Unit & Plate Tectonics

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41 Terms

1
Conduction
The transfer of heat through a material without the movement of the material itself.
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2
Radiation
The transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves, such as light or heat, without requiring a medium.
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3
Convection
The transfer of heat in a fluid (liquid or gas) where the warmer, less dense part rises and the cooler, denser part sinks, creating currents.
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4
Thermal Conductivity
A measure of how well a material allows heat to pass through it.
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5
Heat Transfer
The movement of thermal energy from one object or substance to another.
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6
Insulator
A material that does not conduct heat well.
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7
Conductor
A material that allows heat to pass through it easily.
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8
Continental Drift
The theory that continents have moved over geological time and were once part of a single landmass.
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9
Seafloor Spreading
The process by which new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and spreads outwards.
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10
Paleomagnetism
The study of Earth's past magnetic field recorded in rocks, helping to support the theory of plate tectonics and seafloor spreading.
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11
Wegener’s Hypothesis
The idea proposed by Alfred Wegener that continents were once joined together in a supercontinent (Pangaea) and have since drifted apart.
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12
Fossil Evidence
Similar fossils found on continents that are now widely separated.
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13
Rock Formations
Similar rock layers and geological features across continents.
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14
Glacial Evidence
Evidence of ancient glaciers in now-warm areas, suggesting continents were once located closer to the poles.
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15
Fit of the Continents
The observation that continents like South America and Africa seem to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
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16
Tectonic Plates
Large, rigid pieces of Earth’s lithosphere that move and interact at plate boundaries.
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17
Divergent Boundary
Where two plates move away from each other, often causing seafloor spreading.
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18
Convergent Boundary
Where two plates move toward each other, often causing mountain formation or subduction zones.
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19
Transform Boundary
Where two plates slide past each other horizontally, leading to earthquakes.
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20
Tension
Stress that stretches the material (at divergent boundaries).
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21
Compression
Stress that squeezes the material (at convergent boundaries).
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22
Shear
Stress that causes sliding or twisting (at transform boundaries).
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23
Strain
The deformation or change in shape of a material due to stress.
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24
Normal Fault
A fault where the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall (caused by tension).
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25
Reverse Fault
A fault where the hanging wall moves upward relative to the footwall (caused by compression).
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26
Strike-Slip Fault
A fault where the movement is primarily horizontal (caused by shear stress).
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27
Lithosphere
The rigid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and upper mantle.
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28
Asthenosphere
A semi-fluid layer beneath the lithosphere, allowing tectonic plates to move.
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29
Seismic Waves
Waves of energy that travel through Earth’s layers due to an earthquake or other seismic event.
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30
Primary (P) Waves
The fastest seismic waves, compressional in nature, that can travel through both solid and liquid.
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31
Secondary (S) Waves
Seismic waves that are slower than P-waves and can only travel through solids, moving in a transverse motion.
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32
Surface Waves
Seismic waves that travel along the Earth’s surface and are responsible for most of the damage during an earthquake.
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33
Epicenter
The point on Earth's surface directly above the earthquake's focus (where the earthquake originates).
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34
Focus (Hypocenter)
The point beneath Earth's surface where an earthquake originates.
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35
Seismogram
A record of the seismic waves detected by a seismometer, used to determine the location and magnitude of an earthquake.
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36
Seismometer
An instrument used to detect and measure seismic waves.
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37
Triangulation
The method used to determine the epicenter of an earthquake by using data from multiple seismometer locations.
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38
Magnitude
A measure of the energy released during an earthquake, typically measured by the Richter scale.
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39
Intensity
A measure of the earthquake’s effects on people, buildings, and the Earth's surface, typically measured by the Mercalli scale.
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40
Richter Scale
A scale that measures the magnitude of an earthquake, based on the amplitude of seismic waves.
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41
Mercalli Scale
A scale that measures the intensity of an earthquake, based on observed effects on people, buildings, and the Earth's surface.
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