1.2 Plate Tectonics

Question 1

Theory of plate tectonics

Answer 1

A theory developed in the 1960s that helps explain the formation of some of the important features on Earth’s surface and how the continents move.

Question 2

Convection current

Answer 2

The transfer of thermal energy (heat energy) by the motion of a fluid.

Question 3

tectonic plates

Answer 3

large sections of crust

Question 4

supercontinent

Answer 4

a large land mass thought to have broken up into several of the current continents

Question 5

Pangea

Answer 5

It is what the supper continent is called.

Question 6

divergent plate boundary

Answer 6

Two tectonic plates move apart, forming new land between them.

Question 7

convergent plate boundary

Answer 7

Two tectonic plates move towards each other.

Question 8

Transform plate boundary

Answer 8

Two tectonic plates try to slide past each other.

Question 9

Lava

Answer 9

Molten rock that erupts from the Earth’s crust

Question 10

Earthquake

Answer 10

A sudden shaking of the ground is usually caused when two plates suddenly slip against each other.

Question 11

Volcanic islands

Answer 11

Islands formed when volcanic eruptions result in the formation of an island or group of islands.

Question 12

volcanoes

Answer 12

Part of the Earth’s crust from which lava erupts

Question 13

mid-ocean ridge

Answer 13

Mountain ranges formed deep in the ocean that extend for hundreds of miles either side of the parting plates.

Question 14

hydrothermal vent

Answer 14

Cold ocean water seeps into the Earth’s crust and is superheated by underlying magma; this heated water is forced through vents(gaps) in the ocean floor and as it cools dissolved minerals solidify and form a chimney-like structure

Question 15

minerals

Answer 15

Nutrients that are needed by living organisms, examples include calcium and iron

Question 16

subduction

Answer 16

the downward movement of one plate beneath another

Question 16

tsunami

Answer 16

a fast-moving wave with a long wavelength, created by ocean floor displacement or landslide

Question 17

melt

Answer 17

The change of a solid into a liquid; during this process, heat is taken in from the surroundings.

Question 18

ocean trench

Answer 18

a deep underwater valley formed when oceanic crust slides below continental crust

Question 19

continental shelf

Answer 19

part of the continental plate extending from coast/shore in shallow waters with little or no slope

Question 20

sediments

Answer 20

Small fragments of rock, such as gravel, sand and silt.

Question 21

breakwater

Answer 21

A barrier which reduces the energy in waves before waves reach the coast

Question 22

ecosystem

Answer 22

all the organisms in the area, along with their environment

Question 23

tourism

Answer 23

Recreational visits to an area that brings money into local economies