Plate Tectonics Flashcards
(35 cards)
its lightest, most buoyant rock layer?
Crust
The mostly-solid bulk of Earth’s interior. It lies between Earth’s dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer, the crust
Mantle
from Ancient Greek “asthenós” meaning ‘without strength’ is the mechanically weak and ductile region of the upper mantle of Earth.
Asthenosphere
Is the third layer of the Earth. It is the only liquid layer and is mainly made up of the metals iron and nickel. Responsible for Earth’s magnetic field
Outer Core
Is a hot, dense ball of (mostly) iron.
Inner Core
Derived from a Greek word “tekton” which means “carpenter” or “builder”.
Tectonic
A plate is a large, rigid slab of solid rock that is formed from the lithosphere.
The plates “float” on the slowly flowing asthenosphere.
The plates include both the land and ocean floor.
Tectonic Plates
It is where Earth is likened to a grape that contracted due to a cooling process that occurred after the Big Bang about 13.77 billion years ago.
Raisin Theory
In 1889, American Seismologist and Geologist, Charles Edward Dutton, proposed the term
Isostasy
Isostasy states that whenever equilibrium exists in the Earth’s surface,
equal mass must underlie equal surface areas
It states that the Earth’s outer most layer is fragmented into dozen, or more large and small solid plates called Lithospheric plates or Tectonic plates, that glide over Earth’s mantle, the rocky inner layer above Earth’s core.
Continental Drift Theory
What is the first world atlas, which is developed and published by Abraham Ortelius on January 1, 1596
Theatrum Orbis Terratrum
Alfred Wegener, German Climatologist proposed the , in his book
The Origin of the of the Continents and Ocean in 1915.
Continental Drift Theory
What is the name of the supercontinent?
PANGAEA
“All Earth”
Wegener also explained that 1,100 million years ago, there was another super continent that predated the Pangaea, named Rodinia, which is Russian for
“motherland, birthplace”
During the late Triassic period, Pangea began to break up into two smaller supercontinents called, which move to the northern
and southern extremes of the planet, respectively.
Laurasia and Gondwanaland
What surrounds the Pangaea, It was formed approximately
356 mya, while the two continents were separated by Tethys Sea 251 to 65.5 mya.
Panthalassa vast ocean
Number of Crustal Plates
58 Crustal Plates, 15 Major Tectonic Plates, 7 or 8 Primary Plates and the remaining are Smaller Plates
It is the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere
that makes up the planet’s continents and
continental shelves. It is composed of lower-density
materials such as granitic rocks.
Continental Lithosphere
Is made up of heavier basalt and
gabbro rocks. It is formed by magma
Oceanic Lithosphere
describes the movement of
the mantle as it transfers heat from the white-hot
core to the brittle lithosphere.
Mantle Convection Theory
occurs because relatively hot rocks are less dense and rise in a gravitational field while relatively cold rocks are denser and sink.
Mantle Convection Theory
This theory states that gravity and the plates
themselves are the ones responsible for the plate
tectonics through subduction process.
Slab Pull Theory
One type of evidence that strongly
supported the Theory of Continental Drift is
the fossil record. Fossils of similar types of
plants and animals in rocks of a similar age
have been found on the shores of different
continents, suggesting that the continents
were once joined.
Paleontological Evidence
