Plate tectonics

Question 1

How many layers is the Earth made up of and what are they?

Answer 1

3. The crust, mantle and core

Question 2

How much does the temp rise to in the core?

Answer 2

5500 degrees Celsius

Question 3

What are the continental and oceanic crusts made of?

Answer 3

Oceanic - Silica and Magnesium
Continental - Silica and Aluminum

Question 4

How do you calculate 6 figure grid reference?

Answer 4

Read the four figure grid (easting then northing line or vertical then horizontal) then divide the square into 10 and determine where the northing and easting lines fall (figure 3 and 6)

Question 5

What is plate tectonics?

Answer 5

The theory that Earth’s outer shell is divided into plates that move over the mantle due to convection currents.

Question 6

What causes plates to move?

Answer 6

Convection currents in the mantle, driven by heat from the Earth’s core.

Question 7

What are the three main types of plate boundaries?

Answer 7

1. Divergent (Constructive) – Plates move apart, creating new crust.
   
   2. Convergent (Destructive) – Plates collide, causing subduction or mountain formation.
   3. Transform (Conservative) – Plates slide past each other, causing earthquakes.

Question 8

What happens at divergent plate boundaries?

Answer 8

Plates move apart, and new crust forms as magma rises; examples include the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Question 9

What happens at convergent plate boundaries?

Answer 9

One plate is forced under another, forming deep-sea trenches and volcanoes (e.g., Peru-Chile Trench).

Question 10

What happens at transform plate boundaries?

Answer 10

Plates slide past each other, creating earthquakes

Question 11

Why is oceanic crust younger than continental crust?

Answer 11

Oceanic crust is constantly formed at divergent boundaries and destroyed at subduction zones.

Question 12

What are some major plates on Earth?

Answer 12

• Pacific
• North American
• South American
• Eurasian
• African
• Indo-Australian
• Antarctic

Question 13

What is a subduction zone?

Answer 13

A region where one plate sinks beneath another into the mantle, forming trenches and volcanoes.

Question 14

What are some natural disasters

Answer 14

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and lahars.

Question 15

What is the lithosphere?

Answer 15

The rigid outer layer of the earth including the crust and upper mantle, which is broken into plates.