Plate Tectonics and structure of the earth

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  • Created by: blloob1
  • Created on: 18-04-14 13:00
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  • Plate Tectonics and structure of the earth
    • Continental drift
      • fosils had been found in the wrong places
        • fossils of tropical plants found in the artic the climate would have killed them
      • 300 milion years ago there was one supercontinent
    • Structure of the earth
      • The crust
        • The crust is vary thin it varies between 5 and 50 Km
        • Surounded by the atmosphere
      • The Mantle
        • The mantle has all the properties of a solid exept it can flow very slowly
        • Within the mantle radioactive decay takes place
          • This produces a lot of heat
            • This causes the mantle to flow in convection currents
      • The core
        • The core is made from iron and nickel
    • The earths surface
      • The upper part of the mantle is cracked in to a number of large pieces
        • These are called tectonic plates
          • The plates drift because of convection currents in the mantle
            • Most of the plates are moving at  a few Cm a year relitive to each other
              • Occasionally plates move very suddenly causing an earthquake
                • Volcanoes and earthquakes often occur at the boundaries between two techtonic plates
                  • Techtonic can suddenly lurch forwards so it is impossible to predict exactly when they will move
                    • Scientists are trying ot find out if there are any clues that an earthquake might happern soon by looking at the strain on underground rocks
                      • Even with these clues they'll only be able to say where an earthquake is likely to happen not exactly when it will happen
                        • There are some clues to say when volcanic eruption might happen soon
                          • Moltern rock rises up into chambers near the surface causing the ground to bulge slightly
                            • This causes mini-earthquakes near the volcano
                              • Sometimes rock can cool down instead of erupting
                                • so mini-earthquakes can be a false alarm
  • This landmass broke into smaler chuncks that moved apart
    • 300 milion years ago there was one supercontinent
    • Modern day continents are still drifing apart
  • The core is the centre of the earth
    • The core
      • The core is made from iron and nickel

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