Unit 4 Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

Continental drift

A

hypothesis that a single large landmass broke up into smaller land masses to form the continents, which then drifted to their present locations

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2
Q

puzzle pieces

A

continents seem to fit together like puzzle pieces if we were to cut and move the shapes from the map

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3
Q

mid-ocean ridges

A

long undersea mountain chain that has a steep, narrow valley at its center, that forms as magma rises from the asthenosphere, and that creates new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) as tectonic plates move apart

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4
Q

sea-floor spreading

A

the process where new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms as magma rises to Earth’s surface at mid-oceanic ridges and solidifies, as older, existing seafloor moves away from the ridge

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5
Q

Paleomagnetism

A

study of the alignment of magnetic minerals in rock, specifically as it relates to the reversal of Earth’s magnetic poles; also the magnetic properties that rock acquires during formation

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6
Q

Normal Polarity

A

magnetic rocks point N

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7
Q

Reversed Polarity

A

magnetic rocks point S

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8
Q

Geomagnetic reversal time scale

A

scientist arrange the pattern of normal polarity and reversed polarity to create a time scale as recorded by paleomagnetism

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9
Q

plate tectonics

A

theory that explains how large pieces of the lithosphere, called plates, move and change shape

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10
Q

Lithosphere

A

solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle (sea floor)

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11
Q

Asthenosphere

A

the solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere

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12
Q

Divergent Boundaries

A

boundary between tectonic plates that are moving apart

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13
Q

Convergent boundaries

A

boundary between tectonic plates that are colliding

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14
Q

ocean-continental (subduction zones)

A

ocean crust is denser so it subducts under the continental

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15
Q

continental-continental

A

both plates are equally or nearly equal in density so neither subducts and we get thickening forming mountains

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16
Q

oceanic-oceanic

A

both very dense so one eventually gives and produces a deep trench and sometimes islands arcs due to production of magma

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17
Q

transform boundaries

A

boundary between tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally

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18
Q

Convection

A

movement of heated material due to differences in density that are caused by differences in temperatures

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19
Q

ridge push

A

as the cooled, older rock slides down the ridge of the slope it exerts a force on the rest of the plate

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20
Q

slab pull

A

as the leading edge of the plate sinks, it pulls the rest of the plate along behind it

21
Q

Cratons

A

large stable block of the Earth’s crust forming the nucleus of a continent,; these are ancient cores where the modern continents formed

22
Q

shield

A

rocks within the craton that have been exposed to the surface

23
Q

rifiting

A

process by which Earth’s crust breaks apart; can occur within continental crust or oceanic crust

24
Q

Terrane

A

piece of lithosphere that has a unique geologic history and that may be part of a larger piece of lithosphere, such as a continent

25
Q

supercontinent cycle

A

process by which supercontinents form and break apart over millions of years

26
Q

Pangaea

A

supercontinent that formed 300 million years ago and that began to break up 200 million years ago

27
Q

Panthalassa

A

single, large ocean that covered Earth’s surface during the time Pangaea existed

28
Q

deformation

A

bending, tilting, and breaking of Earth’s curst; the change in the shape of rock in response to stress

29
Q

Isostasy

A

condition of gravitational and buoyant equilibrium between Earth’s lithosphere and asthenosphere

30
Q

compression

A

squeezing and shortening of a body

31
Q

Tension

A

stretching and pulling of a body

32
Q

Shear Stress

A

distortion of a body by moving parts in opposite directions

33
Q

Strain

A

any change in a rock’s shape or volume caused by stress

34
Q

brittle

A

response to stress by breaking/fracturing

35
Q

ductile

A

response to stress through bending/deforming w/o breaking

36
Q

Fold

A

form of ductile strain in which rock layers bend, usually as a result of compression

37
Q

Anticline

A

oldest layer is in the center of the fold

38
Q

syncline

A

fold in which the youngest layer is in the center of the fold

39
Q

monocline

A

one part of the crust moves up or down relative to another

40
Q

faults

A

break in a body of rock along which one block slides relative to another; form of brittle strain

41
Q

fault plane

A

surface or plane along which the motion occurs

42
Q

hanging wall

A

rock above the fault plane

43
Q

footwall

A

rock below the fault plane

44
Q

normal faults

A

fault in which the hanging wall moves downward relative to footwall

45
Q

Reverse Faults

A

fault in which the hanging wall moves upward relative to footwall

46
Q

thrust faults

A

reverse fault that occurs at very low angles

47
Q

strike-slip faults

A

rock on either side of the fault plane slides horizontally in response to shear stress

48
Q

mountain ranges

A

series of mountains that are closely related in orientation, age, and mode of formation

49
Q

mountain system

A

group of mountain ranges