Earth Science

Pangaea

Wegener's theory of continental drift popularized the idea that there was once a "super continent", now called ____. This large land mass broke apart slowly over 200 million years ago, creating the continents that we see today. Evidence: The rocks that make up our Earth hint at the fact that ____ did exist.

Subduction

When a dense plate collides with another plate, a tectonic plate moves under another. It causes a oceanic volcanic eruption.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

A divergent boundary that formed a ridge that was found in the middle of the Pacific.

Ring of Fire

A major belt of volcanoes that rims the Pacific Ocean. It surrounds the Pacific Ocean that has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the active and dormant volcanoes here on Earth!

Volcanic Magma VS Lava

Magma is composed of molten rock and is stored in the Earth's crust. Lava is magma that reaches the surface of our planet through a volcano vent.

Divergent

A ____ boundary marks two plates that are moving apart from each other. An example is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that is found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Transform

A ______ boundary occurs when two plates slide alongside each other. An example is the San Andreas Fault which runs through California.

Formation of rift valleys

A ______ is formed on a divergent plate boundary

Convergent

A _______ boundary occurs where two plates collide. Types of these boundaries: Oceanic-Continental, Continental-Continental, and Oceanic-Oceanic. The Indian Plate moves closer to the Eurasian Plate until it finally collided, making the Himalayas.

Sea-Floor spreading

A result of divergent boundaries; It is the process by which a new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge. As the plates separate, magma from below the surface emerges, flows onto the seafloor and cools. This pushes the older oceanic crust away.

Richter Scale

A scale that rates an earthquake's magnitude based on the size of its seismic waves

Mercalli Scale

A scale that rates earthquakes according to their intensity and how much damage they cause at a particular place.

Hot Spots

A small area or region with a relatively hot temperature in comparison to its surroundings. Example is Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Formation of mountains

As two continental plates converge, the land begins to fold up and buckle, this forms a _______.

Layers of Earth

Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core

Where/How/ Why do volcanic eruptions occur?

How: Two different plate boundaries, Convergent and Divergent. Convergent: When oceanic crust is involved in a converging plate boundary, it gets pulled further below the surface of Earth. Divergent: As the plates break apart, it leaves an opening for the hot magma to emerge as lava.

Where/How/ Why do tsunamis occur?

How: When the surface of the ocean changes and pushes the water out onto land.

Surface Waves

Moves way more slow than P waves and S waves, but can produce more sever ground movements.

P Waves

Seismic waves that compress and expand the ground.

S Waves

Seismic waves that vibrate from side to side as well as up and down.

Seismograph

The pattern of lines is the record of an earthquake's seismic waves produced by a _____

Focus

The point beneath Earth's surface at which rock under stress breaks and triggers earthquakes.

Epicenter

The point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus.

Continental drift

This concept was first presented by a German scientist named Alfred Wegener in 1912.

Formation of mid-ocean ridges

This uplifting of the ocean floor occurs when convection currents rise in the mantle beneath the oceanic crust and create magma where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary, forming a ______.

Where/How/ Why do earthquakes occur?

Where: Transform Boundaries How: Transform boundaries doesn't have a smooth motion while moving it, making it sometimes get stuck. It finally occurs when these plates finally break free from each other and slide past.

theory of Plate Tectonics

_____ move due to convection currents. The surface of Earth is broken up into 15 major plates that are a part of the lithosphere.

Convection Currents in mantle

_________ are caused by the very hot material at the deepest part of the mantle rising, then cooling, sinking again and then heating, rising and repeating the cycle over and over.