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Questions and Answers
What is the primary driving force behind the movement of the Earth's plates?
What is the primary driving force behind the movement of the Earth's plates?
- The shifting of the Earth's inner core.
- The rotation of the Earth on its axis.
- Convection currents in the mantle. (correct)
- The gravitational pull of the moon.
Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is generally:
Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is generally:
- Thinner and composed of less dense materials.
- Thinner and composed of more dense materials. (correct)
- Thicker and composed of more dense materials.
- Thicker and composed of less dense materials.
Which layer of the Earth is characterized as being composed of molten nickel and iron?
Which layer of the Earth is characterized as being composed of molten nickel and iron?
- Outer core (correct)
- Mantle
- Inner core
- Crust
If a tectonic plate boundary is located under the ocean, it is referred to as:
If a tectonic plate boundary is located under the ocean, it is referred to as:
What is the approximate temperature range within the Earth's inner core?
What is the approximate temperature range within the Earth's inner core?
Flashcards
Plate
Plate
A large section of Earth's crust.
Crust
Crust
The thin, outermost solid layer of the Earth.
Mantle
Mantle
Layer under the crust made of hot, semi-molten rock (magma).
Outer core
Outer core
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Convection currents
Convection currents
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Study Notes
Structure of the Earth
- The earth consists of large plates, which are slabs of the earth's crust.
- Plate boundaries are where the plates meet.
- The crust is the thin, outer layer of the earth, made of solid rock.
- Underneath the crust is the mantle, consisting of hot, semi-molten rock known as magma that moves in very slow currents.
- The outer core consists of liquid nickel and iron and is molten.
- The inner core is the solid center of the earth, where temperatures are extremely high up to 6,000° Celsius.
The Earth's Crust
- The outer layer, known as the crust, made up of solid rock.
- The crust ranges from 5 to 70 km in depth and is split into plates
- Continental crust contains land on top of plates.
- Oceanic crusts have land on top of them.
- Plate boundary refers to the the points at which plates meet.
- The crust has different thicknesses; for example, below Central Valley in California, USA, the crust is only 20 km thick.
- Under the Himalayas, the crust has a thickness of up to 90 km.
- Underneath the ocean, the crust has a thickness of 5-11 km.
Convection Currents
- The earth's plates float on partially-molten magma within the mantle.
- Magma movement causes plates to collide, separate, or slide past each other.
- Magma moves in circular motions called convection currents within the mantle.
- The movement of plates are related to the convection currents.
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Description
Explore the structure of the Earth, including its crust, mantle, and core. Learn about plate tectonics, continental and oceanic crusts. Plate boundaries are the points at which plates meet.
