Geography Tectonic landscapes

Created by: Rachel12341
Created on: 20-05-14 19:14

The earths crust is between 10 and 100km thick and consists of cooler rock 'floating' on the hotter molten rock of the mantle

The earth is divided into 7 large plates and 12 smaller plates. The earths plates consist of two types of crust

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Oceanic crust

Between 5 and 10 km thick, denser (heavier) than continental crust and continually being renewed and destroyed

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Continental crust

Between 25 and 100km thick, less dense than oceanic crust and does not sink, it is not destroyed.

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Continental drift

Most plates move a few cm a year and eventually cause the continents to move, split and collide, the relative positions of the continents are still changing, this is known as continental drift.

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Convergent/ Destructive

two plates move towards each other, where they meet one plate is subducted (slides) below the other, the heavier one is subducted below the lighter one.

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Ocean-Ocean boundries - The Ryukyu islands- Japanese islands - Philippine plate subducting beneath the Eurasian plate.

As it subducts, tremendous pressures are released causing earthquakes. 100km below surface, the subducting plate begins to melt and magma escapes to surface form volcanoes, these can form islands after several numbers of eruptions

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Ocean-Continent boundary - The Nazca plate is being subducted below the South American plate

As the oceanic plate is subducted, a deep ocean trench forms. The heat from the mantle and friction from the contact between the two plates causes the oceanic plate to be destroyed. It can also cause earthquakes to occur along the subduction zone.

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Continental-continental boundary - such as Himalayas

A slow collision takes place (no subducting) resulting in intense folding, faulting and uplift and leads to the formation of mountains, there are few earthquakes and no volcanoes

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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Between 5 and 10 km thick, denser (heavier) than continental crust and continually being renewed and destroyed

Back

Oceanic crust

Card 3

Front

Between 25 and 100km thick, less dense than oceanic crust and does not sink, it is not destroyed.

Back

Card 4

Front

Most plates move a few cm a year and eventually cause the continents to move, split and collide, the relative positions of the continents are still changing, this is known as continental drift.

Back

Card 5

Front

two plates move towards each other, where they meet one plate is subducted (slides) below the other, the heavier one is subducted below the lighter one.