Earth´s interior and Plate tectonics

QUIZZES

•http://www.geography4kids.com/extras/quiz_earthtecton/index.html•http://geology.about.com/library/nosearch/blt500q.htm•http://www2.fiu.edu/~srimal/intqz.htm•http://hs-staffserver.stjames.k12.mn.us/~fraken/Earth%20Science%20Files/Grade%208%20Practice%20Quizzes/earth%27sinteriorq.html•http://orgs.usd.edu/esci/exams/interior.html•http://orgs.usd.edu/esci/exams/tectonics.html

• The Gutenberg discontinuity lies at the boundary of what two layers?-Crust and mantle-Crust and outer core-Mantle and inner core-Mantle and outer core-Outer core and inner core

• The Gutenberg discontinuity lies at the boundary of what two layers?-Crust and mantle-Crust and outer core-Mantle and inner core-Mantle and outer core-Outer core and inner core

• Which of the following statements is false?-Compression waves travel through solids as well as liquids-In all materials S-waves travel faster than P-waves-Seismic waves always slow down when reaching a liquid or partially liquid layer-The speed of seismic waves generally increases with depth in a layer-When seismic waves pass from one material to another, the path of the waves is refracted

• Which of the following statements is false?-Compression waves travel through solids as well as liquids-In all materials S-waves travel faster than P-waves-Seismic waves always slow down when reaching a liquid or partially liquid layer-The speed of seismic waves generally increases with depth in a layer-When seismic waves pass from one material to another, the path of the waves is refracted

• What keeps the inner core solid (in contrast to the outer core)?Cool temperaturesDistance from the sunHigh pressuresLow pressuresMinerals with higher melting temperatures

• What keeps the inner core solid (in contrast to the outer core)?Cool temperaturesDistance from the sunHigh pressuresLow pressuresMinerals with higher melting temperatures

• The original land mass of the Earth, before continents, was called...

ManaguaPangaeaPanaceaNone of the Above

• The original land mass of the Earth, before continents, was called...

ManaguaPangaeaPanaceaNone of the Above

Pangaea was the name of the original landmass that covered the planet. As the centuries passed, Pangaea broke apart into plates that now drift across the surface of the Earth.

• What is the approximate distance from the surface to the center of the Earth?A.700 kmB.2900 kmC.6400 kmD.10,000 km

• What is the approximate distance from the surface to the center of the Earth?A.700 kmB.2900 kmC.6400 kmD.10,000 km

• The crust of the earth is made mostly of A. oxygen & siliconB. iron & siliconC. iron & nickelD. copper & nickel

• The crust of the earth is made mostly of A. oxygen & siliconB. iron & siliconC. iron & nickelD. copper & nickel

• What type of seismic wave is being recorded by the seismograph in the diagram?A.a P waveB.an S waveC.a surface waveD.all of the above

• What type of seismic wave is being recorded by the seismograph in the diagram?A.a P waveB.an S waveC.a surface waveD.all of the above

• The layer that makes up most of the earth's mass and volume is the A. mantleB. magmaC. crustD. core

• The layer that makes up most of the earth's mass and volume is the A. mantleB. magmaC. crustD. core

• What name did Alfred Wegener give to his theory of horizontal crustal movements?-Continental drift-Isostasy-Plate tectonics-Rifting-Seafloor spreading

• What name did Alfred Wegener give to his theory of horizontal crustal movements?-Continental drift-Isostasy-Plate tectonics-Rifting-Seafloor spreading

• What is the character of magnetic anomalies on the seafloor?-They occur in stripes that parallel mid-ocean ridges and are offset along transform faults.-They occur in stripes that run perpendicular to mid-ocean ridges and parallel transform faults.-They occur in stripes that parallel continental margins and transform faults.-They occur in stripes that run perpendicular to continental margins and parallel to transform faults.-They occur in stripes that parallel transform faults and end at mid-oceanic ridges.

• What is the character of magnetic anomalies on the seafloor?-They occur in stripes that parallel mid-ocean ridges and are offset along transform faults.-They occur in stripes that run perpendicular to mid-ocean ridges and parallel transform faults.-They occur in stripes that parallel continental margins and transform faults.-They occur in stripes that run perpendicular to continental margins and parallel to transform faults.-They occur in stripes that parallel transform faults and end at mid-oceanic ridges.

