle to move in a circular pattern which will move the tectonic plates of the crust.This happens all throughout the mantle
(ii) Which one of the following areas in the UK is the most densely populated?
• A The Pennine Hills
• B The West Midlands
• C The Scottish Highlands
• D The North York Moors
•The West Midlands
What is a collision plate?
Collision Plate boundary is where plates move towards each other
What are plates move away from each other called?
Constructive
What is a Destructive Plate boundary?
A Destructive Plate boundary is where plates sides under another plate
The area under the surface where the earthquakes starts is called the…
Focus
What is the epicentre of an earthquake?
The point on the Earth’s surface that is directly above the focus (the point of origin) of an earthquake. The epicenter is usually the location where the greatest damage associated with an earthquake occurs
What is the focus of an earthquake?
The point where an earthquake starts is termed the focus or hypocentre and may be many kilometres deep within the earth.
What do we measure earthquakes using?
The Richter Scale
What are the characteristics of a shield volcano? Give 3
Has thin runny lava
Has a wide base
Gentle slopes
Lava moves quickly
Which of the following is an economic impact of the Icelandic Volcanic eruption in 2010?
The airports closed across Europe closed affecting 1.2 million passengers a day.
What is a Tsunami?
A large wave of water caused by an earthquake or other underwater disturbance. The wave can travel for miles inland.
What machine is used to measure earthquakes?
Seismometers
