Plate Tectonics
Benchmark
Review
Study guide for the exam
Plate Tectonics
 How
have
Geologists learned
about the interior
of the Earth?
 Since
they can’t
dig down into the
core due to its
heat and pressure,
they have learned
by studying seismic
waves and rock
samples.
Plate Tectonics
 What
are the layers
of Earth’s interior?
 Make sure to know
the order of these
layers.
 Outer
– crust
 Under the crust –
mantle
 The inner two parts
– outer core and
inner core
Plate Tectonics
 Heat
transfer from one
object to another by
touch, or within an
object is called ________
 The transfer of heat
through open space is
called _____________
 Conduction
 Radiation
Plate Tectonics
 The
transfer of heat
within a fluid, either
gas or liquid is
called __________
 The movement of
fluids in the mantle
are an example of
_________ ________
 Convection
 Convection
currents
Plate Tectonics
 What
types of
evidence did
Alfred Wegener
use to support his
theory of plate
tectonics?
 Evidence
from land
features
 Evidence from fossils
 Evidence from
ancient climate zones
Plate Tectonics
 Why
did other
Scientists reject
Wegener’s
ideas?
 They
didn’t like him.
 He wore silly hats.
 He couldn’t give an
explanation for the force
that pushes or pulls the
plates (sea-floor
spreading).
 They were mean.
Plate Tectonics
 What
is the theory
of plate tectonics?
 Pieces
of Earth’s
lithosphere are in
slow, constant
motion, driven by
convection
currents in the
mantle.
Plate Tectonics
 What
are the three
types of plate
boundaries?
 What type of
boundary created
the San Andreas
Fault?
 Colliding,
spreading, and
sliding
 Sliding
Plate Tectonics
 Name
the three
types of stress
that act on
Earth’s crust.
 What directions
do they move?
 Shearing,
tension and
compression.
 Shearing
– across
 Tension – apart
 Compression - together
Plate Tectonics
 When
two
continental plates
collide they can
create what land
feature from pushing
into each other?
 Give an example of
this type of
mountain range.
A
mountain range
 The
Himalayas
Plate Tectonics
 When
earthquakes
strike they produce
seismic waves.
What direction do
the seismic waves
move?
 They
move away
from the focus in all
directions.
Plate Tectonics
 Where
do most
faults occur?
 Cities
 China
 Plate
boundaries
 Europe
 None of the above
Plate Tectonics



What are the three
scales used to
measure seismic
waves?
Which one measure
damage levels?
Which one assigns a
magnitude to seismic
waves
 Mercalli,
Richter,
and Moment
Magnitude scales
 Mercalli
 Both
scale
the Moment
Magnitude and
Richter scales
Plate Tectonics
 What
is the
name of the
world’s major
volcanic belt
that circles
the Pacific
Ocean?
 The
Ring of Fire
Plate Tectonics
 Why
are there
often earthquakes
along the Pacific
coast of North
America?
 The
Pacific plate and
the North American
plate meet on the
Pacific coast.
Plate Tectonics
 How
did the
Hawaiian Islands
form?
 They
formed, and
are still forming,
over a hot spot in
the middle of the
Pacific plate.
Plate Tectonics
 What
causes
magma to erupt to
the surface of
Earth?
 Although
silica
affects the type of
magma, it is the
dissolved gases
that create the
force that causes
eruptions.
Plate Tectonics
 What
are the
three stages in
a volcano’s
life? Describe
them.
 Active
– currently
erupting or may erupt at
any time
 Dormant – not currently
erupting but may erupt
again in the distant future
 Extinct – will never erupt
again
Plate Tectonics
 What
are the
names of
landforms created
by magma?
 What are the
names of
landforms created
by lava and ash?
 Batholiths,
sills, dikes
and volcanic necks
 Lava
plateaus,
calderas, soils,
composite, cinder
cone, shield
volcanoes
Plate Tectonics
 Remember
to
study your notes
and this
PowerPoint to
prepare for the
test!