7.2 The Restless Earth Flashcards
What process causes the tectonic plates to move?
Convection currents
Where do the convection currents occur that causes the tectonic plates to move?
In the mantle
What causes the convection currents that allow the tectonic plates to move?
Energy released from the radioactive decay of elements in the core that heat up the mantle
Why can scientists not predict when and where earthquakes will happen?
We don’t know enough about what is happening inside the earth and we do not have good enough data or models to make accurate predictions
What was Alfred Wegener’s idea in 1915?
Continental drift
Why did other scientists at the time not accept Wegener’s ideas?
- he could not explain why continents moved
* they believed the earth was shrinking as it cooled
Where do earthquakes and volcanoes occur?
Where tectonic plates meet
What are tectonic plates?
The crust and upper part of the mantle that has cracked into massive pieces
