The restless earth Flashcards
Structure of the earth?
inner core
outer core
Mantle (convection currents)
Crust
Features of Continental crust
Older
Less dense
Doesn’t sink
Never destroyed or renewed
Feature of Oceanic Crust?
Newer
Denser
Sinks (below continental crust)
Destroyed and renewed
What happens at a destructive boundary?
Plates move together
Subduction - oceanic subducts beneath continental
Collision - 2 continentals collide and buckle
What happens at a constructive boundary?
The plates move apart
What happens at a conservative boundary?
The plates move past each other
similar directions
different angles and speed
What makes the plates move?
the convection currents in the mantle
What forms at destructive subduction boundaries?
(Oceanic crust melts to form magma)
Fold mountains
Ocean trenches
What forms at destructive collision boundaries?
Fold mountains (e.g alps) composite volcanos
What forms at Constuctive plate margins?
Shield Volcanos
ocean ridges
What forms at conservative boundaries?
Upland ridges
EARTHQUAKES
Composite volcanoes
at DESTRUCTIVE plates boundaries steep sides made of lava, ash, lava, ash eruptions are infrequent and violent often have PYROCLASTIC flows (hot steam, ash, rock, dust)
Shield Volcanoes
at CONSTRUCTIVE plate boundaries gentle, sloping sides low, rounded peak made of lava eruptions frequent and non-violent RUNNY lava (little ash)
Using fold mountains case study
the ALPS
destructive collision boundary (African + Eurasian)
Border France, Italy, Switzerland etc.
Land uses in Alpine valley
1) Farming
SOUTH facing (warmer)
Transhumance - seasonable movement of animals
In summer: animals high up grazing, crops growing in valley bottom
In winter: Animals eating crops in barns
Changes:
cable cars mean milk is transported instead of being changed to butter and cheese
farmers buy feedstuffs so animals can be on valley bottom all year
Land uses in Alpine valley
2) Forestry
Coniferous trees on NORTH facing slopes
main building material and fuel in alps
Sawmills on valley bottom near to riversq