• What is the east coast of the United States an example of?Active continental marginConvergent plate boundaryDivergent plate boundaryPassive continental marginTransform plate boundary

• What is the east coast of the United States an example of?Active continental marginConvergent plate boundaryDivergent plate boundaryPassive continental marginTransform plate boundary

• How did non-believers in Wegener's theory explain plant and animal distributions in the southern hemisphere?-Dispersal by the will of God-Dispersal by winds-Dispersal via northern continents-Dispersal via now-sunken land bridges-Dispersal via rafting on logs

• How did non-believers in Wegener's theory explain plant and animal distributions in the southern hemisphere?-Dispersal by the will of God-Dispersal by winds-Dispersal via northern continents-Dispersal via now-sunken land bridges-Dispersal via rafting on logs

• What is the concept that adding or removing a weight from the earth's crust causes it to depress or rebound?-Continental drift-Isostasy-Plate tectonics-Rifting-Seafloor spreading

• What is the concept that adding or removing a weight from the earth's crust causes it to depress or rebound?-Continental drift-Isostasy-Plate tectonics-Rifting-Seafloor spreading

• The partially molten layer beneath the lithosphere is called the ______.A.asthenosphereB.crustC.lower mantleD.outer core

• The partially molten layer beneath the lithosphere is called the ______.A.asthenosphereB.crustC.lower mantleD.outer core

• The slabs of rock known as continents make up the complete lithosphere.

TrueFalse

• The slabs of rock known as continents make up the complete lithosphere.

TrueFalse

The lithosphere is the entire surface of the Earth. That surface includes the floating plates and floor of the ocean. It's everything that floats on the asthenosphere.

• How thick is the oceanic crust?A. approximately 5 kmB. approximately 40 kmC. approximately 100 kmD. approximately 670 km

• How thick is the oceanic crust?A. approximately 5 kmB. approximately 40 kmC. approximately 100 kmD. approximately 670 km

• Which of the following statements about the Moho (Mohovoricic discontinuity) is false?A. Seismic waves speed up as they pass down through the Moho.B. The Moho separates denser rocks below from less dense rocks above.C. The Moho separates the crust from the mantle.D. The Moho marks the top of a partially molten layer.

• Which of the following statements about the Moho (Mohovoricic discontinuity) is false?A. Seismic waves speed up as they pass down through the Moho.B. The Moho separates denser rocks below from less dense rocks above.C. The Moho separates the crust from the mantle.D. The Moho marks the top of a partially molten layer.

• The boundary between the mantle and the core lies at a depth of approximately ______.A. 300 kilometersB. 1000 kilometersC. 3000 kilometersD. 10,000 kilometers

• The boundary between the mantle and the core lies at a depth of approximately ______.A. 300 kilometersB. 1000 kilometersC. 3000 kilometersD. 10,000 kilometers

• Tectonic plates float on the...

AtmosphereHydrosphereAsthenosphere

• Tectonic plates float on the...

AtmosphereHydrosphereAsthenosphere

Tectonic plates float on the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is a region of molten rock beneath the surface of the planet. The atmosphere is the layer of gases that creates and envelope around the planet. The hydrosphere includes all water as it circulates through the Earth's different locations.

• Convergent movement of two plates often results in one plate pushing under another.

TrueFalse

• Convergent movement of two plates often results in one plate pushing under another.

TrueFalse

Convergent movement often results in one plate moving under another. When two plates come together, one plate usually moves on top of the other one. The lower (with higher density) one is pushed into the asthenosphere= it is subduction.

• Scientists think continental plates move because of circulating liquid rock below the plates.

TrueFalse

• Scientists think continental plates move because of circulating liquid rock below the plates.

TrueFalse

Current theories explain plate tectonics as a molten asthenosphere movement (convection currents) with floating plates of solid rock on top. Those floating plates move across the surface of the Earth like a raft on a pool.

• In what layer of the Earth does plate tectonics occur?

• a) Asthenosphere• b) Lithosphere• c) Mesosphere • d) Tectosphere

• In what layer of the Earth does plate tectonics occur?

