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Science- Plate Tectonics
N/A
43
Science
8th Grade
03/06/2011

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Term
Which theory came first?
Definition
Continental Drift
Term
What was the man's name that thought of Continental Drift?
Definition
Alfred Wegener
Term
What three pieces of evidence supported the Continental Drift theory?
Definition
  1. Same fossils on different continents.
  2. Same rocks on different continents.
  3. Continents fit together like puzzle pieces.
Term
What is the theory of Plate Tectonics?
Definition
The theory that the earth's structure, or the lithosphere, is broken into plates. They are all moving.
Term
What are the layers of the earth?
Definition
  • Oceanic Crust
  • Continental Crust
  • Mantle
  • Outer Core
  • Inner Core
  • Lithosphere
  • Asthenosphere
Term
Which layers are solid and which layers are molten?
Definition
All layers, except the asthenosphere and the outer core are solid.
Term
Which crust is more dense, oceanic or continental?
Definition
Oceanic.
Term
What is the motion and stress at a convergent boundary?
Definition
The motion is the plates going towards each other and the stress is compression.
Term
What is the motion and stress at a divergent boundary?
Definition
The motion is the plates going away from each other and the stress is tension.
Term
What is the motion and stress at a transform boundary?
Definition
The motion is the plates sliding next to each other and the stress is shearing.
Term
What are the features that are formed at a convergent boundary?
Definition
Subduction (oceanic-continental or oceanic-oceanic), earthquakes, trenches, volcanoes, mountains and island arcs.
Term
What are the features that are formed at a divergent boundary?
Definition
Earthquakes, rifts (land) and ridges (water).
Term
What are the features that are formed at a transform boundary?
Definition
Earthquakes and faults.
Term
Where are convergent boundaries' effects taking place?
Definition
Himalayan Mountains.
Term
Where are divergent boundaries' effects taking place?
Definition
Great Rift Valley in Africa.
Term
Where are transform boundaries' effects taking place?
Definition
California.
Term
How do we know where the plate boundaries are and what evidence do we have?
Definition
Most of the earth's earthquakes take place along the plate boundaries.
Term
What type of heat transfer drives plate tectonics?
Definition
Convection.
Term
Which layer does the heat transfer take place in?
Definition
Asthenosphere.
Term
How is heat transfer responsible for plate tectonics' movement?
Definition
Convection moves in a circle below the plates, so the plates move with it.
Term
What is an earthquake and where are they most common?
Definition
Shaking at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane, often from volcanic activity. They are most common along plate boundaries.
Term
What are the three types of seismic waves emitted by earthquakes? Which is the fastest and which is the slowest?
Definition
  1. P-waves
  2. S-waves
  3. Surface

The fastest wave is a P-wave and the slowest wave is an S-wave.

Term
How are earthquake epicenters found?
Definition
Three different seismographs take three different circle readings and they intersect at one common point, the epicenter.
Term
What is the difference between the epicenter and the focus?
Definition
The focus is the point under the earth where the earthquake starts. The epicenter is the point on the surface that is directly above it.
Term
What is a tsunami?
Definition
A destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption.
Term
How does a tsunami form?
Definition
When there is an earthquake or landslide underwater.
Term
Why are tsunamis more dangerous when they're closer to the shore?
Definition
Tsunamis decrease in speed so that they can build up in size in shallow waters.
Term
What are the three major types of volcanoes?
Definition
  1. Cinder Cone
  2. Shield
  3. Composite
Term
What are the three types of volcanoes' relative sizes?
Definition
The shield is the biggest, the composite is medium and the cinder-cone is the smallest.
Term
What are the three types of volcanoes' type of eruptions?
Definition
Shield has a lava flow eruption, composite hass a mix and cinder-cone is explosive.
Term
What are the three types of volcanoes' lava viscosities?
Definition
Shields' are low, composites' are higher, cinder-cones' are low.
Term
What are different types of famous volcanoes?
Definition
Shield is Hawaiian Volcanoes, composite is Mt. St. Helens and cinder-cone is Mt. Tabor.
Term
What is magma?
Definition
Magma is formed when rock melts.
Term
What is lava?
Definition
Lava is magma when it reaches the surface of the earth.
Term
What is batholith?
Definition
A batholith is when a body of magma cools below the earth's surface.
Term
What are cinders?
Definition
Cinders are large chunks of old, hardened lava blocks.
Term
What is ash?
Definition
Ashes are particles that are less than 2 mm in diameter.
Term
What is viscosity?
Definition
Viscosity is a liquid's resistance to flow.
Term
What is a caldera?
Definition
A caldera is a wide basin in the center of a volcanic cone formed by the collapse of a top of a volcano.
Term
What is a hot spot?
Definition
A hot spot is an area of concentrated heat deep within the earth.
Term
What is a seismograph?
Definition
A seismograph is an instrument used to record earthquake waves.
Term
What is a shadow zone?
Definition
A shadow zone is an area of the earth's surface that is shielded from the effects of P-waves and S-waves.
Term
What is the Richter Scale?
Definition
The Richter Scale is a special scale used to report the size, or magnitude, of an earthquake.
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