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APES Flashcards

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12219664609geologic time scalescale used by paleontologists to represent evolutionary time0
12219674726coreCenter of the earth (inner and outer)1
12219728233mantlethe layer of the earth between the crust and the core2
12219728410athenosphereThe soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move3
12219728683lithosphereA rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.4
12219729320crustEarth's outermost layer (also part of the lithosphere)5
12225965671pangaealarge, ancient landmass that was composed of all the continents joined together6
12225971566tectonic platesLarge movable plates under the Earth's surface (~12 plates, and plates are made out of mantle/crust)7
12225988637plate boundariesthe edges of tectonic plates8
12225995861convergent boundaryA tectonic plate boundary where two plates collide, come together, or crash into each other9
12225999395divergent boundaryThe boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other10
12225999789magmaMolten rock beneath the earth's surface11
12226064297basalticIgneous rock composed mostly of dark colored, dense, minerals containing compounds of iron and magnesium12
12226067781rhyolitichigh silica composition, high gas content, result of explosions13
12226084067pyroclastic flowThe expulsion of ash, cinders, bombs, and gases during an explosive volcanic eruption14
12226120185transform fault boundaryan area where tectonic plates move sideways past each other15
12226121131volcanoesan opening in the Earth's crust through which molten lava, ash, and gases are ejected (magma = volcano)16
12226121949active volcanoesAre currently erupting or show sign of erupting in the near future17
12226122522dormant volcanoA volcano that has not erupted for a long time, but may erupt again one day18
12226122806extinct volcanoA volcano that has not erupted for thousands of years and probably will not erupt again19
12226123950rift valleya valley formed by the separation of tectonic plates20
12226125001subduction zonesplaces where plates are pushed down into the upper mantle21
12226125418hot spotsplaces where molten material from the mantle reaches the lithosphere22
12226126014shield volcanoesbroad base, gentle slopes, oceanic hot spot, mild eruption, slow lava flow. if contact w h20 occurs then it can lead to a pyroclastic flow23
12226127607composite volcanoesbroad base, steeper slope, subduction zones, violent eruptions, lava, water, gases, super heated ash and stones24
12226129138cider volcanoa volcano that formed when molten lava erupts and cools quickly in the air (hardening into rock)25
12226132082earthquakesa sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action.26
12226133260focusPoint at the depth where the rocks ruptured to produce earthquakes; place where quake waves originate27
12226133467epicenterPoint on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus28
12226133847seismographA device that records ground movements caused by seismic waves as they move through Earth29
12226134399S wavesA type of seismic wave that moves the ground up and down or side to side30
12226134837richter scaleA scale that rates an earthquake's magnitude based on the size of its seismic waves.31

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