Plate Tectonics Exam

Layers of the Earth Paper, Textbook, Lecture, and Movie

In what ocean did the Dec.26, 2004 tsunami/subduction take place?

Indian Ocean

How many people died from this tsunam/earthquake?

¼ of a million

How high was the maximum tsunami wave?

115 ft. high

What is the name of the subduction zone we have off our western coastline U.S., up north?

Cascadia

What magnitude was this earthquake?

9.2

What 3 U.S. states are most at risk for a tsunami wave?

Washington, California, Oregon

What ocean/plate does the Ring of Fire surround?

Pacific Plate

Large eathquakes usually hit an area every ___ years.

200 years

Name 1 specific type of scientist, aside from a seismologist brought on the ‘Performer’ expedition.

Oceanographer

Are tsunami’s only caused by plate movement? If not, what else causes them?

Landslides, earthquakes

What biological organism was found on the 1st potential earthquake site that disproved it as the source of the giant tsunami?

Umbalula (Niderian)

How long is/was the fault zone that caused the Indonesian tsunami?

750 miles

How many countries did the Indonesian tsunami hit hard?

13 countries

How many miles off of Indonesia tsunami hit hard?

155 miles

A sudden rise of the ocean floor at a subduction zone is called a ___?

megathrust

What does ROV stand for?

Remotely Operated Vehicle

How long will people in Seattle have to evacuate coastlines if a 100 ft. tsunami hit here in the U.S.?

15 minutes

By how much did the subduction zone uplift in the earthquake in the Indian ocean that caused the giant tsunami in Indonesia?

90 feet

What 2 plates cased the Indonesian tsunami?

Eurasian Plate and the Indian-Australian Plate

What controls ‘tidal waves’?

Displacement of water cause by plate movement.

What does the atmosphere do?

It shields against harmful solar radiation and meteoroids

What is the average thickness of the atmosphere?

140 km.

Do the tectonic plates float?

Yes they do on the Lithosphere on the semi-fluid asthenosphere below.

How thick is the lithosphere?

100 km.

What is the thickness of the Asthenosphere?

200 km

How thick is the Mesosphere?

2,885 km

How thick is the outer core?

2,270 km

How thick is the inner core?

1,276 km

What is the inner core?

• It is the densest layer of Earth.

• Composed of solid iron and nickel

• Stable Earth’s rotation and maintaining its magnetic field

What is the outer core?

• Iron and Nickel

• Generates Earth’s magnetic field

• Shields from solar wind and cosmic radiation

What is the mesosphere?

• Made of rocky silicates and oxides

• Contributes to convection currents that drive the movement of tectonic plates

What is the asthenosphere?

• Plastic-like layer

• Composed of rocky silicates and oxides

• Shapes Earth’s surface and influences geological events

What is the lithosphere?

• Composed of granite and basalt silicates

• The plates interact through subduction, seafloor spreading, and mountain building

What is a convergent plate boundary?

Where plate collides

What is divergent plate boundary?

Where plates pull apart

What is a subduction zone?

A type of convergent plate boundary where one tectonic plate slides beneath another

What is a transform plate boundary?

Plates slide past each other