Earth and Life Science: Unit 3 Endogenic Processes Quiz

10 Questions

What theory proposed that the continents were once a single landmass that drifted to their present locations?

Continental Drift Theory

Which process involves the very slow movement of the Earth and results in folding and faulting?

Diastrophism

What type of stress causes two plates to move towards each other, leading to the destruction of the crust?

Compression stress

Which natural phenomenon is a direct result of the Pacific Ring of Fire?

Tsunamis

What is the term for fossils that show impressions revealing the behavior and movement of ancient plants and animals?

Trace fossils

In faulting, what is the orientation where the hanging wall is above the foot wall?

Reverse fault

What type of rocks always form in horizontal patterns due to Original Horizontality principle?

Sedimentary rocks

What type of boundary results in upwelling of magma that constructs the crust?

Divergent boundary

What kind of theories relate to the movement and dynamics of Earth's lithospheric plates?

Tectonic theories

What did Harry Hess propose with his Sea-floor Spreading theory?

The seafloor moves away from the mid-ocean ridge.

Study Notes

Endogenic Processes

The internal processes of the Earth cause folding and faulting, resulting in the formation of landforms
Diastrophism is the very slow movement of the Earth, which leads to folding and faulting
Diastrophic processes can be further divided into orogenic (mountain-building) and epeirogenic (continental) processes
Daily earthquakes are minor and a result of plate tectonics, where the Earth's crust is divided into plates

Theories of Plate Tectonics

Continental Drift Theory: Abraham Ortelius (1596) proposed that the continents drifted apart
Alfred Wegener (1911-1915) expanded on this idea, proposing that the continents used to be a single landmass (Pangaea) that broke apart and drifted to their present location
Sea-floor Spreading: Harry Hess (1960) discovered that the seafloor slowly spreads and moves sideways away from the mid-ocean ridge
Plate Tectonic Theory: Antonio Snider-Pellegrini (1858) proposed that the Earth's surface is divided into 7 major plates that correspond to the 7 continents

Convection Currents and Tectonic Boundaries

Convection currents: magma is pushed upwards, cools, and then sinks, transferring heat and driving the Earth's ocean currents, atmospheric weather, and geology
Tectonic boundaries can be convergent (destructive), divergent (constructive), or transform (sliding)
Convergent boundaries have compression stress, resulting in subduction zones
Divergent boundaries have tension stress, resulting in the upwelling of magma and the creation of new crust
Transform boundaries have shearing stress, resulting in shallow earthquakes and zig-zag plate margins

Tectonic Forces and Processes

There are three types of stress: compression (move towards), tension (move away), and shearing (move past)
Crustal deformation can result in folding or faulting
Folding can result in anticlines (rising sedimentary rocks) or synclines (downfolds)
Faulting can result in dip-slip faults (normal or reverse) or strike-slip faults

Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is a circle of subduction zones around the Pacific Ocean
It is a direct result of plate tectonics, resulting in volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis

History of the Earth

Petrology is the study of the composition, structure, and classification of rocks
Absolute dating uses isotopes and radioactive decay to determine the age of rocks
Relative dating uses uniformitarianism and principles such as original horizontality, superposition, crosscutting relations, and unconformities to determine the age of rocks
Fossils can be used to determine the age of rocks, with true form fossils, mold fossils, cast fossils, and trace fossils all providing evidence of the Earth's history