Booklet Glossary

Question 1

Seismic waves

Answer 1

Vibrations which travel as waves without transferring matter outputted by an earthquake.

Question 2

Continental drift

Answer 2

The gradual movement of the continents across the Earth’s surface through geological time.

Question 3

Pangaea

Answer 3

A single supercontinent that existed 230 million years ago.

Question 4

Panthalassa

Answer 4

The super ocean that surrounded the super continent of Pangaea.

Question 5

Plate tectonics

Answer 5

A theory explaining the structure of the earth’s crust and many associated phenomena as resulting from the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates which move slowly over the underlying mantle.

Question 6

Mantle

Answer 6

The mostly solid rock that makes up most of the Earth’s interior.

Question 7

Convection current

Answer 7

A heat driven cycle which causes the flow of magma in the mantle.

Question 8

Continental crust

Answer 8

The relatively thick part of the crust which forms landmasses.

Question 9

Oceanic crust

Answer 9

The relatively thin part of the crust which underlies ocean basins.

Question 10

Ocean ridge

Answer 10

Ocean mountains on plate boundaries.

Question 11

Subduction

Answer 11

When one plate forces underneath another on a convergent plate boundary.

Question 12

Laurasia

Answer 12

The northern hemisphere half of the supercontinent Pangaea when it split.

Question 13

Gondwanaland

Answer 13

The southern hemisphere half of the supercontinent Pangaea when it split.

Question 14

Anticline

Answer 14

An upwards bend in folding rock.

Question 15

Syncline

Answer 15

A downwards bend in folding rock.

Question 16

Fault

Answer 16

A fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement.

Question 17

Rift valley

Answer 17

A steep-sided valley formed by the downward displacement of a block of the earth’s surface between nearly parallel faults or fault systems.

Question 18

Horst

Answer 18

A raised elongated block of the earth’s crust lying between two faults.

Question 19

Slip fault

Answer 19

Vertical, or nearly vertical, fractures where the blocks have mostly moved horizontally

Question 20

Epicentre

Answer 20

The point where an earthquake originates but on the surface.

Question 21

Focus

Answer 21

The point inside the Earth’s crust where the earthquake originates

Question 22

Seismograph

Answer 22

Instruments which record the motion of the ground during an earthquake.

Question 23

Richter scale

Answer 23

A base-10 logarithmic scale, meaning that each order of magnitude is 10 times more intensive than the last one, used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes.

Question 24

Tremor

Answer 24

A weak vibration in the ground which can’t be felt by humans but can be detected by sensitive seismometers.

Question 25

Volcano

Answer 25

A mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapour, and gas are or have been erupted from the earth’s crust.

Question 26

Magma

Answer 26

Molten rock inside the Earth’s crust.

Question 27

Lava

Answer 27

Molten rock which has erupted onto the surface of the Earth.

Question 28

Volcanic bomb

Answer 28

A large lump of lava which is throw out by an erupting volcano.

Question 29

Fold

Answer 29

Rock which is bent due to the application of compressive energy.

Question 30

Magnitude

Answer 30

The amplitude of seismic waves generated by an earthquake.

Question 31

Palaeomagnetism

Answer 31

The study of the Earth’s magnetic field preserved in rocks.