Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Science Test Study Sheet: General Facts About Earth's
Science Test Study Sheet: General Facts About Earth's
Science Test Study Sheet: General Facts About Earth's
The current continental and oceanic plates include: the Eurasian plate,
Australian-Indian plate, Philippine plate, Pacific plate, Juan de Fuca plate, Nazca
plate, Cocos plate, North American plate, Caribbean plate, South American plate,
African plate, Arabian plate, the Antarctic plate, and the Scotia plate. These plates
consist of smaller sub-plates.
Seafloor spreading is the movement of two oceanic plates away from each
other (at a divergent plate boundary), which results in the formation of new oceanic
crust (from magma that comes from within the Earth's mantle) along a mid-ocean
ridge. Where the oceanic plates are moving away from each other is called a zone
of divergence.
When two plates collide (at a convergent plate boundary), some crust is
destroyed in the impact and the plates become smaller. The results differ,
depending upon what types of plates are involved.
Oceanic Plate and Continental Plate - When a thin, dense oceanic plate
collides with a relatively light, thick continental plate, the oceanic plate is forced
under the continental plate; this phenomenon is called subduction.
Two Oceanic Plates - When two oceanic plates collide, one may be pushed
under the other and magma from the mantle rises, forming volcanoes in the vicinity.
Two Continental Plates - When two continental plates collide, mountain
ranges are created as the colliding crust is compressed and pushed upwards.
3 driving forces are convection currents, slab pull, and ridge push
The 3 types of boundaries are convergent- plates colliding forming
mountains, divergent-plates moving apart and transform or strike slip-plates sliding
past each other.
Scientists use the GPS or Global Positioning System to measure the rate of
tectonic plate movement.
The movement of tectonic plates is based on the density of the layer.
move down, reverse faults-causes the hanging wall to move up, and strike slip
faults-opposing forces cause rocks to break and move horizontally
Mountains
Tectonic plates are responsible for creating mountains
Vocabulary
crust-the thin, outermost layer of the Earth, or the uppermost part of the
lithosphere
mantle-the layer of the earth between the crust and the core
core-the central, spherical part of the Earth below the mantle
lithosphere-the outermost, rigid layer of the Earth that consists of the crust and the
rigid upper part of the mantle
asthenosphere-the soft layer of the mantle on which pieces of the lithosphere move
mesosphere- literally the middle sphere- the strong, lower part of the mantle of the
mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core
outer core-the liquid layer of the Earths core that lies beneath the mantle and
surrounds the inner core
inner core-the solid, dense center
tectonic plates-a piece of the lithosphere that moves around on top of the
asthenosphere
continental drift-the theory that continental can drift apart from one another and
have done so in the past
sea-floor spreading-the process by which new oceanic lithosphere is created at mid
ocean ridges as older materials are pulled away from the ridge
plate tectonics-the theory that the Earths lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates
that move around on top of the asthenosphere
convergent boundaries-the boundary between two colliding tectonic plates
subduction zone-the region where an oceanic plate sinks down into the asthenosphere
at a convergent boundary, usually between continental and oceanic plates
divergent boundary-the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away
from each other
transform boundary-the boundary between two tectonic plates that are sliding past