Science – Chapter 1 – Flashcards
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Geologist
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A scientist who studies the forces that make and shape planet Earth.
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Rock
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The material that forms Earth's hard surface.
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Geology
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The study of planet Earth.
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Constructive Force
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A force that builds up mountains and landmasses on Earth's surface.
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Destructive Force
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A force that slowly wears away mountains and other features on the surface of Earth
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Continent
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A great landmass surrounded by oceans.
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Seismic Wave
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A vibration that travels through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake.
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Pressure
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The amount of force pushing on a surface or area.
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Crust
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The layer of rock that forms Earth's outer surface.
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Basalt
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A dark, dense, igneous rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust.
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Granite
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A usually light-colored rock that is found in continental crust.
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Mantle
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The layer of hot, solid material between Earth's crust and core.
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Lithosphere
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A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.
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Asthenosphere
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The soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats.
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Outer Core
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A layer of molten iron and nickel that surrounds the inner core of Earth.
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Inner Core
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A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel in the center of Earth.
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Heat Transfer
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The movement of energy from a warmer object to a cooler object.
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Radiation
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The transfer of energy through empty space.
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Conduction
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The transfer of heat by direct contact of particles of matter.
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Convection
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The transfer of heat by movements of a heated fluid.
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Density
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The amount of mass in a given space; mass per unit volume.
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Convection Current
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The movement of a fluid, caused by differences in temperature, that transfers heat from one part of the fluid to another.
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Pangaea
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The name of the single landmass that broke apart 200 million years ago and gave rise to today's continents.
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Continental Drift
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The hypothesis that the continents slowly move across Earth's surface.
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Fossil
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A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock.
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Mid-ocean ridge
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The undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary.
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Sonar
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A device that determines the distance of an object underwater by recording echoes of sound waves.
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Sea-floor spreading
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The process by which molten material adds new oceanic crust to the ocean floor.
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Deep-ocean trench
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A deep valley along the ocean floor through which oceanic crust slowly sinks towards the mantle.
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Subduction
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The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary.
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Plate
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A section of the lithosphere that slowly moves over the asthenosphere, carrying pieces of continental and oceanic crust.
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Scientific Theory
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A well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations.
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Plate Tectonics
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The theory that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle.
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Fault
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A break in Earth's crust where slabs of rock slip past each other.
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Transform Boundary
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A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions.
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Divergent Boundary
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A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other.
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Rift Valley
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A deep valley that forms where two plates move apart.
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Convergent Boundary
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A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other.
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What are two things that geologists study about Earth?
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1. the forces that make and shape planet Earth; and 2. the chemical and physical characteristics of rock.
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What are the layers that make up Earth?
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Earth's interior is divided into the crust, the mantle, and the core, which is made of the outer core, and the inner core.
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What happens in Earth's interior to produce Earth's magnetic field? Describe the layers of the interior where the magnetic field is produced.
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Currents in the liquid outer core force the solid inner core to spin at a slightly faster rate than the rest of the planet. These currents in the outer core create Earth's magnetic field.
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What are some of the differences and similarities between the mantle and the core? Explain.
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The mantle is composed of 2 sections, the lithosphere and the asthenosphere, one being solid and one liquid; just as the core is composed of 2 sections, the outer core and inner core, one being solid and one being liquid. They are different b/c the mantle, the outer part is solid whereas the Core, the inner part is solid.
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What are the three types of heat transfer?
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Conduction, Covection & Radiation
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Describe how convection currents form.
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The heating and cooling of the fluid, changes in the fluid's density, and the force of gravity combine to set convection currents in motion.
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In general, what happens to the density of a fluid when it becomes hotter?
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As the particles move faster, they spread apart. Because the particles of the heated fluid are farther apart, they occupy more space. The density decreases.
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What happens to convection currents when a fluid reaches a constant temperature?
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The convection currents will stop.
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What will happen to the flow of hot rock in Earth's mantle if the planet's core eventually cools down? Explain your answer.
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What was Wegener's theory of continental drift?
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All the continents had once been joined together in a single landmass and have since drifted apart.
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How did Wegener use evidence based on fossils to support his theory that the continents had moved?
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1. Mountain ranges and other features on the continents provided evidence for continental drift, he noticed that a mountain range in South Africa lines up with a mountain range in Argentina. European coal fields match up with similar coal fields in North America; and 2. Wegener also used fossils to support his argument for continental drift. fossils of the reptiles Mesosaurus and Lystrosaurus have been found in places now separated by oceans. Neither reptile could have swum great distances across salt water; 3. Wegener used evidence of climate change to support his theory—for example, from the island of Spitsbergen. Spitsbergen lies in the Arctic Ocean north of Norway..
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What was the main reason scientists rejected Wegener's theory of continental drift?
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Because Wegener could not identify the cause of continental drift, or force that would move the continents, most geologists rejected his idea.
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Coal deposits have also been found beneath the ice of Antarctica. But coal only forms in warm swamps. Use Wegener's theory to explain how coal could be found so near the poles.
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What is the role of the mid-ocean ridge in sea-floor spreading?
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At the mid-ocean ridge, molten material rises from the mantle and erupts. The molten material then spreads out, pushing older rock to both sides of the ridge.
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What is the evidence for Hess's theory of sea-floor spreading?
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Evidence from molten material, magnetic stripes, and drilling samples.
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Describe the process of subduction at a deep-ocean trench.
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The process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle.
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Where would you expect to find the oldest rock on the ocean floor? Explain your answer.
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At the bottom because gravity pulls this older, denser oceanic crust down beneath the trench.
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The mid-ocean ridge extends into the Red Sea between Africa and Asia. What do you think will happen to the Red Sea in the future? Explain your answer
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What is the theory of plate tectonics?
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The theory that states that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant, slow motion, driven by convection currents in the mantle.
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What are the different types of boundaries found along the edges of Earth's plates?
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Transform boundaries, Divergent Boundaries and Convergent boundaries.
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hat major event in Earth's history began about 225 million years ago? Explain.
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Pangaea began to break apart. The single landmass that existed before the continents.
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Look at Earth's Lithosphere Plates and find the divergent boundary that runs through the African plate. Predict what could eventually happen along this boundary.
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