Marine Science Quiz Review (Geography of the Oceans + Earth’s Structure
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120 Terms
What percentage of Earth is covered by water?
About 71%
What type of environments dominate Earth's surface?
Marine environments
Which hemisphere contains more ocean?
Southern Hemisphere
Which hemisphere contains more land?
Northern Hemisphere
What does the uneven distribution of oceans influence?
Heat storage, climate, and marine habitat connectivity
Are Earth's oceans isolated from one another?
No, they are connected parts of one global system
What are the five oceans?
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic
What is an ocean basin?
A large seabed depression containing a named ocean
Which ocean is circumpolar?
Southern Ocean
What two measurements can be used to compare ocean basins?
Average depth and approximate area
Can a large ocean basin also not be the deepest?
Yes, basin size and average depth are different measurements
What connects ocean basins to shallower seas?
Waterways
Give examples of seas connected to the oceans.
Caribbean Sea and Mediterranean Sea
What gulf is an example of ocean connectivity?
Gulf of Mexico
What two water properties can be transported through connected oceans?
Temperature and salinity
What does ocean connectivity create for organisms?
Pathways for dispersal
How can changes in one ocean region affect another?
Through connected ocean circulation
What must we understand to explain ocean basin shape and connectivity?
Earth's structure beneath the oceans
What are Earth's four main layers?
Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
What is Earth's core believed to be primarily made of?
Iron
What conditions increase toward Earth's center?
Pressure and temperature
Why does the inner core remain solid?
Very high pressure
Which part of Earth's core is liquid?
Outer core
Movement in the liquid outer core is linked to what?
Earth's magnetic field
How do scientists study Earth's interior?
Scientific tests, evidence, and models rather than direct observation
What is the mantle made of?
Rock near its melting point that can slowly flow, swirl, and mix
Can the mantle behave as both a solid and a liquid?
Yes
Is the mantle lava everywhere?
No
How can solid mantle rock deform?
Over long periods under heat and pressure
What allows rigid plates to move over deeper material?
The physical properties of the mantle
What can slow mantle movement produce over long periods?
Mountain building and basin formation
What is oceanic crust primarily made of?
Basalt
What color is oceanic crust generally?
Dark
Is oceanic crust more or less dense than continental crust?
More dense
About how thick is oceanic crust?
About 5–10 km
What is continental crust primarily made of?
Granite
What color is continental crust generally?
Light
Is continental crust more or less dense than oceanic crust?
Less dense
About how thick is continental crust?
About 20–50 km
Why does oceanic crust float lower than continental crust?
It is more dense
Why is oceanic crust more likely to sink during collisions?
It is denser than continental crust
What process is caused by denser crust sinking beneath another plate?
Subduction
What do differences in crust properties help explain?
Large-scale patterns on Earth's surface
What theory says continents were once joined and later moved apart?
Continental drift
What do Earth's continents appear to fit together like?
Puzzle pieces
Who proposed continental drift?
Alfred Wegener
When did Alfred Wegener propose continental drift?
1912
What was Pangaea?
A supercontinent in which Earth's continents were once joined
What happened to Pangaea?
The continents separated and moved apart
What evidence supported the idea that continents were previously connected?
Similar fossils, rocks, and deposits on separated continents
Why were matching fossils on different continents important?
They suggested the continents once shared a common history
What geological evidence was found on facing continental coasts?
Similar deposits and rocks
What geographic feature provided evidence for continental drift?
The geometric fit of continental margins
Was the fit of continental margins alone definitive proof?
No
Why was continental drift persuasive to some scientists?
Multiple patterns suggested the continents shared a common history
Why are matching fossils and deposits unlikely to be coincidence?
They appear systematically across large distances
What was the biggest weakness of the original continental drift hypothesis?
It lacked a believable mechanism for how continents moved
What did scientists need to strengthen continental drift?
A mechanism that could make predictions and be tested
Without a mechanism, what movement measurement was difficult to calculate?
Plate movement rates
What natural events were difficult to predict without a mechanism?
Earthquakes and volcanoes
What is an important lesson from the continental drift debate?
Good evidence with a weak mechanism can lead to scientific debate and further investigation
What did scientists eventually need to connect continental movement to?
Physics
What is plate tectonics?
The theory/process involving the movement of large plates on Earth's mantle
What part of Earth is divided into giant irregular plates?
Earth's crust
Why do tectonic plates move?
Processes linked to heat within Earth
What is one source of Earth's internal heat?
Radioactive decay
Where do major geological features tend to concentrate?
Plate boundaries
Why is plate tectonics an improvement over continental drift?
It provides a mechanism and explains more geological observations
What type of crust creation does plate tectonics explain?
Oceanic crust creation
What happens to old crust according to plate tectonics?
It can be destroyed/recycled through subduction
What large-scale observations does plate tectonics explain?
Global geological patterns
Does plate tectonics explain only continental motion?
No, it explains movement and interactions of Earth's plates
What two major geological structures are found at plate boundaries?
Mid-ocean ridges and trenches
What are mid-ocean ridges?
Underwater volcanic mountain chains
What are ocean trenches?
Deep depressions where plates converge
What activities tend to cluster around ridges, trenches, and plate boundaries?
Earthquakes and volcanic activity
How can scientists identify plate boundaries?
By mapping geological activity
Why are global patterns of ridges, trenches, earthquakes, and volcanoes important?
They provide testable predictions of plate tectonic theory
Has Earth's magnetic field reversed in the past?
Yes
What happens to magnetic particles when molten rock cools?
They align with Earth's magnetic field at that time
What happens to magnetic orientation once rock cools?
It becomes frozen or locked in place
What pattern is found in seafloor rocks near mid-ocean ridges?
Alternating bands of magnetic orientation
How are magnetic bands oriented compared with a mid-ocean ridge?
Parallel to the ridge
How are magnetic bands arranged on opposite sides of a ridge?
Symmetrically
Why are symmetrical magnetic stripes strong evidence for seafloor spreading?
They show new crust forming at the ridge and moving outward on both sides
What is seafloor spreading?
The process that creates new seafloor as plates move away from each other at mid-ocean ridges
What happens first during seafloor spreading?
Plates separate
What forms as plates separate at a mid-ocean ridge?
A rift
What happens to pressure on the mantle beneath a spreading ridge?
Pressure decreases
What can happen to mantle material when pressure decreases?
It partially melts
What rises toward the surface at a spreading ridge?
Magma
What forms along the spreading center?
A mid-ocean ridge
What happens when magma cools at a mid-ocean ridge?
It forms new oceanic crust
Where is the youngest oceanic crust found?
Near mid-ocean ridges
How does sediment thickness change with distance from a ridge?
It becomes thicker farther from the ridge
Why is sediment thicker farther from a mid-ocean ridge?
Older crust has had more time for sediment to accumulate
How are magnetic stripes produced during seafloor spreading?
New crust records different magnetic orientations as Earth's magnetic field reverses
Are plate movement rates generally fast or slow?
Slow
How can slow plate movement create major changes?
Its effects accumulate over very long periods of time
If new crust is constantly created, why doesn't Earth increase in size?
Old crust is destroyed/recycled at trenches through subduction