Grade 10 Geography Geomorphology Revision

Vocabulary flashcards covering the internal structure of the Earth, plate tectonics, faulting, earthquakes, and volcanoes based on the Grade 10 Geography revision booklet.

Continental crust (sial)

A layer that lies under continents only, consists mainly of granite, and is thicker than oceanic crust.

Oceanic crust (sima)

A thinner and denser layer that lies under oceans and continental crust, consisting mainly of basalt and gabbro.

Intrusive igneous activity

Occurs when an enormous mass of magma does not reach the surface and solidifies (hardens).

Continental drift

The movement of continents over time.

Alfred Wegener

The first person to notice that the continents fit into each other like a jig-saw puzzle.

Fault

A fracture or crack between two blocks of rock that allow the blocks to move relative to each other.

Earthquake

The violent shaking of the Earth caused by sudden movements where giant, slowly moving tectonic plates meet.

Focus

The point underground where an earthquake starts.

Epicentre

The point on Earth’s surface directly above the focus.

Seismic waves

Invisible waves of energy released by an earthquake.

Seismograph

An instrument that measures and records earthquakes.

Richter scale

The scale on which the intensity of earthquakes is measured.

Mantle

A layer of the Earth that is approximately $2\,900\,km$ thick.

Inner core

The innermost layer of the Earth, characterized as solid rock.

Outer core

A layer of the Earth described as dense but liquid.

San Andreas fault

A specific example of a strike-slip fault mentioned in the 1989 earthquake case study.

Plate Tectonics

The theory that the Earth is made up of giant, slowly moving plates.

Types of Plate Boundaries

The four types include conservative, collision, divergent, and subduction plate boundaries.