Chapter 2 APES
divergent plate boundary
an area beneath the ocean where tectonic plates move away from each other
rock
A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter
igneous rock
a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface
convergent plate boundary
A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other.
metamorphic rock
A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.
sedimentary rock
A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together
Describe what occurs at a divergent plate boundary. What happens at a transform plate boundary? Compare and contrast the typess of processes that can occur at a convergent plate boundary.
At divergent plate boundaries, the plates push away from each other, releasing magma from the mantle. As this cools, it forms new lithosphere. At transform plate boundaries, the plates rub against each other horizontally, creating friction, strike-slip faults, often causing earthquakes. At boundaries that are convergent, subduction can occur, causing deep trenches, or continental collision can occur, causing volcanoes and mountains to form.
transform plate boundary
Boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other.
What causes earthquakes? What are tsunamis, and what causes them? How does a Hawaiian volcano such as Kilauea differ from a volcano in the Cascades of North America such as Mount St. Helens?
Earthquakes result from energy due to movement in faults through friction being released. Tsunamis are a large wave that goes onshore that are triggered by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides that displace large amounts of water at once. The two volcanoes differ because Mount Kilauea lava flows endlessly and is located on a hotspot, while Mount St. Helens released a large volume of cinder and ash at once.
Name the primary layers that make up our planet. Which portions does the lithosphere include?
The primary layers include the core, mantle, and crust. The asthenosphere consists of the upper mantle, and the lithosphere includes the uppermost mantle and the crust.
Subduction
The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary.
geology
The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth.
Name the three masin types of rocks, and describe how each type may be converted to the others via the rock cycle.
The three main types of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous and metamorphic rock can convert to sedimentary rock through weathering and erosion and lithification. Metamorphic rock can turn into igneous by melting and being released through volcanoes and cooling. Sedimentary and igneous rock become metamorphic rock by being subject to heating and pressure. Sedimentary rock can become igneous by first becoming metamorphic then melting and becoming igneous.
mineral
a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition
mass wasting
the downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity
plate tectonics
the process by which the earths surface is shaped by the extremley slow movment of tectonic plates, or sections of crust. Earths surface includes about 15 major tectonic plates. Their interaction goves gives rise to processes that build mountains, cause earthquakews, and otherwise influence the landscape.