I CAN: describe how earthquakes happen using words like stress and strain.
Words
Compression stress and plastic
deformation
Definitions
Compression: force pushing
rocks together
Connection or relationship
Enough compression stress can
cause a rock to experience
plastic deformation.
Plastic deformation: when
rocks permanently
deform/break
Tension stress and elastic limit
Tension stress: force pulling
rocks apart
Too much tensional stress will
cause a rock to reach it’s elastic
limit.
Elastic limit: point at which a
rock cannot handle any more
stress
Stress and earthquake
Stress: force on a rock
Too much stress can break a
rock, causing an earthquake
Earthquake: released energy
from plates shifting.
Elastic limit and plastic
deformation
See above
Divergent boundary and
tensional stress
Divergent: plates separating
A rock must reach it’s elastic
limit before it experiences
plastic deformation
Tensional stress can cause a
divergent boundary
Tensional stress: see above
Convection currents and stress
Convection currents: A cycle of
warm material rising/cool
sinking in the mantle.
Stress: see above
Convection currents in the
mantle move, creating stress on
the plates above them.
Stress, elastic limit AND
earthquake
See above
Too much stress on a plate will
cause the plate to reach it’s
elastic limit, which can then
cause an earthquake.