Earth science (Sci) (Upcat passer!!!!!)

• Inner part of the Earth

  Dense ball of the elements: Iron and Nickel1800 miles or 2900 km below the Earth's surface
• Because the Earth rotates

  The outer core spins around the inner core and that causes the Earth's magnetism
• The heat from Earth's core

  • Causes the asthenosphere to move in currents
  • These currents drag the tectonic plates above them, slowly shifting them across the Earth's surface
• Convection currents happen in the asthenosphere which moves the plate
• Continental Plate


  Massive, rigid slabs of rock that form the Earth's continent
• Oceanic Plate


  Large, rigid slabs of rock that form the ocean floor, Thinner and denser type of tectonic plate
• Driving Forces


  • Mantle Convection
  • Slab Pull
  • Slab Suction
  • Ridge Push
• Mantle Convection is caused by the rising of the heat from the core toward the mantle
• Slab Pull


  Takes place when a subducting slab sinks into the hot mantle because of a difference in temperature
• Slab Suction


  Occurs between two colliding plates, one subducting underneath the other
• Ridge Push


  Occurs when the lithosphere is pushed up by the asthenosphere because of convection currents from the mantle
• Slab resistance


  Force that resists all the forces associated with plate movement in subduction zones
• Transform fault resistance


  Frictional force due to the opposing movement of plates moving past one another between two spreading centers
• Drag force


  Resist movement of lithospheric plates
• Laurasia


  North (North America, Europe, Asia)
• Gondwana


  South (South America, Australia, Antarctica, Africa, India)
• Seafloor Spreading Theory


  Proposed by Harry Hess
• Magnetic Reversal


  Also called magnetic flip of the Earth, Happens when the north pole is transformed into the south
• Once the hot less dense particles cooldown

  They sink, and the other less dense particles rise
• Plate Boundaries


  Regions between plates
• Fault


  Fracture-like caused by the plates moving
• When two oceanic plates pull apart


  • Hot molten rock emerges as lava and so new matter is added to the plates
  • New oceanic plates are formed
• Mid-ocean range


  The place where this happens
• Convergent Plate Boundary


  Also known as destructive, Two plates moving together, Slowly moving together with unimaginable force
• Subducting Zone


  One plate moves underneath the other
• Organic Belt


  Two plates that simply collide and compress
• Rocks

  Aggregation of minerals
• Sedimentary rocks

  • Sediments compacting together and becoming hard
  • Pre-existing rocks living organism
• Clastic sedimentary rocks


  • Mechanical weathering debris
  • Accumulation of rocks & shells
• Chemical sedimentary rocks

  • Dissolved minerals precipitate from a solution
• Organic sedimentary rocks


  • Living / product of living things
• Metamorphic rocks


  • Modified from intense heat, pressure, or chemical process
  • From sedimentary or igneous
• Metamorphism

  Change of minerals without melting to liquid magma
• Regional metamorphism


  • Large region of crust over high temperature and pressure
• Contact metamorphism


  • Layers of rock with contact to heat
• Igneous rocks


  • Hardening and crystallization of magma / molten mineral
• Extrusive or volcanic rocks


  • Lava
  • Fine grained crystals, because the cooling is fast
• Intrusive or plutonic rocks

  • Magma, cools slowly
  • Coarse grained crystals
• Classification of igneous rocks

  • Felsic (light-color, feldspar, silicate)
  • Mafic (dark-color, magnesium, iron)
  • Intermediate (between felsic & mafic)
  • Ultramafic (very dark)
  • Aphanitic (fine grain)
  • Phaneritic (coarse grain)
  • Porphyritic (large and small crystals)
  • Glassy (non-ordered solid from rapid quenching)
  • Pyroclastic (ejected fragments)
• Core

  • Inner part of the Earth
  • Dense ball of the elements: Iron and Nickel
  • 1800 miles or 2900 km below the Earth's surface

  Inner Core

  • Center of the Earth
  • A solid ball buried below the dirt. Primarily, metallic
  • Solid because of earth's gravity
  • About 780 miles thick
  • Made of iron
  • 9941° celsius

  Outer Core

  • Its busy spinning by the inner core.
  • This steady movement causes earth's magnetism ranging before the 9000
  • 1370 miles thick
  • Iron and nickel however in their liquid form