The Earth and Plate Boundaries

Question 1

What are the four plate boundaries?

Answer 1

1. Destructive
2. Constructive
3. Collision
4. Conservative

Question 2

What are the currents that take place in the plate boundaries called?

Answer 2

Convection currents

Question 3

What is a destructive plate boundary?

Answer 3

A Destructive plate boundary consists of two plates ( oceanic and continental). The oceanic plate is denser than the continental plate. As they move together (because of convection currents in the mantle) and create earthquakes, the oceanic plate is forced underneath the continental plate. This causes the oceanic plate to melt and erupt through a volcano made up of fold mountains.

Question 4

What is a constructive plate boundary?

Answer 4

At a constructive plate margin the plates move apart from one another because of convection currents in the mantle.. When this happens the magma from the mantle rises up to make (or construct) new land in the form of a volcano. The movement of the plates over the mantle (friction) can cause earthquakes.

Question 5

What is a collision plate boundary?

Answer 5

At a collision plate boundary, convection currents in the mantle cause two continental plates to collide. They are not forced under one another because they are the same density. Instead they are forced upwards to create fold mountains.

Question 6

What is an example of a destructive plate margin?

Answer 6

Japan is an example of a destructive plate margin because it is situated on the edge of the Eurasian plate. The Pacific plate subducts under the Eurasian plate.

Question 7

What is an example of a constructive plate margin?

Answer 7

The mid Atlantic ridge is an example of a constructive plate margin because it drags the North American and Eurasian Plates apart from each other.

Question 8

What is an example of a collision plate margin?

Answer 8

The Himalayas are an example of a collision plate margin because both of the continental plates have the same density so one plate can’t be subducted under the other. This causes the land to move upwards contorting the collision zone, and forming the jagged Himalayan peaks.

Question 9

How thick is the earths crust?

Answer 9

25 miles/ 40 km

Question 10

How many times larger is the continental crust to the oceanic crust?

Answer 10

3x

Question 11

What is the order of the earths layers? Outside to Inside

Answer 11

1. Crust
2. Mantle
3. Outer core
4. Inner core

Question 12

How thick is the mantle?

Answer 12

1800 miles/ 2280 km

Question 13

What is a conservative plate boundary?

Answer 13

Two plates get caught on each other and build up pressure over thousands of years. Thousands of years later they finally separate and due to the pressure that was built up they cause an earthquake.

Question 14

How thick is the outer core?

Answer 14

3000 miles/ 4828 km

Question 15

How thick is the inner core?

Answer 15

900 miles