Theme D: The Restless Earth Flashcards
Describe the density of continental crust
Less dense and light
Describe the thickness of continental crust
30-70km
Is continental crust young or old?
Old
List some characteristics of continental crust
Doesn’t sink into mantle easily
Hard to destroy
Describe the density of oceanic crust
Very dense and heavy
Describe the thickness of oceanic crust
5-10km
Is oceanic crust young or old?
Young
List some characteristics of oceanic crust
Sinks into mantle easily
Easily destroyed
What is the average speed of tectonic plates?
70mm per year
What is the place where tectonic plates meet?
Plate Margins
How do plates move?
Mantle heated by radioactive decay in core, setting up conversation currents due to hot magma rising towards the surface.
Here the magma cools and sinks down towards the core.
When magma rises near crust, if spreads out and drags tectonic plates apart.
When the magma sinks back down towards core it will drag tectonic plates closer together.
Name the 4 types of plate margin
Constructive plate margin
Destructive plate margin
Collision margin
Conservative margin
What is a constructive plage margin?
Where 2 plates are pulled apart and move away from each other. Magma wells up from the mantle to plug the gap causing new crust to be made. This rising magma pushes up the crust slightly at either side of plate margin forming a mid -oceanic ridge.
Describe earthquakes and volcanic activity at constructive plate margins
Weak earthquakes and gentle volcanic activity
What plate margin forms an oceanic ridge
Constructive plate margin
What is a destructive plate margin?
Where oceanic crust collided with another plate, causing crust to be destroyed.
It can happen when oceanic crust collides with continental crust or when oceanic crust collided with oceanic crust
Explain how crust is destroyed at an oceanic crust- continental crust margin
The two plates move towards each-other and collide. The heavy oceanic crust gets pushed down into the mantle, this is called subduction.
What is the area called where oceanic crust is being pushed into the mantle?
A subduction zone
What does subduction create?
An ocean trench
How do volcanoes happen at the oceanic crust continental margin?
Oceanic plate melts when subduction occurs due to intense heat.
The oceanic crust is full of water which means when it melts it will have a different chemical composition go the rest of the magma in the mantle. This creates a magma filled with gas bubbles from the evaporating water.
This makes the magma lighter and explode. It rises up and breaks through the surface which creates a volcano.
How do earthquakes happen at oceanic crust continental crust margins?
Plate movement isn’t smooth due to friction between rough surfaces. The plates may be stuck for years and pressure builds up. There is then a release of pressure between the plates suddenly which caused the plates to move, creating an earthquake on the surface.
How do fold mountains form at oceanic crust continental crust margins?
The continental plage is lighter than the ocean plate and can’t be subducted. The forces cause it to fold and buckle upwards which creates fold mountains
Explain how a volcanic island is formed at an oceanic crust continental crust margin
As the oceanic crust sinks into the mantle it melts, creating a less dense magma than the surrounding molten rock. This rises upwards and erupts on the crust. This creates a volcanic island. A chain of volcanic islands can be formed on the plate margin called a volcanic island arc
What is a collision zone?
A collision zone happens at a plate margin where continental crust meets continental crust.
The crust can’t be destroyed so both plates buckle and fold upwards, creating two sets of fold mountains which will overthrust one another.
This creates a very high and large range of mountains. There is little melting of plate material. Any magma that is created can’t make it through the high mountains to make volcanoes.
The magma that tries to rise through the mountains make a large intrusion into the mountain range called a batholith.
The magma cools down very slowly and fork a rock called granite.
This means the fold mountains have granite cores.
What is a conservative margin?
Where 2 plates try to slide pass eachother and friction causes them to get stuck. The pressure builds up and then there is a sudden movement between the 2 played which is felt as an earthquake on the surface.
What are the 3 types of rock?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic