Chapter 22 - Earth's Interior Study Guide
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Grimmis223 on February 6, 2012
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33 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Subduction | the process in which old oceanic crust sinks into the mantle. |
| Theory of Plate Tectonics | pieces of Earth's litosphere, called plates, move about slowly on top of the asthenosphere. |
| Why was Wegner's theory not complete? | he could not explain how the continents could plow through the solid rock of the sea floor, and couldn't come up with a force that could actually move the continents (mantle convection) |
| Continental Drift Theory | continents move slowly across Earth's surface. |
| Difference between a fault and a fold. | A fault is a break in a mass of rock along which movement occurs. A fold is a bend in layers of rock. |
| Convergent Boundary | plates come together or collide. |
| Divergent Boundary | plates move away from each other. |
| Transform boundary | plates slide past each other, moving in opposite directions. |
| Shield Volcano | broad, gently sloping - eruptions consist of hot, flowing basaltic lava that travels a long way before it solidifies |
| Cinder Cone Volcano | small, steep sided - form from ash and cinders that are ejected into the air and fall back onto the volcano. |
| Composite Volcano | tall, steep sides that are built up from layers of viscous lava, ash, and volcanic bombs. |
| What causes a volcano to erupt? | build up of pressure and the lava's viscosity. |
| Mantle Convection | heat flows from the gradual cooling of earth's interior through convection currents in the mantle. - the plates moving is a part of the convection currents. |
| Mid- Ocean Ridge | a chain of underwater mountains |
| What causes Earthquakes? | As tectonic plates move, they cause stress in the crust, which in turn produces faults and folds. |
| Uniformitarianism | the principle that geologic processes operating today also operated in the past. |
| Process a rock goes through to become a metamorphic rock. | The rock is transformed by heat ,pressure, or chemical reactions. |
| The process a rock goes through to become a sedimentary rock. | weathering and erosion produces sediment which forms new sedimentary rock by pressure and cementation. |
| The process a rock goes through to become igneous rock | Molten material cools and solidifies either inside Earth or at the surface. |
| Constructive Forces and an example | forces that shape surfaces by building mountains and other land areas like volcanoes. |
| Destructive forces and an example | forces that slowly wear away mountains and other features on the surface, like erosion. |
| The process of sea - floor spreading | New oceanic crust is created at mid ocean ridges as older crust moves away. Sea floor spreading creates new oceanic crust at mid ocean ridges, while subduction destroys old oceanic crust at subduction zones. |
| P waves | (Primary Waves) longitudinal waves similar to sound waves. - compress and expand - fastest type of waves and can be detected from a distance - can travel through both solids and liquids |
| S Waves | (Surface Waves) transverse waves like light and other electromagnetic radiation. - causes particles in the materials they pass through to vibrate at right angles to the direction the waves move. - cannot travel through liquid |
| Surface Waves | waves that develop when seismic waves reach Earth's surface. - move the slowest but produce larger ground movements and greater damage. |
| Three main layers of Earth's interior | Crust, mantle, Core. |
| Crust | rocky outer layer, thin, made of silicates 2 types: Oceanic and Continental |
| Mantle | - thick layer of hot solid rock - under the crust - has 3 layers..lithosphere, asthenosphere, and mesophere. |
| Core | large sphere of metal at Earth's center - mostly iron - very high pressure and temperature - Divided into an inner core (solid) and outer core (liquid) - Creates Earth's magnetic field. |
| Intrusive Igneous Rock | very slow cooling of magma deep below the crust, magma intrudes or enters other rock mass's and slowly cools forming large crystals |
| Extrusive Igneous Rock | rapid cooling of lava on the earth's surface produces very small or unnoticeable crystals. |
| Alfred Wegner's hypothesis | continents were once joined together in a single supercontinent, which then broke into pieces that moved apart. (Pangaea) |
| Silicates | rocks made of oxygen and silicon |
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