How The Earth's Crust Moves

Question 1

I accidentally made an extra card and can’t delete it

Answer 1

Mark your self full marks for this question. Apologies

Question 2

What are the different sections that the Earth’s crust is split into called?

Answer 2

Tectonic plates

Question 3

What are tectonic plates’ boundaries characterised by?

Answer 3

Fault lines

Question 4

What are the seven large tectonic plates?

Answer 4

1. The African plate
2. The Antarctic plate
3. The Eurasian plate
4. The North American plate
5. The South American plate
6. The Pacific plate
7. The Indo-Australian plate (sometimes subdivided into the Indian and Australian plates)

Question 5

What are tectonic plates made up of?

Answer 5

Oceanic lithosphere and thicker continental lithosphere

Question 6

What is the crust on top of the oceanic lithosphere?

Answer 6

The oceanic crust

Question 7

What is the crust on top of the continental lithosphere?

Answer 7

The continental crust

Question 8

Both the continental and the oceanic lithospheres ‘float’ on the upper mantle called the…

Answer 8

Asthenosphere

Question 9

Why are tectonic plates able to move?

Answer 9

The lithosphere has more rigid rocks and a lower density than the underlying asthenosphere

Question 10

The lateral (sideways) movement of the plates typically varies from…

Answer 10

Zero to 100 mm annually

Question 11

What are the three ways that tectonic plates can move?

Answer 11

Convergent movement
Divergent movement
Transform movement

Question 12

What is convergent?

Answer 12

Move towards each other and collide

Question 13

What is divergent?

Answer 13

Move away from each other

Question 14

What is transform?

Answer 14

Slide past each other

Question 15

What does the convergent movement cause?

Answer 15

It can cause mountains to form
Eg. The Himalayan Mountains were formed when the Indian plate first collided with the Eurasian plate about 40 to 50 million years ago. This collision slowly pushed up the Tibetan Plateau, forming the Himalayas

Question 16

What does the divergent movement cause?

Answer 16

Rift valleys are formed (Eg. The Great Rift Valley in Africa). If the plates there continue to diverge, millions of years from now eastern Africa will split from the continent to form a new landmass. A mid-ocean ridge will then mark the boundary between the plates

Question 17

Wjat does the transform movement cause?

Answer 17

Usually they glide smoothly, but in places they catch and pressure gradually builds up. Eventually the pressure becomes too strong and the huge masses of rock that form the plates suddenly shift, releasing waves of energy that race out in concentric circles. When this happens, an earthquake occurs

Question 18

What does concentric mean?

Answer 18

Moving outwards from the centre of a circle, like the waves in a pond if you throw a stone into the water