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Inside Earth Unit Test (Test: February 26, 2019)

Key Concepts:

Terms in this set (60)

Cinder Cone Volcano
Smallest volcano, steep sides, radial symmetry, made of ash, cinders, and bombs; easily eroded
Composite Volcano
A volcano made of alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic material (ash)
Pyroclastic Material (bomb)
The volcanic rock ejected during an eruption, including ash, bombs, and blocks
Shield Volcano
A low, flat, gently sloping volcano built from many flows of fluid, low-viscosity basaltic lava
Lava Plateau
A landform that results from repeated non-explosive eruptions of lava that spread over a large area
Caldera
A large crater caused by the violent explosion of a volcano that collapses into a depression
Magma Chamber
The body of molten rock (magma) that feeds a volcano that lies beneath the crust
Lava Flow
The molten rock that is sliding down the side of the volcano
Magma
Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface
Viscosity
A liquid's resistance to flow
Ash Plume
Cloud of ash that comes out of the crater of a volcano
Dike
Veins of magma that attempt to reach the surface, but remain underground; they "break away" from the main vent of the volcano
Hot Spot
An area where magma from deep within the mantle melts through the crust above it and can cause a volcano
Island Chain
A formation of islands aligned above a volcanic hot spot (Example - Hawaii)
Lava Fountain
The magma that exits the vent and is now lava
Volcanic Ash
The particles that are within the ash plume
Layers of Lava and Ash
In a composite volcano, these are defined layers of the different material the volcano erupted
Vent
The path where the magma flows from the mantle, to the Earth's surface, and out of the volcano
Crust
The thin and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle
Asthenosphere
The soft layer of the mantle (just under the lithosphere) on which the tectonic plates move
Outer Core
A layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth, just under the mantle; makes the Earth's magnetic field
Subduction
The process of one crustal plate passing under another
PANGAEA
A large ancient landmass that was composed of all the continents joined together
Transform Boundary
A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions in a horizontal motion
Divergent Boundary
The boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
Convergent Boundary
A tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other
Plate
A section of the lithosphere
Plate Tectonics
A theory that the lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates that are in constant motion because of the convection currents in the mantle
Convection Current
A current caused by the rising of heated mantle and the sinking of cooled mantle
Stress
A force that acts on rock to change its shape or volume
Tension
Stress that stretches rock so that it becomes thinner in the middle
Compression
Stress that squeezes rock until it folds or breaks
Shearing
Stress forces that push on rocks from either side of faults causing them to push past each other in opposite directions
Fault
A break in Earth's crust along which rocks move
Normal Fault
A type of fault where the hanging wall slides downward; caused by tension in the crust at a divergent boundary
Reverse Fault
A type of fault where the hanging wall slides upward; caused by compression in the crust at a convergent boundary
Strike-Slip Fault
The rocks on either side of the fault slip past each other in opposite directions, with little up or down motion - at a transform boundary
Hanging Wall
The block of rock that forms on the opposite side of the foot wall
Foot Wall
The block of rock that forms on the opposite side of the hanging wall
Earthquake
The shaking that results from the movement of rock beneath Earth's surface
Primary Wave (P-Wave)
A type of seismic wave that compresses and expands the ground; it moves faster, occurs first, and is less damaging
Secondary Wave (S-Wave)
A type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side; it happens second, moves at a slower, decelerating rate, and does more damage
Surface Wave
A type of seismic wave that forms when P waves and S waves reach Earth's surface
Focus
The point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake
Epicenter
Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus; this is the location where the earthquake "begins"
Seismic Waves
Waves of energy that are released during an earthquake; away from the focus, through the Earth's interior, and across the surface
Magnitude
Measure of the energy released during an earthquake
Seismograph
A device that records ground movements caused by seismic waves as they move through Earth
Triangulation
Seismologists use this method to figure out where an earthquake's epicenter is located
Liquefaction
The process by which an earthquake's violent movement suddenly turns loose soil into liquid mud
Shaking
The type of damage caused by an earthquakes seismic waves (back-and-forth AND up-and-down motion)
Tsunami
A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake between plates in the ocean
Aftershock
An earthquake that occurs after a larger earthquake in the same area
Mantle
The layer of material between Earth's crust and outer core
Inner Core
A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth
Lithosphere
A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust
Continental Crust
The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains granite and is less dense
Oceanic Crust
The thinner, more dense crust, made mostly of basalt
Basalt
A dark, dense rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust
Granite
A usually light colored, less dense igneous rock that is found in continental crust
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