Pretest for Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics
A. Identify the Earth’s four major layers from the inner most layers
to the outer most layers
B. Describe the basic characteristics of each layer.
C. Explain what happens to density, temperature and pressure at
each layer from the inner most layer out.
Inner Core
A dense
ball of solid metal .
High
High
High
Outer Core
A. The inner most layer #1
B. Its basic characteristic is that it is
C. Density
Pressure
A. The next layer out #2
Temperature
made of
liquid metal and
rotates to create our
magnetic field
Lower
Lower
Lower
mantle
made of
molten rock
B. Its basic characteristics is that it is
C. Density
Pressure
A. The next layer out #3
B. Its basic characteristic is that it is
Temperature
Even lower
Even Lower
Even Lower
crust
a thin
layer of rock
Lowest
Lowest
Lowest
C. Density
Temperature
Pressure
A. The outer most layer #4
B. Its basic characteristic is that it is
C. Density
Pressure
Temperature
Explain how the Earth’s crust is divided and how many divisions of the
lithosphere that there are.
Tectonic Plates are
divided into 12 major
plates
Explain Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis, give what term best
defines it and give two pieces of evidence that supports his hypothesis.
Wegener’s hypothesis was that
there was a continental drift and
that there was one major supercontinent
He called this
Pangea
. One piece of evidence was
Fossils of the same
origin found on
different continents
the
swimming reptile
mesosaurus on two
different continents.
and other piece of evidence was
Why do the tectonic plates float on top of the mantle?
The crust is less
dense than the
mantle
What type of currents occur in the interior of the Earth?
Convection currents
What causes earthquakes and volcanoes and where do they typically
The motion of the
tectonic plates, they
occur along the
boundaries of the
plates.
occur?
Explain the direction of divergent, convergent and transform plate
boundaries and what types of landforms would be created at each
boundary type.
plates that
move apart
Divergent plate boundaries are
Valleys
plates that
move together
mountains
plates that
slide past each other
The type of landform created
Convergent boundaries
The type of landform created
Transform boundaries
The type of landform created
faults/earthquakes.
Define a hotspot and how one created the Hawaiian islands.
a location that
has experienced
A hotspot is
.
active volcanoes for
a long period of
time.
the
Pacific plate moved
over it
Convergent
plate boundaries
A hotspot created the Hawaiian islands when
How do mountains form?