Plate Tectonics Study Guide Answers

1. lithosphere- brittle and rigid, crust, top layer, thin

asthenosphere- plastic and flowing, mantle, thick, underneath lithosphere

2. oceanic- thinner, more dense

continental- thicker, less dense

3. faulting- tension forces cause cracks in crust (pulling apart)

folding- compression causes rocks to fold (squeezing)

4. along plate boundaries (faults)

5. inner core- solid iron

outer core- liquid

mantle- plastic and flowing

crust- solid and rocky outer layer

6. divergent boundary in the ocean, mid-Atlantic ridge, oldest rocks are farther away from the ridge, young rocks are near the ridge

7. hot rock rises to top, cools, and sinks.

8. similar fossils on different continents, continents fit together like a puzzle, South America and Africa are moving farther apart

9. focus is below ground, epicenter is above ground

10. collapsed buildings and bridges, tsunamis, fires, sandblows, liquefaction

11. Convergent- plates come together

oceanic-continental- subduction occurs- causes volcanoes on the edge of both plates, Andes Mountains

continental-continental- plates crumble to form mountains, Himalayas

oceanic-oceanic- plates sink, form trench and island arcs, Japan and Philippines

Divergent- plates spread apart

continental- forms a rift valley and volcanoes, East African Rift

oceanic- seafloor spreading, forms a mid-ocean ridge, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Transform- plates slide past each other, causes earthquakes, San Andreas Fault

12. a large supercontinent that existed 200 million years ago

13. Subduction occurs when one plate sinks underneath another. It occurs when an oceanic plate converges with a continental plate.

14. mid-ocean ridge- mid-Atlantic ridge

subduction zone- Andes Mountains, Cascade Mountains (Washington state)

hot spot- Hawaii

continental-continental convergent- Himalayas (Mt. Everest)

continental divergent boundary- East African Rift

transform boundary- San Andreas Fault

15. (Primary)p-waves: travels in solid & liquid, fastest & 1st to arrive, stretch & compress as they move up & down in the earth, travel faster in solids than in liquids

(Secondary)s-waves: travel only in solids, 2nd to arrive to arrive, move side to side as they travel up & down in the earth

Surface waves: travel only in the crust, cause the most damage, slowest, last to arrive, move up & down on the surface of earth

Old Material to review

  • Balancing equations
  • Global warming
  • Speed graph
  • Punnett squares
  • 3 laws of motion