• a) Asthenosphere• b) Lithosphere• c) Mesosphere • d) Tectosphere

The lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle beneath it. The asthenosphere is the hotter, softer layer of rock below the lithosphere. The mesosphere is the next layer down. The tectosphere is a zone defined in various ways, but lately it has been used to refer to the deep root of a continent.

• Which is the largest lithospheric plate? • a) African • b) Antarctic • c) Eurasian • d) Pacific

• Which is the largest lithospheric plate? • a) African • b) Antarctic • c) Eurasian • d) Pacific

There are six major plates—seven if you consider the Indian and Australian plates to be separate—and the Pacific plate is the largest. Only slivers of it are dry land, part of South Island in New Zealand and a bit of North America extending from Baja California to Point Reyes, just north of San Francisco.

• Where are most volcanoes found?• a) Above subduction zones • b) In Wadati-Benioff zones• c) Near hotspots • d) On spreading ridges

• Where are most volcanoes found?• a) Above subduction zones • b) In Wadati-Benioff zones• c) Near hotspots • d) On spreading ridges

Subduction zones account for the vast majority of volcanoes. There fluids from the downgoing plate rise into the upper plate and trigger magma formation (more detail here on the subduction factory). Spreading ridges produce more volcanism as magma rises to create new crust, but they are not volcanoes in the ordinary sense. Hotspots, for all their prominence, are minor parts of the world's inventory of volcanoes.

• Where do the largest earthquakes occur?• a) Convergent zones• b) Divergent zones• c) Hotspots• d) Transforms

• Where do the largest earthquakes occur?• a) Convergent zones• b) Divergent zones• c) Hotspots• d) Transforms

All these elements of plate tectonics are associated with earthquakes, but by far the greatest accumulations of seismic energy occur where plates converge. Essentially every event larger than magnitude 8 is a convergent quake.

• Which ocean has no trenches? • a) Antarctic • b) Arctic • c) Atlantic • d) Indian

• Which ocean has no trenches? • a) Antarctic • b) Arctic • c) Atlantic • d) Indian

The Arctic basin contains the northward extension of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is spreading very slowly there, and no subduction zones. The Antarctic has only the small South Sandwich Trench, southeast of South America. The Atlantic has the Lesser Antilles Trench bordering the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean has the great Java Trench next to the Indonesian arc. The Pacific is the champion of trenches with at least eight.

• Where are the most transform faults found? • a) Hotspot tracks • b) Spreading ridges • c) Subduction zones • d) Transform margins

Spreading ridges are really sets of perpendicular segments, one set being zones of extension and the other set being short transforms. The map to the right shows an example from the southeast Pacific, off South America. On the Chile Rise (CR) the extension zones run north-south and the transforms run east-west. The whole rise is being carried eastward into the Chile Trench (CT). The Magellanes-Fagnano fault system (MFS) is a transform boundary between the South American and Scotia plates. Transform boundaries like it are not very common, especially compared to the multitudes of small transform faults on the spreading ridges. (Image derived from David Völker's seafloor maps.)

• Where are the most transform faults found? • a) Hotspot tracks • b) Spreading ridges • c) Subduction zones • d) Transform margins

• What cycle is the result of plate tectonics? • a) The Bowen cycle • b) The Carnot cycle • c) The Davis cycle • d) The Wilson cycle

• What cycle is the result of plate tectonics? • a) The Bowen cycle • b) The Carnot cycle • c) The Davis cycle • d) The Wilson cycle

This cycle is named for the Canadian geophysicist J. Tuzo Wilson, who proposed that plate motions lead periodically to the continents all coming together in a supercontinent, which then breaks up into many pieces again. Each cycle takes about 500 million years. The Davis cycle comes from geomorphologist William Morris Davis (1850-1934), whose general theory of landscapes included an erosional progression from youthful to mature. Today it's considered simplistic and is no longer taught. The Carnot cycle, describing the thermodynamics of turning energy into work, is fundamental to physics. There is no Bowen cycle, only the Bowen reaction series that describes how minerals form out of a melt.

• What is the San Andreas Fault in southern California an example of?Active continental marginConvergent plate boundaryDivergent plate boundaryPassive continental marginTransform plate boundary

• What is the San Andreas Fault in southern California an example of?Active continental marginConvergent plate boundaryDivergent plate boundaryPassive continental marginTransform plate boundary

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