Plate Tectonics 🌍

Question 1

What are plates

Answer 1

Large, rigid pieces of the Earth’s crust

Question 2

What are convection currents

Answer 2

These are circular movements of hot magma within the mantle that cause plates to shift.

Question 3

Why do plates move

Answer 3

Plates move because of convection currents in the mantle

Question 4

Name the 5 headings of stages of convection currents

Answer 4

1. Heating and Rising
2. Spreading and Dragging
3. Cooling and Sinking
4. Sinking Back Down
5. Cycle Repeats

Question 5

Explain the stages of convection currents

Answer 5

Heating and Rising: Heat from the Earth’s core causes magma to heat up, expand, and rise toward the crust
.
Spreading and Dragging: When magma reaches the base of the crust, it spreads out in different directions. This movement drags the plates along with it.

Cooling and Sinking: As magma moves away from the core and towards the crust, it cools down and becomes heavier.

Sinking Back Down: The cooler, heavier magma sinks back towards the core.

Cycle Repeats: This process continues, causing the plates to keep moving. This continuous cycle drives the movement of the Earth’s plates.

Question 6

What are plate boundaries

Answer 6

Plate boundaries are the edges where two tectonic plates meet. These boundaries are the sites of significant geological activity such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and the formation of mountains

Question 7

Name the three types of plate boundaries

Answer 7

Constructive Plate Boundaries
Destructive Plate Boundaries
Passive Plate Boundaries

Question 8

Example of constructive plate boundary

Answer 8

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge which runs through Iceland

Question 9

Features of constructive plate boundary

Answer 9

New land formation, volcanoes, mid-ocean ridges, earthquakes

Question 10

Explain constructive plate boundaries

Answer 10

Occurs where two plates are moving away from each other.
The plates are pulled apart by convection currents in the mantle.
As the plates separate, molten magma rises through the gap, creating new land. The gap is called a fissure.

Question 11

Examples of destructive plate boundary

Answer 11

The Andes Mountains in South America.

Question 12

Features if destructive plate boundary

Answer 12

Fold mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes.

Question 13

Explain destructive plate boundary

Answer 13

Happens where two plates collide.
Convection currents cause two plates to be pushed towards each other.
One plate (usually oceanic) sinks below the other (continental) into the mantle and is destroyed.
The collision causes the Earth’s crust to buckle, forming fold mountains and sometimes triggering volcanoes.

Question 14

Explain passive plate boundaries

Answer 14

Occurs where two plates slide past each other horizontally.
The plates move in opposite directions or at different speeds.
The movement can cause the plates to get stuck. When they finally move, the energy released results in an earthquake.

Question 15

Features of passive plate boundaries

Answer 15

Earthquake

Question 16

What is continental drift

Answer 16

Continental drift is the theory that the continents were once connected as a single landmass called Pangaea and have since drifted apart.

Question 17

Name of supercontinent

Answer 17

Pangea

Question 18

Why proposed continental drift

Answer 18

Alfred Wegener, a German scientist

Question 19

Name the 7 plates

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What is the study of the plates and their movements called

Answer 20

Plate tectonics