Study Guide for Geology Quiz-KEY
Friday May 30, 2014
*this is a general overview of topics we have learned and what will be covered on the quiz
Format is: Multiple Choice, Fill in the blank, labeling
Will Cover: plate tectonics, layers of the Earth, convection, volcanoes, earthquakes
What to study: Notes: Inside the Earth, Convection lab, Convection reading, Volcanoes and earthquakes graphic
organizer, Earth Science Unit vocabulary
Earth’s layers
Labeling: Label the following parts of the Earth in a 5-layer model:
Lithosphere
Outer core
Asthenosphere
Inner core
Mesosphere
What are the three layers of the Earth in the 3 layer model?
-Crust, Mantle, Core
What is the difference in density between all three layers of Earth?
-Crust= least dense, solid and rigid
-Mantle= middle density, semi-solid, semi-liqid
-Core= most dense, inner core=solide, outer core=only liquid layer of Earth
What causes the mantle to move?
-Convection within the mantle.
What is convection?
-Heated material becomes less dense and rises; while cooled material becomes denser and sinks. Within
the mantle, hot rock from close to the core rises, but cooler rock near the crust and surface sinks causing
crust to move and change their location.
How does the movement of the mantle affect the movement of the Earth’s plates?
-Movement in the upper layer of the mantle (Asthenosphere), due to convection, pushes and pulls on the
lithosphere and causes the plates to move
Plate Tectonics
What is the plate tectonics theory?
- The theory that explains how large pieces of the Earth’s outermost layer (tectonic plates), move around
on the asthenosphere and change shape colliding or dividing.
What was Pangaea and who came up with the theory?
-Pangaea is the name for the single huge continent meaning “All Earth”. Pangaea is a theory that the
continents at one point were all connected and have shifted when the plates move. Alfred Wegener
developed the Theory of Pangaea that the continents were once one giant continent and have been
moving. He based his evidence on the fact that similar fossils could be found in completely different parts
of the world.
What are the 3 different types of plate boundaries?
-Divergent boundary
1. boundary formed when two plates separate
-Convergent boundary
1. boundary formed when two plates collide
-continental-continental crust collision
-continental-oceanic crust collision
-oceanic-oceanic crust collision
-Transform boundary
1. boundary formed when two tectonic plates slide past each other
horizontally
What happens at each kind of plate boundary?
-Divergent boundary
1. creates new ocean floor  Mid-ocean ridges
-Convergent boundary
-continental-continental crust collision mountains
-continental-oceanic crust collision
subduction + volcanoes
-oceanic-oceanic crust collision
deep sea trenches
-Transform boundary
1. sliding creates faults which can later result in earthquakes
What are the 2 events that can happen if plates collide at a convergent boundary?
-mountains and deep sea trenches form
-subduction which creates volcanoes
What is a subduction zone?
-a subduction zone occurs on a convergent boundary when oceanic crust and continental crust collides.
The oceanic crust is more dense and goes underneath the continental crust causing the ocean water to
heat up the mantle and create a volcano.
What kind of plate boundary causes earthquakes?
________Transform boundary____________
Where do earthquakes take place?
____Along fault lines on a transform boundary___
What is the difference between magma and lava?
-magma is heated/molten rock that is semi-liquid and flows through the mantle in convection currents.
Magma becomes lava as it erupts from the volcano and gets exposed to air above the crust
What are the 4 kinds of volcanoes and how are different from one another?
a. __Cinder cone_________
-oval cones made of small amounts of lava flowing from a single opening
b. ___Composite________
-steep sided volcanoes made of many layers of volcanic rock from
previous eruptions. These release pyroclastic flow and ash and are most
explosive.
c. __Shield_____________ -shaped like a long bowl with gentle slopes from slow flowing lava
eruptions
d. ___Lava Dome________
-lava is so thick it does not flow and instead piles up a tall volcano
How do volcanoes form?
-Volcanoes form when magma from the mantle erupts through the crust flowing out as lava. As volcanoes
erupt, the layers of lava build up causing the volcano to grow.
What is the most dangerous part of a volcanic explosion? _______pyroclastic materials__________________
What are the effects of an Earthquake?
-Earthquakes cause a tremendous amount of damage to both cities, and to landscapes:
o Seismic Waves (vibrations)
o Ground shaking
o Buildings buckle (crash)
o Lose electricity
o Flooding contaminates water supply
o Landslides
o Landforms rise
o Seafloor can drop
o Islands can form
o Tsunamis