Oceanography: Plate Tectonics + Marine Provinces

Rank the oceans from largest to smallest

Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic

Deepest parts of the ocean

Challenger Deep and Mariana Trench

steps of the Hydrologic Cycle

evaporation, condensation, transport, and precipitation

steps of the scientific method

observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, analysis, conclusion

Hypothesis v. theory

hypothesis: tentative, testable statement

theory: well-substantiated understanding of the natural world that develops from extensive observation, experiment, and creative reflection (more broad)

Laws v. theories

laws: describe observations

theories: explain observations

Creation v. conventional

creation: some assumptions based on Scripture

conventional: no assumptions based on Scripture

lithosphere

solid

asthenosphere

capable of flow (but solid)

main rock type in oceanic crust

basalt

rock type in continental crust

granite

what do plates separate along?

faults

all plate boundaries end in ____

triple junctions, where 3 pates are in contact

oceanic lithosphere cools away from spreading ridges and eventually becomes denser than asthenosphere

slab pull

gravitational sliding of plate downward off spreading ridge

ridge push

plates moving apart

divergent boundary

plates moving toward each other

convergent boundary

horizontal motion parallel to plate boundaries (slide past each other)

transform boundary

what do mid-ocean ridges erupt?

midocean ridge basalt (MORB)

what charge are protons

positive

what charge are neutrons

neutral (0)

what is an isotope

when multiple different atoms of the same chemical element have different number of neutrons

process of atomic nuclei splitting apart and producing radioactivity

radioactive decay

what is an original radioactive isotope called

parent isotope

what is the product of a parent isotope called

daughter isotope

amount of time it takes for ½ sample of parent isotope to decay into daughter isotope

isotope half-lives

what happens when there is horizontal extension in the continental lithosphere?

continental rifts

what is the process of denser lithosphere being forced downward into the underlying asthenosphere?

subduction zone

what is it called when continents collide?

continental collision

what happens when there is horizontal motion along plate boundaries?

transform plate boundary like the San Andreas Fault

what are long-lived stationary areas of upper mantle away from spreading ridges and subduction zones with large amounts of magma generation?

hotspots

hypothesis that during the Flood, plate tectonics occurred at massively sped-up rates compared to what we observe today

catastrophic plate tectonics

the cold ocean crust is denser than hot mantle, held up by surface tension

catastrophic plate tectonics hypothesis

why did the flood start?

subduction initiation

what are large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVP)

remnants of subducted oceanic crust

what occur at divergent boundaries?

rift valleys

what are oceanic rises?

features that form at fast-spreading divergent boundaries

what are oceanic ridges?

features that form at slow-spreading divergent boundaries

what are the three convergent plate boundaries called?

oceanic-continental, oceanic-oceanic, and continental-continentaal

what happens at transform boundaries?

transform faults

measurement of ocean depths (distance from surface to seafloor) and mapping of seafloor surface

bathymetry

measured depth of water beneath a ship

soundings

sounding lines

ropes used to record soundings by the Greek sailor Posidonius

standard unit of ocean depth

fathom

one fathom=

6ft=1.8 meters

SONAR

SOund Navigation And Ranging

oceanographic satellites

satellites that measure large sections of seafloor in a short amount of time

regions of seafloor characterized by water depth and location

marine provinces

what are the three types of marine provinces?

continental margins, ocean basins, and mid-ocean ridges

passive continental margins

not tectonically active, far away from plate boundaries, continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise, sloped/sandy beaches common

active continental margins

tectonically active, right along plate boundaries, convergent and transform margins, lots of activity, faults and deep offshore basins, rocky beaches + beach cliffs common

flat zones extending from the shore beneath the ocean surface to a point at which a marked increase in slope angle occurs

continental shelves

are continental shelves wider on passive or active margins?

they are wider on passive margins

what are continental shelves on active margins sometimes called?

continental borderlands

beyond shelf breaks where deep ocean basins begin

continental slopes

what is the average global slope grade?

7% but can range between 2-45%