SCIENCE 10

PLATE TECTONICS makes the molten rocks rise and form new
CRUST – made up of sedimentary, crust.
metamorphic, and igneous rocks. SEISMIC WAVES – energy that causes
LITHOSPHERIC PLATES slippage along a fault in earth’s crust,
EARTHQUAKES – shaking of ground due radiates in all directions from the focus;
DESCRIPTION CONTINENTAL OCEANIC recorded in seismograph
1. SURFACE WAVES – travel through the
THICKNESS 25-70 km 7-10 km surface of earth; arrive after main P and
(THICKER) (THINNER) S waves
1.1.LOVE WAVES – faster than Rayleigh;
AGE OLDER YOUNGER
move in side-to-side horizontal
DENSITY 2.7 g/cm^3 3.0g/cm^3 motion (like a snake); causes most
COMPOSITION GRANITE BASALT damages
to seismic activities; vibration of earth 1.2.RAYLEIGH WAVE – rolls along the
EPICENTER – above focus ground like a wave that rolls across a
FOCUS – when energy is released lake; move side-to-side or up and down;
MAGNITUDE – strength/size of most of the shaking is felt due to
earthquake Rayleigh wave
INTENSITY – damage of earthquake 2. BODY WAVES – travel through earth’s
SEISMIC WAVES – energy released from inner layers; higher frequency
earthquakes and movement of plates 2.1.
BODY WAVES P-WAVES (PRIMARY WAVES OR
1. P WAVE – fastest, longitudinal, move COMPRESSIONAL WAVES) – travels
through solid rocks and fluids quickly through the Earth and solids;
2. S WAVE – comes after P waves, travel by particles vibrating parallel to
trasverse, move through solids the direction of the wave travel; travel
P and S waves travel on earth’s interior, through solid, liquid, gas
while L waves travel on surface. 2.2. S-WAVE (SECONDARY WAVE OR
PLATE BOUNDARIES SHEAR WAVE) – slower than P-wave;
1. DIVERGENT PB (tension stress) – move move as shear or transverse waves (side
away to side), shake the ground back
Trench, rift valley, oceanic ridges and forth perpendicular to the direction of
2. CONVERGENT PB (compression stress) the waves. It cannot move through
– move towards; subduction liquids and the outer core.
Tsunamis, mountains, volcanoes, arcs VELOCITY of seismic waves increases at
(chain of volcanoes) about 50 km below earth’s surface due to
3. TRANSFORM FAULT (shear stress) – the
slide past LAYERS OF THE EARTH
Earthquakes 1. CRUST – thinnest and outermost;
DIVERGENT – Mid-Atlantic Ridge (C-C, O- continental and oceanic; Oxygen is the
O) most abundant.
CONVERGENT – Andres, Himalayas, 2. MANTLE – makes about 80% of total
Sierra Nevada (C-C, O-O, C-O) earth’s volume and 68% of its mass; made
TRANSFORM – San Andreas Fault up of silicate rocks and it is solid since
TRIANGULATION METHOD – is used to both P and S waves pass through it
locate the distance of earthquake and its 2.1. ASTHENOSPHERE – weak later made
direction. of hot molten material; facilitates
Differences in arrival time of P and S wave the movement of lithospheric plates
defines earthquake’s distance without The crust and upper mantle make up
direction. Using 3 recording stations, Earth’s Lithosphere.
triangulation method is used to define tis
distance. 3. CORE
MANTLE PLUME – source of molten 3.1. OUTER CORE (creates earth’s
materials that form volcanoes. magnetism) – made up of molten iron and
nickel; magnetic field strengthens the idea
that outer core is molten/liquid,
Convection current which creates earth’s magnetism.
SCIENCE 10

3.2.INNER CORE – made up of solid iron 2. Magnetic field is generated by the outer
and nickel; solidified due to pressure core.
freezing. Iron and nickel are dense and 3. Magnetic reversal is also called as
magnetic. magnetic flip of the Earth. It happens
CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY – when North Pole is transformed into a
Pangaea drifted apart from one big land South Pole and vice versa due to the
mass change in the direction of flow in outer
-proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912 (he’s core. It can be explained by the magnetic
a meteorologist – weather, astronomer – patterns in magnetic rocks in the ocean
outer space and celestial bodies) floor.
1. Laurasia – northern part of Pangaea PLATE TECTONIC THEORY – explains
2. Gondwanaland – southern part why lithospheric plates move. It is due to
3. Panthalassa – body of water the lithosphere being divided into several
EVIDENCES plates and the asthenosphere that make it
1. Apparent Fit of the continents (South move.
America and Africa, and India CONVECTION CURRENT – makes the
Madagascar Africa) plates move. It rotates very slowly and
2. Fossil Correlation move the plates along.
2.1.Mesosaurus – freshwater reptile NOTES:
similar to crocodile (South Africa and MARIANA TRENCH is the deepest part of
South America) the world’s oceans, it is formed where two
2.2. Cynognathus – mammal-like reptile; oceanic plates collide.
land-dominant (South Africa and TRENCH is a long, narrow, and deep
South America) depression in the ocean floor caused by
2.3. Glossopteris – woody seed-bearing subduction.
tree. FAULT is a break in rock where movement
3. Rocks and Mountains Correlation – has occurred. This is where earthquakes
same type and age of rocks from diff usually happen.
continents FRACTURE is similar to a fault,but no
4. Paleoclimate data – coal is due to significant movement occurs.
compaction and decomposition of swamp MOUNTAIN is a large landform that rises
plants million years ago, but it is found in high above the surrounding land.
Antartica Mountains usually form when tectonic
SEAFLOOR SPREADING – divergent PB; plates push against each other, causing
new molten rocks arise and form new the Earth's crust to fold or break.
crust VOLCANO is a mountain or opening in the
EVIDENCES: Earth’s crust where magma (molten rock),
1. Rocks are younger at mid-ocean ridge gases, and ash can escape from beneath
2. Rocks far from the mid-ocean ridge are the surface.
older MAGMA is molten (melted) rock beneath
3. Sediments are thinner at the ridge the Earth’s surface. It contains minerals,
4. Rocks at the ocean floor are younger gases, and crystals. When it erupts from a
than those at the continents volcano, it becomes lava.
The Seafloor Spreading Theory
contradicts a part of the Continental Drift
Theory.
According to this theory, continents
moved through unmoving oceans and that
larger, sturdier continents broke through
the oceanic crust. Whereas, the seafloor
spreading shows that the ocean is the
actual site of tectonic activity.
MAGNETIC REVERSAL - indicates
seafloor spreading
1. Magnetic compass tells us directions on
earth and proves that it has magnetic
field.