The Restless Earth Vocab Flashcards
Caldera
The depression if a super volcano, marking the collapsed magma chamber
Composite volcano
Steep-sided cone with successive layers of ash and lava
(Destructive) Collision boundary
Where two plates are moving together and upward, creating mountains
Conservative boundary
Where two plates pass alongside each other
Constructive boundary
Where two plates move apart
Continental drift
The theory that describes how plates have moved over millions of years
Convection current
Movement of magma within the Earth’s mantle, formed by radioactive decay creating heat
Crust
The outermost layer of the Earth
Earthquake
A sudden and violent shaking of the Earth’s crust
Epicentre
The point at the Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake
Fissure
Extended opening along a line of weakness, allowing magma to escape to the surface
Focus
The point where an earthquake originates
Fold mountains
Mountains formed by plate collision, crumpling rock layers
Geyser
A geothermal feature in which water erupts into the air under pressure
Geothermal
Water that is heated beneath the ground, which comes to the surface in a variety of ways
Hazard
An event where lives and property are threatened, resulting in damage and/or death
Hot spot
Where magma plumes rise away from plate boundaries, breaking through the crust
Immediate responses
How people react as the disaster happens and in the immediate aftermath
Lahar
Secondary effect of a volcano where mudflows form from the mixing of ash and melted ice/water
Lava
Name for magma once at the Earth’s surface
Long term responses
Later reactions that occur in the weeks, months and years after the event
Magma
Molten rock within the Earth’s mantle
Mantle
The dense, mostly solid layer between the outer core and the crust
Mercalli scale
Measures the destructive power of an earthquake (1-12)
