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Tectonics > Unit 1 Notes > Flashcards

Unit 1 Notes Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the layers of the Earth?

A

Crust, Mantle, Outer core, Inner core.

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2
Q

What are the characteristics of the Inner core?

A

5100km thick, 6100 degrees, solid. Made of Iron and Nickel.

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3
Q

What are the characteristics of the Outer core?

A

2300km thick, 4400 degrees, liquid. Composed of iron and Nickel.

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4
Q

What are the two sublayers of the Mantle?

A

Mesosphere, Asthenosphere.

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5
Q

What are the characteristics of the Mantle?

A

2900km, 1000-3700 degrees. Solid. Made of magnesium, Iron, Silicon, Oxygen.

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6
Q

What is the Moho Discontinuity?

A

The boundary between the crust and the mantle.

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7
Q

What is the Lithosphere?

A

The crust and upper most solid mantle.

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8
Q

What are the different types of crust?

A

Oceanic crust, Continental crust.

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9
Q

What are the characteristics of the Oceanic crust?

A

6-10km thick, up to 1200 degrees, thin, young, more dense. Made of Silica and Magnesium.

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10
Q

What are the characteristics of the Continental crust?

A

25-75km, up to 400 degrees. Thicker, less dense. Made of silica and aluminium.

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11
Q

What is the Earth’s crust broken into?

A

Plates, which move on the ductile semi molten asthenosphere.

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12
Q

What are the seven plates?

A

Pacific, North American, Eurasian, African, Antarctic, Australian, South American.

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13
Q

What are the different types of plate?

A

Major Oceanic, Major oceanic and continental. Minor oceanic, minor oceanic and continental.

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14
Q

What is an example of the Major oceanic plate?

A

Pacific plate.

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15
Q

What is an example of the Major oceanic and continental plate?

A

African, Antarctic plates.

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16
Q

What is an example of the Minor oceanic plate?

A

Philippine plate.

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17
Q

What is an example of the Minor oceanic and continental plate?

A

Indian plate.

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18
Q

What was the original theory of driving plate movement?

A

Convection currents in the mantle.

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19
Q

What did this theory say?

A

Heat released from radioactive decay in the core causes melting, releasing C02. Hot rock meets cooler surface, and C02 is released through the surface.

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20
Q

What is the modern theory of plate movement called?

A

Ridge push, slab pull.

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21
Q

What does this theory suggest?

A

Mantle convection cells do play a role in plate movement, but don’t generate enough traction with plates to move them alone.

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22
Q

How do plates move through this theory?

A

Convection currents creating traction, pull from the weight of subducting plates due to gravity. Outward pushing at a ridge where magma is rising.

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23
Q

What are plate boundaries?

A

The lines along which neighbouring plates meet.

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24
Q

What are constructive plate boundaries?

A

Neighbouring plates move away from each other.

