Where does the energy that drives the circulation of the solid earth come from?
Earth’s interior
What forms when:
1. Conitnents collide?
2. Oceanic blocks collide?
- Huge mountain belts
- Deep sea trenches and volcanos.
What is one thing plate tectonic activity is critical for?
to the maintance of a biologically active planet.
By joining froces with surface processes of rock weathering and erosion to generate landscapes and recycle elements.
What is the solid Earth? Dynamic or Static?
Dynamic
- Where’s new seafloor created?
- Where’s old seafloor destroyed?
- Mid ocean ridges and moves outwards as it grows.
- Deep-sea trecnhes in the subduction zones
What can be said about Earth’s:
a. Composition
b. Temperature
a. Heterogenity in the Earth’s interioir composition
b. Temperature that can be the result only of
large-scale circulation in the mantle and outer core.
Whats fuels the circulation in the interior?
Residual heat from the formation of Earth 4.6 billion years ago AND by heat that continous to form as the result of radioactive decay.
What is Mantle circulation the result of?
Convection
How do mountains grow and shrink?
Mountains grow through plate collision
but shrink through weathering and
erosion.
What happens to sediments when they are transported to the ocean?
Fill deep sea trenches and basins.
Then convert sediment to sedimentary rocks.
Will get re-exposed by plate converence and uplift OR melted.
What drives the rock cycle? (production and destruction)
Plate tectonic processes
What is focus and epicenter?
Focus is the site of energy release, epicenter is right above te focus point on the surface.
What can P and S waves travel through?
P waves can travel through both solids and fluids.
S waves can only travel through Solid material
What are the generlized structure of Earth? 4 Parts.
- Crust
- Mantle (Upper and lower)
- Outer core
- Inner core
What is Moho?
The boundary seperating the Earths crust from the mantle. Characterized by a rapid increase in seismic wave velocity.
How do continental och oceanic crust differ?
Continental are thicker, less dense and on average older. Also differ in chemical and mineralogical composition.
What are igneous, sedimantary and metamorhpic rocks?
Igneous: Form by the cooling and solidification of magma.
Sedimantary rock: Finer material (sediments) Compacted together through litihifaction.
Metamorhpic: If no
melting is involved, the altered material is said to
have been metamorphosed.
Which mineral can be found the most in the continental and oceanic crust?
Silicate minerals like feldspar.
What are types of plate boundaries:
Transform
Divergent
Convergent
