Plate Tectonics Review Flashcards

Flashcards reviewing key concepts from a lecture on Plate Tectonics.

What is Plate Tectonics?

The theory that the Earth's surface is made up of several broken pieces of the lithosphere known as plates, which helps us understand how land masses and ocean basins are arranged.

What are Plates in the context of Plate Tectonics?

Large sections of the Earth's crust that are able to move, contributing to the continuous breakup of the lithosphere over millions of years.

What were the names of the landmass and sea before the plate breakup?

Before the breakup of the Earth's surface, the entire land mass was called PANGEA, and the sea around it was called PANTHALASA.

What two landmasses were formed when plate movements began?

The Earth split into LAURASIA in the north and GONDWANA in the south.

What is Continental Drift?

A theory proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912 that explained how continents shift position on Earth's surface.

What inspired Wegener's theory and what evidence did he use?

The interlocking fit of Africa's and South America's shorelines and the presence of similar fossils and rock formations on different continents.

What are the three major types of plate movements?

Convergent, Divergent, and Transform Plate Movements/Margins.

What is the primary cause of Plate Movements?

Convection currents transfer hot, buoyant magma to the lithosphere and denser material from the crust to Earth’s interior through subduction.

What is a Divergent Plate Boundary?

Occurs where two plates are moving away from each other, leading to Sea Floor Spreading.

What is Sea Floor Spreading?

The process where two plates move away from each other, magma rises, cools, and hardens to form new land, resulting in formations like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

What is a Convergent Plate Boundary?

Occurs when two plates collide or come together, giving rise to Collision Zones and Subduction Zones.

What are Collision Zones and how are they formed?

Formed by two plates of the same mass converging, causing the layers between them to crumple and form FOLD MOUNTAIN ranges like the Himalayas.

What are Subduction Zones and how do they form?

Occurs where two plates of different mass collide, with the denser oceanic plate diving beneath the lighter continental plate, leading to volcanic eruptions.

What is a Transform Plate Boundary?

Occurs where two plates are moving alongside each other, resulting in earthquakes due to the lack of subduction or collision.