Questions and Answers
What is the crust?
What is magma?
Melted or molten rock material beneath Earth's surface
What is a mid-ocean ridge?
An underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonics
What does seafloor spreading refer to?
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What is subduction?
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What are tectonic plates?
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What is oceanic crust?
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What is continental crust?
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What is Pangaea?
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Who is Harry Hess?
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Who is Alfred Wegener?
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What is a trench?
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The oceanic plate subducts when the oceanic and continental lithospheres collide.
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Study Notes
Key Concepts in Plate Tectonics
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Crust: Earth's outermost layer, comprising continental (landmasses) and oceanic (ocean floors) varieties.
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Magma: Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface that cools to form rocks with larger crystals.
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Mid-Ocean Ridge: An underwater mountain range created by the movement of tectonic plates.
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Seafloor Spreading: The process that generates new oceanic crust through magma upwelling at mid-ocean ridges.
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Subduction: The mechanism where a denser tectonic plate sinks beneath a less dense plate during convergence.
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Tectonic Plates: Massive sections of Earth's crust that shift on the mantle's upper layer due to convection currents.
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Oceanic Crust: The section of crust that lies beneath the ocean, denser than continental crust.
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Continental Crust: The part of Earth's crust that forms the continents.
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Pangaea: The historical supercontinent where all current continents were once interconnected.
Notable Figures
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Harry Hess: Geologist who introduced the theory of seafloor spreading, enhancing the understanding of ocean floor formation.
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Alfred Wegener: Scientist who formulated the continental drift theory, proposing continents once formed a single landmass.
Geological Features
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Trench: Deep ocean regions created by the subducting plates, marking significant geological activity.
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Oceanic Plate Subduction: Occurs when oceanic and continental lithospheres collide; the oceanic plate is denser, causing it to dive beneath the continental crust.
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Description
This quiz covers essential terminology related to seafloor spreading and subduction, including definitions of crust, magma, and mid-ocean ridges. Enhance your understanding of Earth's geological processes by testing your knowledge with these key concepts.