SCIENCE

-According to the plate tectonics model, the entire lithosphere of the Earth
is broken into numerous segments called plates.
-each plate is slowly but continuously moving
-As a result of the motion of he plates, three types of plate boundaries
were formed: Divergent, Convergent, and Transform fault boundaries.
-Divergent boundary is formed when plates move apart, creating a zone of
tension.
-convergent boundary is present when two plates collide.
-Transform fault is characterized by plates that are sliding past each other.
-Plate tectonics give rise to several geological features and events.
Continental volcanic arc – mountains formed in part by igneous activity
associated with subduction one of the oceanic lithosphere beneath a
continent.
Convergent boundary – a boundary in which to plates moves toward each
other, causing one of the slabs of the lithosphere to subduct beneath an
overriding plate.
Crust – the outer portion of the earth.
Continental Crust – the thick part of the Earth’s crust, not located under the
ocean.
Oceanic Crust – the thin part of the Earth’s crust located under the oceans.
Divergent Boundary – A region where the crustal plates are moving apart.
Earthquake – vibration of the earth due to the rapid release of energy.
Fault – any break in a rock along which movement has occurred.
Fracture- any break on rock which no significant movement has occurred.
Geology- the science that studies Earth.
Hot spot- a concentration of heat in the mantle capable of creating
magma.
Magma- a mss molten rock forms at depth, including dissolved gasses and
crystals.
Mid-ocean ridge- a continuous mass of land with long width and height on
the ocean floor.
Plates- rigid sections of the lithosphere that move as a unit.
Plate tectonics – a theory which suggest that Earth’s crust is made up of
plate that interact in various ways, thus producing earthquakes, mountains,
volcanoes, and other geology features.
Primary (P) wave- the first seismic wave to be recorded in seismic station.
Rocks- consolidated mixture of minerals.
Secondary (S) wave- second type of earthquake wave to be recorded in a
seismic station.
Seismograph- a device used to be recorded earthquake waves.
Subduction - an event in which is slab of rock thrusts into the mantle.
Transform fault boundary- a boundary produced when two plates slide past
each other.
Trench- a depression in the seafloor produced by subduction process.
Volcanic Island arc- a chain of volcanoes that develop parallel to a trench.
-The earth is composed of three major layers: the crust, mantle, and core
which is subdivided into outer core and inner core.
-The crust is the outermost and thinnest layers of the Earth.
-The mantle is the middle layer of the Earth. It makes most of the Earth’s
volume and mass.
-The crust and a part of the upper mantle make up the lithosphere. The
lithosphere plates is subdivided into portions called into portions called
lithospheric plates
-The athenosphere in the week layer of the mantle on which the
lithosphere floats.
-The outer core is made up of molten material and accounts for the Earth’s
magnetic field.
-The inner core is the deepest layer of the Earth. It is made up of solid
nickel and iron. The temperature in the inner core reaches as high as
5000C.
-The speed reflection and refraction properties of seismic waves are used
by scientist to study the structure and composition of the Earth’s interior.
-The Continental Drift Theory of Alfred Wegener states that the continents
were once part of large landmass called Pangaea which drifted away from
each other toward their current positions.
-Alfred Wegener based his theory on evidences from fossils imbedded in
rocks formations.
-Seafloor spreading is believed to occur as hot magma rises at the rift in the
mid-ocean ridge. This magma cools down and becomes the new seafloor as
it pushes the former.
-The old seafloor is destroyed at the subduction zone and melts inside the
mantle.
-The age of rocks and the magnetic stripes in the ocean floor support the
Seafloor Spreading Theory.
-The Theory Tectonics helps explain the formation and destruction of the
Earth’s crust and it’s movement over time.
-Scientist believe that the plate’s movement is due to convection currents
in the mantle.
Athenosphere- soft weal upper portion of the mantle where the
lithospheric palates float and move around.
Continental Drift Theory- states that all the continents were one one large
landmass that broke apart, and where the pieces moved slowly to their
current locations.
Convection current- current in the mantle because of the heat from the
inner layers of the Earth, and is the force that drives the plates to move
around.
Lithosphere- the topmost, solid part of the earth that is composed of
several plates.
Lithospheric plates- the moving irregular-shaped slabs that fit together to
form the surface of the Earth.
Mid-ocean ridge- the moving are in the middle of the ocean where a new
ocean floor is formed when lava erupts through the cracks in the Earth
crust.
Mohorovicic Discontinuity (Moho)- the boundary that separates the crust
and the mantle.
Plasticity- the ability to solid to flow.
Seafloor Spreading- process by which new ocean floor is formed near the
mid-ocean and moves outward.
Subduction- the process in which the crust plunges back into the Earth.
Tectonics- branch of geology that deals with the movements that shape the
Earth’s crust.