Plate Techtonics

Question 1

Lithosphere

Answer 1

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle

Question 2

Asthenosphere

Answer 2

the mechanically weak and ductile region of the upper mantle of Earth

Question 3

Mesosphere

Answer 3

The mesosphere is the third layer of the atmosphere, directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere

Question 4

Inner Core

Answer 4

The inner core is the fourth layer inside the Earth. It is a solid metallic ball made mainly of iron

Question 5

Outer Core

Answer 5

The outer core is the third layer of the Earth. It is the only liquid layer

Question 6

Seismic Waves

Answer 6

an elastic wave in the earth produced by an earthquake or other means.

Question 7

Oceanic Crust

Answer 7

the relatively thin part of the earth’s crust which underlies the ocean basins. It is geologically young compared with the continental crust and consists of basaltic rock overlain by sediments.

Question 8

Continental Crust

Answer 8

the relatively thick part of the earth’s crust that forms the large landmasses. It is generally older and more complex than the oceanic crust.

Question 9

Density

Answer 9

the substance’s mass per unit of volume.

Question 10

Alfred Wegener

Answer 10

known for his achievements in meteorology and as a pioneer of polar research

Question 11

Continental Drift

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Convergent Boundary

Answer 12

A convergent boundary is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide

Question 13

Divergent Boundary

Answer 13

in plate tectonics, a divergent boundary or divergent plate boundary

Question 14

Transform Boundary

Answer 14

a place where two of the Earth’s tectonic plates move past one another

Question 15

Sea-floor Spreading

Answer 15

Seafloor spreading is a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth’s lithosphere—split apart from each other.

Question 16

Pangaea

Answer 16

a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras

Question 17

Laurasia

Answer 17

Laurasia was the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from around 335 to 175 million years ago

Question 18

Gondwana

Answer 18

a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period

Question 19

Mesosaurus

Answer 19

an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America

Question 20

Mesosaurus