Quiz 2: Earth's Dynamic Internal Structure

core

Mantle convection is a circulation of the heat emitted by the earth's _____.

Alfred Wegener

The scientist who proposed the idea of continental drift was _____.

"all lands"

Wegener named the supercontinent Pangaea, which means _____.

volcanoes

When two oceanic plates collide, it creates _____.

continental/continental

Which of the following convergent boundaries would most likely create a non-volcanic mountain range?

Geosphere

all of the layers of Earth's interior and crust

Glossopteris

ancient, extinct plant species found on the continents of South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica

Convergent Boundary

area where tectonic plates meet and push against each other

under the Pacific Ocean

An area where the earth's crust would be expected to be thin would be _____.

lithosphere

Carl is on an expedition to the bottom of the ocean. As the submersible sets down on the ocean floor, it is resting on what layer of the earth?

Lithosphere

Earth's crust and rigid portion of uppermost mantle

the crust of the lithosphere that has fractured along plate boundaries and ridges

Fault lines are:

plant

Glossopteris is an ancient, extinct species of _________ found in South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica.

Great Britain and Scandinavia

The Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States appear to be a part of the same mountain range that continues in _____.

divergent boundary

The Mid-Atlantic Ocean Ridge is an example of a _____.

plasticity

The ability of solid rock to flow is called ____________.

a subduction zone

The area where one plate sinks into the asthenosphere underneath another plate is known as ___________.

Africa and South America

The best example of how neighboring continents seem to fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces is _____.

warmer

The discovery of tropical plant and animal fossils in Antarctica supports the idea that at one time this continent supported a _____ climate.

the fitting together of neighboring continents like jigsaw puzzle pieces

The first evidence supporting the theory of continental drift was _____.

All of the above, at the same time.

The geosphere refers to the _____.

inner core

The hottest layer of the earth is the _____.

lithosphere

The layer of the earth that forms the earth's plates is the _____.

lithosphere

The layer of the earth that is composed of large plates that interlock and move over time is the _____.

asthenosphere

The layer of the earth that is composed of rock, yet flows due to extreme heat and pressure, is known as the _____.

asthenosphere

The layer of the earth where mantle convection occurs and on which the earth's crust rests is the _____.

Alfred Wegener

The person who suggested that the continents were once a supercontinent, called Pangaea, but slowly drifted apart was ______________.

earth's natural process by which its lithospheric plates slowly move about because of movement in the asthenosphere

The plate tectonic theory can best be described as _____.

seafloor spreading

The process by which lithospheric plates move apart creating spaces that are filled with hot magma is called _____.

convection

The process of heat transfer thought to be responsible for the movement of the lithospheric plates on the surface of the earth is _________.

a transform boundary

The type of plate boundary that causes tremors and earthquakes in California is ________________.

covergent boundary

The type of tectonic plate boundary that occurs when two plates are colliding into each other is known as a ____________.

Fault Line

area along plate boundaries and ridges where the crust of the lithosphere is fractured

Subduction Zone

area where an oceanic plate sinks into the asthenosphere under another plate

Divergent Boundary

area where tectonic plates are moving away from each other

Transform Boundary

area where tectonic plates slide sideways past each other

Core

innermost layer of the earth; divided into an inner and outer core

Lower Mantle

innermost layer of the two mantle layers; composed of rock and cooler than the core

Inner Core

innermost region of the earth; composed of solid iron

Outer Core

layer immediately outside the inner core; composed of liquid iron and sulfur

Pangaea

meaning 'all lands'; name of the supercontinent that is theorized to have contained all of the current continents in a single landmass

Panthalassa

meaning 'all seas'; name of the single, large ocean that surrounded Pangaea

Upper Mantle

outermost layer of the two mantle layers; includes the asthenosphere and lower lithosphere

Seafloor spreading

process by which the Earth's lithospheric plates pull apart from each other, creating gaps that are filled with magma from the asthenosphere

Convection

process of heat transfer by the circulation or movement of a gas, liquid, or plastic material

Mesosaurus

small, extinct land reptile whose fossil remains have been found in western Africa and eastern South America

Lithosphere

the cool, rigid shell that includes the crust and uppermost mantle; composed of plates that move around on the underlying, plastic asthenosphere

Asthenosphere

the layer immediately surrounding the lower mantle; composed of molten rock

Asthenosphere

the outer layer of the mantle; made up of plastic or semi-molten rock

Crust

the outermost layer that forms the surface of the earth

Crust

the outermost layer that forms the surface of the earth; upper part of the lithosphere

Oceanic crust

the part of Earth's crust located beneath the oceans and seas

Continental Crust

the part of Earth's crust that forms landmasses

Plate tectonics

the theory that the lithosphere is broken into pieces that float on the asthenosphere

Continental drift

theory proposed by Alfred Wegener that the continents once formed a single supercontinent that broke up and drifted apart

grind along each other

A transform boundary occurs where two tectonic plates _____.

Pangaea

Alfred Wegener named his proposed supercontinent __________.