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25
What are destructive plate boundaries?
Neighbouring plates move towards or converge towards each other.
26
What are conservative plate boundaries?
Neighbouring plates move alongside each other.
27
Where are constructive plates found on the Earth?
Mid Atlantic ridge.
28
Which process forces plates apart?
Gravity driven slab pull.
29
What is stage 1 of Constructive plate margins?
Extensional forces cause thinning of the crust, faults develop in the crust, blocks drop downwards to create a rift, magma from the mantle rises through cracks in the crust, to create volcanoes along the rift valley.
30
What is the case study of Stage 1 of Constructive plate boundaries?
East African Rift Valley - 600m deep rift valleys have formed separated scarp slopes. Linear lakes form along the low lying rift valleys.
31
What is stage 2 of Constructive plate margins?
Erupted lava forms thin new Basaltic crust along the divergent boundary. This area becomes flooded by the sea, such as the Red Sea.
32
What are the first two steps of Stage 3 of Constructive plate margins?
Sea keeps widening, creating an ocean, as new thin Basaltic ocean crust is formed. Pressure from rising magma causes doming along the boundary, creating a mid-ocean ridge.
33
What are the final three steps of Stage 3 of Constructive plate margins?
Variation in rates of spreading causes transform faults to develop at right angles to the ridge. Shallow focus earthquakes occur along these faults. Underwater volcanoes occur along the ridge.
34
What are the three forms of collision zones?
Oceanic and continental, oceanic and oceanic, continental and continental.
35
What are the first two steps of Destructive plate boundaries?
Plates are moving towards each other, driven by convection currents in the mantle. Lighter less dense crust is subject to compression, crumples into fold mountains. Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust.
36
What happens at the Oceanic crust is subducted?
An ocean trench forms at the subduction zone, as these are the deepest parts of the oceans.
37
What is an example of the Oceanic crust being subducted?
The Peru-Chile trench, where the Nazca plate is subducted beneath the South America plate - over 600mm deep.
38
What happens as the Oceanic plate is subducted?
Heat from pressure and friction allows partial melting, forming magma, which is less dense, and rises into the continental crust. Some magma cools, solidifying into Granite within fold mountains.
39
What happens when Pressure from the Subduction of the Oceanic plate is released?
Powerful earthquakes such as Chile - 1960, 9.5 on the Richter scale.
40
What is the Benioff Zone?
The area within the subduction zone where earthquakes occur.
41
What is the difference between Oceanic and Oceanic convergent margins?
There is no continental crust to become compressed, so fold mountains don't form. Explosive volcanoes develop from the sea floor, create chains of volcanic islands.
42
What are some examples of Island chain countries located on island arcs?
Izu lslands and Bonin islands - Japan. Overriding plate - Phillippine sea plate.
43
What happened during the Tonga eruption of 2022, which occurred on an Oceanic convergent margin?
7 dead, 19 injured. $182 Million in damages.
44
What happens when two continental crusts collide?
Neither is subducted, so no volcanic activity associated with this type of boundary. Two colliding crusts push against each other, leading to fold mountains.
45
What is Orogenesis?
The process of fold mountain creation.
46
Why are powerful earthquakes common at this type of plate boundary?
Pressure is released along the thrust faults.
47
What are the Himalayas an example of?
Fold mountains formed at a collision margin between Indo-Australian and Eurasian continental plates.
48
How much are the Himalayas rising by?
Up to 10mm per year, uplift rates exceed rates of erosion.
49
What can Earthquakes in the Himalayas lead to?
Glacial outburst floods, landslides, building collapse.
50
What is a transform movement known as?
Two neighbouring plates sliding past each other.
51
What are the characteristics of Conservative plate boundaries?
No volcanic activity, frequent shallow earthquakes occur, as pressure is released during movement.
52
What happens when pressure is built up in a conservative plate boundary?
Plates can lock against each other, powerful earthquakes occur, causing powerful earthquakes.
53
What is an example of a Conservative plate boundary?
San Andreas Fault, California.
54
What is a hot spot?
The top of a small scale but active mantle plume.
55
How is an island chain formed?
If an Oceanic plate moves over a hot spot.
56
What has happened over the last 70 million years?
The pacific plate has moved over this hotspot, creating islands such as Hawaii - a volcanic island.
57
How can hotspots also occur in continental areas?
Within continental areas, localised areas of heat develop as magma rises through cracks in the thick continental crust.
58
Why is the Yellowstone hotspot known as a supervolcano?
Due to its' size - magma chamber is 90km long, 40km wide.
59
What type of Earthquakes are found in constructive plate boundaries?
Weak, as well as mamma rising and cooling.
60
Which processes are found in Destructive - Oceanic/Continental plate boundaries?
Strong earthquakes, volcanoes. Subduction, compression.
61
Which landforms are found in Destructive - Oceanic/Continental plate boundaries?
Fold mountains, ocean trenches, volcanoes. Such as the Andes.
62
Which processes are found in Destructive - Oceanic/Oceanic plate boundaries?
Earthquakes, volcanoes under the ocean. Subduction.
63
Which landforms are found in Destructive - Oceanic/Oceanic plate boundaries?
Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Ocean trenches, volcanic islands. Such as the mid Atlantic ridge.
64
Which processes are found in Destructive - Continental/Continental plate boundaries?
Earthquakes, No volcanoes. Thrust faults.
65
Which landforms are found in Destructive - Continental/Continental plate boundaries?
Fold mountains, such as the Indian + Eurasian plates, and the Himalayas.
66
Which processes are found in Conservative plate boundaries?
Shallow earthquakes, No volcanoes. Plates push against each other slightly.
67
Which processes occur at hot spots?
No earthquakes, Volcanoes. Active mantle plume.
68
Which Landforms are created at Hot spots?
Volcanic Islands, continental crust. Yellowstone, and pacific islands.
69
Which human factors affect risk and vulnerability of tectonic hazards?
Level of development, population density, level of education, quality of governance, rural/urban location.
70
Which physical factors affect risk and vulnerability of tectonic hazards?
Divergent boundary, convergent boundary, transform boundary.
71
How does the level of development affect risk and vulnerability?
Less developed means increased risk and vulnerability, as they won't have the resources to cope and plan.
72
How does population density affect risk and vulnerability?
Increased population means increased risk, meaning more lives are in danger - longer evacuation times.
73
How does level of education affect risk and vulnerability?
Increased level of education means decreased risk, easier to plan escape routes.
74
How does quality of governance affect risk and vulnerability?
Increased quality means decreased risk, government have funding.
75
How does rural or urban location affect risk and vulnerability?
Rural means decreased risk, as it's less densely populated, but more harm to the environment.

Tectonics (4 decks)

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