A Geological Primer
Internal Structure of the Earth:
List the three main spheres that the Earth is comprised of. What are they made of?
What are the physical layers of Earth’s interior called? What are the basic distinctions between
the crust and lithosphere?
Earth on a Slow Boil
What happens when you go deeper into Earth’s core sphere?
What impact does the decay of radioactive Uranium have in the core?
Explain what “convection” is in the context of the Earth’s interior.
What are convection cells?
Plate Tectonics: Geology’s Unifying Theory
What are “tectonics?”
What is the Theory of Plate Tectonics?
The Great Tectonic Plates
What are the various regions of the major tectonic plates? How do they operate in relation to
each other?
What are the plates nearest to Washington’s shores?
Plate Boundaries
What are the three types of boundaries between tectonic plates? Describe each type…
What are mid-ocean spreading ridges and what do they have to do with “Seafloor spreading?”
Hot Spots
What is a hot spot?
Subduction Zones: The Ultimate Fate of Oceanic Crust
What is a subduction zone?
What is a continental arc? What is a modern classic example of a continental arc in the Pacific
Northwest?
What is the difference between Continental arcs and Island arcs?
The Plate Tectonic System
Describe the differences between convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries.
Supercontinent Cycle
What is a supercontinent?
Describe the process of a supercontinent cycle…
What was the most recent supercontinent and when did it form? According to this article,
approximately when should the next supercontinent cycle occur?
A Chronology of Earth History: The Geologic Time Scale
What is the geologic time scale?
How is it a “working document?” What does this mean?