Landform Test

• Tsunami


  A long, high sea wave caused by under-water earthquakes
• Continental drift

  A theory stating that 300 million years ago all of Earth's land masses, which were in constant motion, collided to form one supercontinent called Pangaea. About 200 million years ago, Pangaea broke apart and the continents have drifted apart to their present locations. According to this theory, only continents drifted
• Pangaea

  A supercontinent that included all Earth's land masses. It existed from about 300 to about 200 million years ago
• Plate tectonics (Tuzo Wilson)


  Theory that states that Earth's outer shell consists of plates that move causing earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and the formation of new crust
• Convection currents

  Circular movement in a gas or liquid created by uneven heating
• Erosion


  Wearing away of Earth's surface followed by the movement to other locations of materials that have worn away
• Geologic time

  • Cenozoic era (most recent 66 million years)
  • Mesozoic era (245 million to 66 million years ago)
  • Paleozoic era (570 million to 245 million years ago)
  • Precambrian era (4600 million to 570 years ago)
• Eras


  Major divisions of geologic time (for example, the Paleozoic era). Each era represents a time of major sediment deposition and plate movement
• Deposition


  Gradual laying down of rocks
• Sediments

  Eroded material, such as sand and gravel, that is deposited by water, wind, or glacial ice
• Glaciation


  The state of being covered by glaciers or massive ice sheets
• Canadian Shield


  Large area of Precambrian rock that forms the core of Canada
• Geoscience

  A general term used to describe a wide range of specialized scientific fields within the broad areas of geology and resource management
• Glaciers

  Slow-moving masses of ice
• Folding

  When the Earth's crust instead of breaking, bends due to pressure, forming curved layers
• Faulting

  When the Earth's crust breaks and forms fractures between blocks of rock. These fractures allow those blocks of rock to move relative to each other
• Earth's plates are made of rock, not ice
• Beneath Earth's surface is a thick, liquid rock
• Movement of ice plates in a lake caused by wind

  Movement of Earth's plates due to heat currents start thing from the center of the Earth
• Earthquake under water


  May cause a tsunami
• Magnitude


  Amount of energy of an earthquake measured by the Richter scale on a scale from 1 (small) to 9 (very large)
• Eruption


  Ejection of lava from an active volcano
• Subducting

  Sliding under (ex: one plate sliding under another plate)
• In 1915, German scientist, Alfred Wegener, noticed that South America and Africa look like they can fit together
• Wegener proposed continental drift
• 300 million years ago all of Earth's landmasses, which were in constant motion, collided to form one supercontinent (Pangaea -> "all land")
• The pieces drifted apart into their present locations
• 4 proofs for continental drift theory

  • Jigsaw fit between South America and Africa
  • Fossils of the same plants and animals on both South America and Africa; only possible if these two continents were connected at some point
  • Mountains with similar ages and structures on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean - Appalachians in the eastern United States and Canada and the Caledonian Mountains in the northern British Isles and Europe
  • Ice sheets covered parts of southern Africa, India, Australia, and South America about 250 million years ago. This is possible because at one point, these continents were closer to the South Pole
• J. Tuzo Wilson, a Canadian scientist, came up with the plate tectonics theory
• Plate tectonics theory

  • Earth's outer shell is made up of about 20 plates (continental and oceanic crust)
  • Movement of plates due to convection currents that are caused by an unequal distribution of heat
• Movement of these plates have shaped Canada
• How plate tectonics shaped Canada

  • Mountain chains on east and west coasts (result of plates bumping together)
  • Formed Canada's fossil fuels
  • Oil, gas, and coal formed when Canada's land mass was located in a warmer, tropical climate
• Ridge

  As 2 plates move, the seafloor spreads, magma comes from the Earth's core, and a ridge is formed
• Trench

  As 2 plates collide, one plate subducts the other, creating a trench
• Plate tectonics and erosion help explain geologic history
• Land violently pushed up due to internal forces may form mountains
• These mountains are then slowly and continuously worn down by wind, rain, running water, and ice (erosion)
• Eras

  • Cenozoic
  • Mesozoic
  • Paleozic
  • Precambrian
• Major Geological Events in each era

  • Cenozoic: Ice sheets cover much of North America, Continents take on their present shape, Formation of the Rocky Mountains completed
  • Mesozoic: Formation of Rocky Mountains begins, Innuitian Mountains formed, Shallow seas in the interior of North America at various times
  • Paleozic: Periods when large parts of North America are covered by shallow seas, First plants and animals appear on land, Large swamps - coal formed from this vegetation
  • Precambrian: Precambrian shields, such as the Canadian Shield, Brazilian Shield, and Australian Shield are formed, First single-celled organisms, First multi-celled organisms
• Major Biological Events in each era

  • Cenozoic: Modern forms of life evolve, Age of mammals, Human beings develop
  • Mesozoic: First birds and mammals, First flowering plants, Age of reptiles, such as dinosaurs
  • Paleozic: First insects, Age of amphibians and fish
  • Precambrian: First single-celled organisms, First multi-celled organisms