Tectonic Theory/ Layers of the Earth

Question 1

Continental Drift

Answer 1

Theory that explained how continents shift position on Earth’s surface. Set forth in 1912 by Alfred Wegener.

Question 2

Convection Currents

Answer 2

The transfer of heat from one place to another by the movement of fluids. Magma is heated and rises meaning the plates are shifted.

Question 3

Asthenosphere

Answer 3

The upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.

Question 4

Continental Crust

Answer 4

The relatively thick part of the earth’s crust which forms the large land masses. It is generally older and more complex than the oceanic crust.

Question 5

Core (Inner and Outer)

Answer 5

The outer core of the Earth is a liquid layer about 2,260 kilometers thick. It is made of iron and nickel. This is above the Earth’s solid inner core and below the mantle. Its outer boundary is 2,890 km (1,800 mi) beneath the Earth’s surface.

Question 6

Crust

Answer 6

The crust is the outer layer of the earth. It is a thin layer between 0-60 km thick. The crust is the solid rock layer upon which we live.The crust is made up of different types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.

Question 7

Lithosphere

Answer 7

The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the Earth. The lithosphere includes the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust, the outermost layers of Earth’s structure.

Question 8

Mesosphere

Answer 8

In geology, the mesosphere refers to the part of the mantle below the lithosphere and the asthenosphere, but above the outer core.

Question 9

Oceanic Crust

Answer 9

The relatively thin part of the earth’s crust which underlies the ocean basins. It is geologically young compared with the continental crust and consists of basaltic rock overlain by sediments.

Question 10

Plate Tectonic Theory

Answer 10

A theory in geology: the lithosphere of the earth is divided into a small number of plates which float on and travel independently over the mantle and much of the earth’s seismic activity occurs at the boundaries of these plates.

Question 11

The Rayleigh-Bernard Theory

Answer 11

The Rayleigh Bernard convection phenomena is an instability which basically occurs in a viscous fluid layer submitted to a vertical negative temperature gradient, in the same direction than the gravity.