Plate tectonics notes part 1

Front

What is the outermost layer of the Earth that includes the crust?

Back

Lithosphere

Front

What significant geological features were discovered using sonar?

Back

Deep sea trenches and ocean ridges.

Front

What occurs during seafloor spreading?

Back

Magma, because it is hotter and less dense than surrounding mantle material, is forced toward the crust along an ocean ridge.

Front

What is thought to be the driving mechanism of plate tectonics?

Back

Convection currents.

Front

What theory explains the formation of new ocean crust at ridges and its destruction at deep sea trenches?

Back

Theory of Sea floor spreading.

Front

Define lithosphere in the context of plate tectonics.

Back

The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the upper mantle.

Front

What role do convection currents play in plate tectonics?

Back

Convection currents in the mantle are responsible for the movement of tectonic plates.

Front

How do ocean ridges form?

Back

Ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries where tectonic plates are moving apart, allowing magma to rise and create new crust.

Front

What is the significance of deep sea trenches in plate tectonics?

Back

Deep sea trenches are formed at convergent plate boundaries where one plate is subducted beneath another, leading to the recycling of oceanic crust.

Front

Explain the process of subduction.

Back

Subduction is the process by which one tectonic plate moves under another and is forced into the mantle, often creating deep sea trenches.