Unit 3: Dynamic Earth Review Guide

What are the main layers of the Earth?

Crust, Mantle, and Core

What are some major properties of each of the layers? (Crust)

Crust is like the skin of an apple, thinnest layer, and part of the lithosphere

What are some major properties of each of the layers? (Mantle)

Thickest layer, conveyor belt for tectonic plates, and has hot magma that rises and then cools

What are some major properties of each of the layers? (Outer Core)

Composed of melted metals nickels and iron (liquid), located 1,800 miles beneath the crust

What are some major properties of each of the layers? (Inner Core)

Solid because of pressure from outer core, mantle, and crust compressing it

What are the states of matter for the major layers of the Earth?

Crust: Solid - Mantle: Solid but has convection currents - Core: Iron and Nickle

Where does Convection occur in the Planet?

The mantle, outer core, atmosphere, and oceans

What is the difference between the Lithosphere and Asthenosphere?

Lithosphere is rigid and brittle while asthenosphere is soft and semi-rigid

Who is Alfred Wegener and why was his theory first laughed at?

Alfred Wegner was a German geophysicist. His theory was laughed at because of the lack of explanation and how continents could move

What was Alfred Wegener’s Theory?

The continental drift hypothesis (continents used to be all together aka Pangea)

What was Alfred Wegener missing with his Theory?

A convincing statement of how the continents moved

What is the current theory called that stemmed from Alfred Wegener?

Plate tectonics

What are the three types of plate boundaries and how do they mover?

Convergent: 2 plates moving towards each other and collide - Divergent: 2 plates moving away from each other - Transform: 2 plates move past each other

Ways to remember!!!!

Convergent: Connecting boundaries- Divergent: Mozzarella stick - Transform: Scissors

What kind of features form at each of the plate boundaries learned in class?

Convergent: Mountain ranges - Divergent: Rift Valleys/Mid ocean ridges - Transform: Earthquakes, San Andreas Fault

What is it called when one plate slides underneath another plate?

Subduction

How did the Himalayan Mountains form?

Formed through continental collision when the Indian Plate crashed into the Eurasian Plate

What are the two major parts of an Earthquake?

Focus and Epicenter

How do we determine the Epicenter of an Earthquake?

Triangulation

What are the 3 types of seismic waves and how do they move?

Primary Waves: compression and expansion wave and can travel through any material - Secondary Waves: Travel through ONLY solids - Surface waves: Slow but very destructive (side to side and up/down movement)

What are the materials each type of wave can move through?

Primary: Travel through any material - Secondary: Travel through solids but not liquids/gases - Surface: like the ocean stealing beach toys

Where do we experience Earthquakes?

Along plate tectonic boundaries

What are the three types of Volcanoes?

Composite volcano, Cinder cone, and shield volcano

Describe the three types of Volcanoes and how they erupt and any distinguishing properties? (Composite)

Composite volcanoes are tall, steep sided and have alternating layers. Explosive and destructive eruptions

Describe the three types of Volcanoes and how they erupt and any distinguishing properties? (Cinder Cone)

Small cone shape volcanoes made up of layers of scoria/cinder. A bowl shaped crater at the top and build up very quickly

Describe the three types of Volcanoes and how they erupt and any distinguishing properties? (Shield Volcanoes)

Broad, gently sloping volcanoes and has gentle eruptions.

What are the major anatomy pieces of a Volcano?

Ash, Lava flow, lava dome, lava, vent, tephra, caldera, lahar, fissure, dike, magma, and magma chamber

Where do we find the majority of Volcanoes on planet Earth?

Ring of Fire (edge of Pacific Ocean)

What are the three laws for Relative Age Dating?

Superposition, Cross-Cutting, and Inclusions

Describe each of the three laws? (Superposition)

Oldest layer at the bottom, youngest layer at the top

Describe each of the three laws? (Cross-Cutting)

Any feature that cuts across a body of rock is younger than the body of that rock it cuts across

Describe each of the three laws? (Inclusions)

The inclusions are older than the rocks that contain them

How can we determine the age of rock by looking at the strata sequence (Review Relative Age Dating Activity!)

The oldest rocks are at the bottom of the sequence and the younger rocks are closer to the surface

What are the similarities of Relative Age Dating and Absolute Age Dating?

Both determine the age of rocks and fossils and rely on rock formations

Differences of Relative Age Dating and Absolute Age Dating?

Relative age dating determines the order of rocks, is less precise, and uses the 3 laws. Absolute age dating determines the exact age of rocks in years and is more precise.

What are the four major Eras?

Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic

What kind of life was around in each of the four major Eras? (Precambrian)

Single-celled organisms and multicellular life creatures

What kind of life was around in each of the four major Eras? (Paleozoic)

First fish, land plants, land animals, and reptiles

What kind of life was around in each of the four major Eras? (Mesozoic)

Dinosaurs, birds, and plants.

What kind of life was around in each of the four major Eras? (Cenozoic)

Mammoths, early humans, sloths, and sabor-toothed cats

What events ended each of the four major Eras? (Precambrian)

The melting of snowball earth

What events ended each of the four major Eras?(Paleozoic)

Permian extinction

What events ended each of the four major Eras? (mesozoic)

Cretaceous Paleogene (asteroid that wipes out the dinosaurs)

What events ended each of the four major Eras? ( Cenozoic)

Global warming in the future maybe

How do we break down geologic time? (Hint: What is the largest increment of time called vs. smallest?)

Largest Increment: Eon

Smallest Increment: Age

When looking at a fossil what do we describe/ predict about the fossil or organism when it was alive?

size, shape, diet, habitat, location, age, behavior, and climate

What are the three major types of rocks?

Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic

What are the major properties for each type of rock? What do we look for / how do we group each type of rock? (Igneous)

Formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock, Extrusive (formed from lava at Earth's surface) Intrusive (formed from magma beneath Earth's surface)

What are the major properties for each type of rock? What do we look for / how do we group each type of rock? (Sedimentary)

Formed from the compaction and cementation of sediments, or from the evaporation of water. Clastic (formed from broken pieces of other rocks) Chemical (formed from minerals precipitated from water) Organic (formed from organic materials like plant material)

What are the major properties for each type of rock? What do we look for / how do we group each type of rock? (Metamorphic)

Formed from existing rocks (igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rocks) subjected to heat and pressure. Foliated (minerals align in layers) Non-Foliated (no alignment of minerals)

What type of rock is this?

Igneous

What type of rocks are these?

Sedimentary

What type of rock is this?

Metamorphic

What makes rocks and minerals different from one another?

Rocks have one or more minerals, while minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic, solid substances with a specific chemical composition

Can you draw and describe the rock cycle?

Starts from a volcano, to igneous,then rubble, to sedimentary, then metamorphic

What are the 5 characteristics of what make a mineral a mineral?

Must be a solid, naturally made, not living, made from specific elements, and arranged in an orderly structure

What are the 8 properties of minerals?

Shape, luster, color, streak, hardness, cleavage, fracture, heft/specific gravity

How do we test for the 8 properties?

shape: looking, luster: metallic or not, color:looking, hardness: MOHS scale from 1-10, fingernail 2.5/penny 3.5/glass or nail 5.5, cleavage: interesting shape, fracture:breaks randomly, heft/specific gravity: weight

What type of feature is at the base of the Atlantic Ocean?

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

How did this feature form?

Seafloor spreading (spreading tectonic plates on both sides)

How can we determine the age of the Atlantic Ocean using evidence we learned in class?

Seafloor, current plate velocity, rock formation around the ridge, and fossils