Tectonic Hazards + Rocks and weathering Flashcards
What is the outer layer of the Earth?
The crust
what is the second-to-outer layer of the Earth?
The mantle
What is the third-to-outer layer of the Earth?
The outer core
What is the middle layer of the Earth?
The inner core
What are the two different types of crust?
Continental and oceanic
What is the difference between the two different types of crust?
Continental crust carries land; oceanic carries water
How thick is the crust?
60km thick
What is the mantle made of?
Magma
How thick is the mantle?
2,900 km
What are the temperatures in the mantle?
temperatures range from between 500-900 degrees celcius
What metals is the mantle made from?
It is made from magnesium and some iron
How thick is the outer core?
Around 2,200 km thick.
What is the outer core made of?
The outer core is a liquid layer made from molten metal
What metals is the outer core made from?
Iron and nickel
How hot is the outer core?
4,400 degrees celcius
What metals is the inner core made of?
Iron and nickel
How hot is the inner core?
5,430 degrees celcius
How hot is the inner core?
1,220 degrees celcius
What is the name for the crust and upper mantle?
The lithosphere
What is continental crust mainly made from?
Granite
What is oceanic crust made from?
Basalt
Which type of crust is thicker?
Continental crust
Which type of crust is heavier?
Oceanic crust
What are convection currents?
Convection currents are hot currents of molten rock that heat up and rise, then cool down and sink again
What were all the continents called when they were joined together?
Pangea
Fossils of which ancient reptile were found in sourthern Africa and South America?
Mesosaurus
What are the three types of rock?
Sedimentary, Igneous and Metamorphic
What is sedimentary rock?
Rock made from layers of sediment and dead creatures
What is igneous rock?
Rock made from magma that has cooled down and solidified
what is metamorphic rock?
Rock made from existing rocks that has changed under high heat or pressure
What is the name for the edges of the plates that make up the lithosphere?
Plate margins/plate boundaries
What are the four types of plate boundaries?
Constructive, destructive, conservative, collision
What happens on a constructive boundary?
Two plates move apart from each other, and hot magma rises up between the cracks, solidifies, and over time creates new land.
What happens on a destructive boundary?
Two plates are pushed together and the oceanic plate slides under the continental plate. The oceanic crust begins to melt under the heat and the magma that once was the oceanic plate rises up under the continental plate to form a volcano
What happens on a collision boundary?
Two plates crash into each other and cause earthquakes. Then the rocks between the plates get pushed up and folded.
What happens on a conservative boundary?
Two plates are moving past each other, but one is moving faster. The plates then lock together and when they break apart there is a large earthquake.
Name three igneous rocks
Pumice, granite, obsidian
Name three metamorphic rocks
Marble, quartzite, gneiss
Name three sedimentary rocks
Sandstone, limestone, slate
What type of boundary is the San Andreas fault?
conservative boundary
What are the three types of weathering?
Biological, chemical and physical
What is an example of chemical weathering?
acid rain
What causes physical weathering?
temperature
Two examples of biological weathering would be…
…tree roots making their way into cracks in rocks and pushing them apart, or another example would be burrowing animals.
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Erosion is the wearing away (and removal) of rocks, stone or soil (by wind, rain, waves or glaciers); however weathering is breaking down of a rock. (by anything from rain, to plant roots to animals to temperature)
What are the most common atoms in rock?
Oxygen and Silicon
What is the difference between magma and lava?
Magma is molten rock that is underground, lava is aboveground.
