Dave Verma - Dynamic Earth Interactive_ Plate Tectonics Study Guide

D y n a m i c E a r t h In t e r ac t i ve : Pl a t e T ec t oni cs N ame: Co r e: D ate: In s t r u c t ion s This worksheet is intended to be used with the “Dynamic Earth” interactive web site at: http:// www .lea r ne r .o r g/inte r active s /dynamicea r th/index.html To complete thi s w o r k s heet go to the w eb s ite at the add r e ss li s ted above, then f ollo w the link s . Be s u r e to f ollo w each link all the w ay, r oll you r mou s e ove r the diag r am s w he r eve r it s ay s to do so, and take each “Challenge”. Earth’s Structure 1. The oute r mo s t laye r o f the Ea r th i s the crust . I t i s thicke s t unde r the oceans and thinne s t unde r the continents. 2. What i s the mantle made o f ? The mantle is made of hot, semisolid rock is located directly below the crust 3. The litho s phe r e i s made up o f the crust and a s mall pa r t o f the upper mantle . 4. The litho s phe r e i s divided into s eve r al con s tantly moving parts that hold the continents and oceans . 5. The plate s o f the litho s phe r e move on the malleable semi liquid zone in the upper mantle , w hich i s ve r y hot and directly underneath the lithosphere . 6. What does the word “malleable” mean? Soft or bendable

1 o f 4 7. The oute r co r e i s the only liquid laye r o f the Ea r th. 8. The oute r co r e i s made up p r ima r ily o f w hat t w o s ub s tance s ? iron and nickel 9. The inne r co r e i s ext r emely hot and solid . Like the oute r co r e, it i s p r ima r ily made up o f iron and nickel . Pl a t e T ec t oni cs 10. What evidence did Wegner find that supports the hypothesis that the Earth’s continents were once joined in a s ingle la r ge landma ss ? the same plant and animal fossils were found along the coasts of these continents, geologic formations, like mountain ranges, on the two continents also matched up, and they conjoin together like a jigsaw puzzle 11. According to plate tectonics theory Earth’s outer layer, the lithosphere , is broken into s eve r al la r ge slabs , w hich hold the continent s and the ocean s and a r e in con s tant motion. 12. P late tectonic s theo r y explain s ho w earthquakes , volcanoes , and othe r geologic event s occu r . Pl a t es a nd B ound a r i es 13. The Earth’s continents are constantly moving due to the motions of the tectonic plates

pulled unde r the continental c r u s t? Oceanic plates are denser and thinner 23. What geologic f eatu r e s w ould you expect to s ee nea r a s ubduction zone? Volcanoes 3 o f 4 24. A chain o f i s land s called a island arcs s ometime s f o r m s above s ubduction zone s . 25. Why do ea r thquake s occu r at s ubduction zone s ? Plates dont collide smoothly 26. What i s a t s unami? Earthquake under the ocean 27. What geologic f eatu r e s typically f o r m w he r e t w o continental plate s collide? Mountains 28. What happen s w hen dive r gent bounda r ie s occu r in the middle o f an ocean? Seafloor spreading

29. What f o r m s w hen bounda r ie s bet w een continental plate s dive r ge? Mid-ocean ridge 30. I n a t r an s f o r m bounda r y, in w hich di r ection a r e the plate s moving? Away from each other 31. In transform boundaries, the plates can become “stuck”. What happens when the plates suddenly become “unstuck”? Earthquakes 32. What i s the name o f the f amou s t r an s f o r m bounda r y that r un s th r ough Cali f o r nia? San Andreas Fault, strike-slip fault